Jerry Edwards winner of the Gloria Ferrer’s Glorious Bites Challenge semi-final in Washington DC

Jerry Edwards of Timonium, Maryland bested five other semi-finalists from the region, after creating an appetizer to pair with a Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. Jerry will move on to the finals in October at Gloria Ferrer in Sonoma, California. His appetizer, Lobster and Brie Dogs, will square off against two other semi-finalists, one from the Los Angeles, California semi-final and one from the Austin, Texas semi-final.

This is the second year Gloria Ferrer put on the Glorious Bites Challenge. They had over 1,800 appetizer entries from 44 states. Only 18 people were invited to the semi-finals in three locations. These winners will compete at Gloria Ferrer for the $5,000 prize. Jerry is one step closer to the cash after impressing the four judges last night at Union Kitchen off New York Avenue in Washington DC. The six chefs drew corks with numbers 1 and 2 written on the corks. The three that had the number 1 collected their ingredients and spread out at three cooking stations. A time was set and the chefs started creating their master pieces. They had 30 minutes to cook and assemble the dish they hoped would impress the judges.

Jerry preparing his appetizer Lobster and Brie Dogs

At times, the kitchen area reminded me of some of the challenges in the tv series “Hell’s Kitchen.” The chefs had to face the challenges of cooking in a kitchen they were not use to, and the media people and well wishers who were taking photo after photo while they were working. This attention did not bother another chef, Ronna Farley of Rockville, Maryland. After the competition, Ronna said, “I had a ball.”

When the short 30 minutes were up, plates with the appetizers were delivered to the judges who set to the task of scoring each appetizer. The paparazzi-like photographers in the room swarmed around the appetizers that were placed on a table in front of the kitchen area. The four judges did take a break while the second group of three chefs created their appetizers. In the end, after a drum roll, the winner was announced and Jerry’s smile was infectious.

Lobster and Brie Dos

We caught up with Jerry earlier during the evening. We asked how he tackled creating an appetizer that would pair with the Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut. Jerry stated, “The wine is already made.” So his plan was to create an appetizer that would compare and contrast with the sparkling wine. The green apple in his recipe compared with the brut while the richness of the brie contrasted with the wine. Jerry is a professional chef. He owns his own catering company, Chef Expressions in Lutherville, Maryland.

The six chefs who competed at Union Kitchen represented only one percent of the chefs throughout the country that entered the competition. These semi-finalists included:

The six chefs in the Washington DC semi-final of the Gloria Ferrer’s Glorious Bites Challenge

Christina Schurr of Patterson, New York
Josee Lanzi of Newport Ritchie, Florida
Jerry Edwards of Timonium, Maryland
Brett Youmans of Reading, Pennsylvania
Ronna Farley of Rockville, Maryland
Becky Ellis of Roanoke, Virginia

We wish Jerry continued success when he travels to Sonoma to compete in the finals.

Cheers,
Terry