The Adirondack Museum will hold a special event, “The Adirondacks are Cookin’ Out,” on Thursday, July 29, 2010. A highlight of the day will be a “top chef” competition – Adirondack style. Outstanding regional chefs will compete in a trial by campfire. Visitors are invited to watch and cheer them on as guest judges choose the winner of this outdoor cooking challenge.

Competitors include: Chef Kevin McCarthy, former Executive Chef at The Point in Saranac Lake, N.Y. and the Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, N.Y., now a faculty member at Paul Smith’s College; Chef Stephen Topper, former Executive Sous Chef at The Sagamore on Lake George, Executive Chef at Friends Lake Inn, Chestertown, N.Y., and currently at Lorenzo’s al Forno in the Copperfield Inn, North Creek, N.Y.

Also, Chef Richard Brosseau, Executive Chef at the Interlaken Inn and Restaurant, Lake Placid, N.Y.; Chef Luke Bowers, Executive Chef, barVino, North Creek, N.Y.; Chef Tom Morris, Chef De Cuisine at the Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid, N.Y.; and Chef Eric Hample chef and owner of The Cellar Restaurant in Long Lake, N.Y.

Tony Zazula, co-owner of “Commerce,” a contemporary American restaurant in Greenwich Village, Suvir Saran, a respected food authority, television personality, and consultant worldwide, and Sally Longo, a chef and owner of Aunt Sally’s Catering, Glens Falls, N.Y. will be judges for the Campfire Cook-Off.

The Campfire Cook-Off will begin at 11:00 a.m. Each chef will select his own menu; all will cook over an open fire. Judging will take place at 1:00 p.m.

The Chefs:

Chef Tom Morris
Chef Morris is the Chef De Cuisine at the Mirror Lake Inn, Lake Placid, New York. Tom worked under chefs Serge Roche and Pierre Couvin at the Three Clock Inn in Londonderry, Vermont and was sous chef at the Three Mountain Inn in Jamaica, Vt. Tom returned home to the Adirondacks in 2007 to complete his studies and join the Mirror Lake Inn under Chef Paul Sorgule. In 2008 Tom was on the team for the “Taste of the Adirondacks” dinner at the James Beard House. He has been involved in the Vermont Fresh Network and the Adirondack Harvest Association and strives to utilize the bounty of fresh ingredients the mountains provide in New York and Vermont.

Chef Eric Hample
Chef Hample graduated from Paul Smith’s College in 2002 with an Associate Degree in Culinary Arts and a concentration in baking. He has worked at various local restaurants in multiple positions and in Syracuse as a pastry chef for two and a half years. He now owns and operates The Cellar Restaurant in Long Lake, N.Y. with his wife Brooke and partners Ali and Michelle Hamdan where they pride themselves in consistent, fresh, and delicious food at fair prices.

Chef Luke Bowers
Chef Bowers is Executive Chef at barVino, North Creek, N.Y. barVino is a restaurant, wine bar, and live music venue. Under Chef Bower’s leadership the chic rustic menu uses many local products and changes seasonally to incorporate the freshest possible ingredients.

Chef Kevin McCarthy
Chef Kevin McCarthy took local Adirondack ingredients to new heights as Executive Chef at The Point, Saranac Lake, N.Y. and Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, NY. He has appeared in numerous trade and travel magazines and was featured in the PBS documentary “The Adirondacks.” McCarthy currently lives in Saranac Lake and has recently joined the faculty of Paul Smith’s College.

Chef Stephen Topper
Chef Stephen Topper was the Executive Sous Chef at The Sagamore Resort on Lake George, N.Y., moving next to the role of Executive Chef at The Friends Lake Inn in Chestertown, N.Y. His elevation of the menu offerings to match the Inn’s impressive wine list won numerous awards. Chef Topper was the chef at Saratoga Polo –Catering & Events, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. before coming to Lorenzo’s al Forno at the Copperfield Inn, North Creek, N.Y.

Chef Richard Brosseau
Richard Brosseau is the Executive Chef of the Interlaken Inn and Restaurant in Lake Placid, N.Y. He draws inspiration from the rich local farming community in the Adirondacks to add dimension to his menu. He has been featured on “Live! with Regis and Kelly” as well as PBS’s “Roadside Recipes” and has received numerous Wine Spectator Awards for the wine list he has compiled at the Interlaken Restaurant.

The Judges:

Tony Zazula
Tony Zazula is the co-owner of Commerce, a restaurant in Greenwich Village, featuring an upscale, contemporary American menu with Asian, French and Italian accents. Zazula began his career at the famed Tavern on the Green in New York City. He went on to gain invaluable experience at the St. Regis Hotel where he was the Director of Food and Beverage, and at The Plaza where he was the Catering Sales Manager. Zazula has also worked at Windows on the World as Vice President of Sales and Catering, and The Rainbow Room.

In 1985 Zazula and partner Drew Nieporent opened the award winning Montrachet, marking the revitalization of Tribeca and playing a critical role in shaping the neighborhood’s status as a hip and desirable section of Manhattan. During it’s 20-year span, Montrachet maintained a reputation of excellence. When not in New York City, Zazula enjoys spending time at his family summer home in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y.

Suvir Saran
A respected food authority, Saran has been featured in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Travel & Leisure, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, New York Magazine and many other national publications. Television and radio appearances include: The Food Network, “Next Iron Chef”, “The Martha Stewart Show,” NBC “Today”; and the Travel Channel’s “Epicurious TV.” Saran is also a featured chef in the national public television series “How To Cook Everything: Bittman Takes On America’s Chefs” (2005) and “Food Trip with Todd English.” When he is not on the road teaching and learning, Saran enjoys working on his 68-acre American Masala Farm in upstate New York.

Sally Longo
Sally Longo is the chef for and owner of Aunt Sally’s Catering, a renowned local catering company in the Adirondacks. For over 18 years Longo has catered dinners and parties for families, businesses, and private camps. She is the host and associate producer of the popular regional cooking show “Dinner at 8” and has appeared on “Sixty Second Helpings” for WNCE News. Longo teaches cooking classes and has published on food and catering.

Tasting, Presentations, and Music
Lake Placid Brewery will offer a tasting of their award winning products – including Ubu Ale, the brewery’s flagship beer — from 12 noon until 4:00 p.m. Visitors must be twenty-one years of age to enjoy the sampling; ID will be required.

Visitors can expand their own cooking skills by participating in demonstrations and food-related talks throughout the day. At 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. smoking and grilling will be the hot topics. Join Susan Rohrey (grilling) and John Roe (smoking) to learn more about both techniques.

The presentations “Edible Adirondack Mushrooms” and “Wild Vegetables of the Adirondacks” with Jane Desotelle and “Pairing Beer & Food” with Christopher Ericson, founder, owner, and brewmaster of Lake Placid Brewery will be offered in the museum’s Auditorium. Times will be posted.

Intermountain Trio will offer three sets of classic folk and rock in the Marion River Carry Pavilion at 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

For a full schedule of the day’s events, visit www.adirondackmuseum.org.