Seven up-and-coming Capital Region chefs highlighted as Rising Stars at 2024 festival
https://medium.com/relentlessawareness/winners-of-the-rising-star-chefs-competition-announced-for-the-2024-albany-chefs-food-wine-ef3bd563ff9b
ALBANY, N.Y. (December 21, 2023) — The winners of the Rising Star Chefs competition have been selected for the Albany Wine and Dine for the Arts 2024 Albany Chefs’ Food and Wine Festival (ACFWF). After the judges’ scores and an all-time-high voter turnout resulted in a tie, the ACFWF Board decided to select seven Capital Region Chefs as winners instead of six as the competition originally planned. The winning chefs will be featured at the Friday & Saturday Grand Tastings in the Times Union Table Hopping Rising Star Chef Pavilion, where they’ll provide samplings curated from their award winning menus.
“This had to be one of the toughest competitions yet,” said Marcus Q. Pryor, board president of the Albany Chefs’ Food & Wine Festival. “With overwhelming public support and outstanding tasting menus prepared by each incredibly talented chef, selecting our winners was no easy task. While we couldn’t select everyone, we can’t stress enough how amazing each of our finalists are. We encourage the public to frequent their establishments — you won’t be disappointed!”
The 2024 Rising Star Chefs winners are:
- Peter Darves-Bornoz, Josie’s Table
- Noah Frese, The Roosevelt Room
- Joe Friedel, Dotty Lou’s BBQ
- Tyikea McLean, Daleys on Yates
- Michelle Montini, Nicole’s Restaurant
- Michael Plewinski, 677 Prime
- Stacy Tecler, Stacy’s Scratch Kitchen
The competition, launched in October on Steve Barnes’ Times Union Table Hopping blog, invited the public to nominate and vote for their favorite Capital Region chefs. Judges from the ACFWF Board of Directors conducted tastings at each chef’s restaurants before conducting a final vote.
The winning chef’s biographies can be found on the Albany Wine and Dine website. The Rising Star Chefs competition is sponsored by the Times Union Table Hopping blog.
The 2024 Albany Chefs’ Food and Wine Festival will take place from Thursday, Jan. 25 through Saturday, Jan. 27. For full details on the Rising Star Chefs and more information about the three-day-long festival, visit albanywinefest.com.
###
About Albany Wine and Dine for the Arts: Their mission is to provide sustainable funding for the support and preservation of the not-for-profit arts community in Albany, New York, through an annual three-day food and wine-themed festival that markets restaurants, chefs, and their innovative cuisine, educates consumers on healthy, sustainable agriculture, and donates the net income directly to deserving nonprofit arts organizations. albanywinefest.com