Mid-Michigan Dining

Got this from a press release.  Not hyper-local, but I know there are some creative cooks amongst the readers of this blog.

Calling All Top Chef Fans: Bravo Presents the First-Ever
Quaker® Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge

Three finalists will experience what it’s like to be a Top Chef when they compete
in a live Quickfire Challenge and prepare an original dish using Quaker Oats

CHICAGO, January 29, 2009 – Are you a die hard Top Chef fan? Think you have what it takes to go knife-to-knife with other Top Chefs? To find out, create a unique dish using Quaker Oats, and enter the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge.

In conjunction with Bravo’s hit reality creative competition series Top Chef, all at-home chefs and fans of the show can submit their original recipes, which showcase Quaker Oats as an exciting and versatile ingredient, to http://www.BravoTV.com. Then, in early March, visitors to the site will vote to select three finalists who will travel to New York City and compete in the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge. The finalists will experience what it is like to be a Top Chef when they compete in a live Quickfire Challenge and prepare a new, original dish using Quaker Oats. The winner will have the chance to attend a future Top Chef episode.

The contest was announced during last night’s Top Chef, after chef’testants were asked to come up with a recipe that showcased the versatility of Quaker Oats as part of the episode’s Quickfire Challenge. The winning recipe was a Banana Oatmeal Mousse with Almond Crisp, created by chef’testant Stefan Richter.

“As viewers saw on last night’s show, Quaker Oats are nutritious, affordable, and one of the most versatile foods you’ll find,” said Chef Spike Mendelsohn, Top Chef Chicago chef’testant and owner of Washington, D.C. hotspot, Good Stuff Eatery. “From an oat-based pie crust to a spicy oat-crusted chicken, Quaker Oats can be enjoyed throughout the day, extending a recipe and your wallet beyond the breakfast table. The Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge is a really unique way for people to showcase their culinary talents with great-tasting Quaker Oats.”

As a trusted source of nutrition for more than 130 years, Quaker Oats are an easy and delicious way to add whole grains to your diet that gives you both value and nutrition. In fact, oats are one of the most studied foods for their heart health benefits. Quaker has more than 25 years of clinical proof that the soluble fiber from oats can help lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. At only about 40 cents per serving, Quaker Oats also provide essential nutrients, including thiamin, iron and fiber, which are lacking in most Americans’ diets.

For more information on the first-ever Quaker Oats Viewer Quickfire Challenge, including Official Rules, visit www.BravoTV.com. For tips and cooking and baking ideas using Quaker Oats, visit www.QuakerOats.com.