On Tuesday, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) Terminal 2 hosted Channel Your Inner Chef, a culinary competition created by HMSHost Corp. in partnership with the Chicago Department of Aviation.
During this competition five finalists were challenged to create a recipe with a set list of ingredients revealed to them only a few hours earlier. Competitors also selected an ingredient of their choice from the O’Hare Urban Garden in Terminal 3.
The chefs created dishes like ricotta gnocchi with lobster asparagus and sweet and sour salmon with cauliflower rice, all in front of an audience of travelers, airport and airline employees, and Chicago personalities.
Anna Cooper of Houston won the day with her spicy mustard seed seared lamb with rosemary-infused ricotta whipped potatoes, and a blackberry and shallot balsamic reduction. Cooper’s winning dish will be featured on the menu of an HMSHost-operated restaurant at ORD later this year. Cooper will also receive roundtrip airfare for two and a VIP trip for two to attend the James Beard Awards Gala in Chicago.
“Channel Your Inner Chef is a culinary event unlike any other you can find in an airport, and we are thrilled to partner with the Chicago Department of Aviation to bring this competition back for its fourth year at Chicago O’Hare,” says Steve Johnson, president and CEO of HMSHost. “This action-packed event truly showcased the diverse range of aspiring culinary talent found here in Chicago and across the country, and we congratulate each of the contestants on truly outstanding performances.”
