Eight chefs from IACC-member properties across the U.S. gathered to compete for the coveted U.S. Copper Skillet at the Hilton Chicago | Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center, where the winners edged one step closer to the International Copper Skillet Competition global finale in April.
Shane Hawkins, lead cook at Stonewall Resort took the “Junior Category US Copper Skillet Award” for his winning dish in the cook-off. Local judges named Hawkins the winner for his dish of red potato hash, lightly fried striped bass with white wine butter and seared New York strip with portabella.
Sebastien Layen, executive chef at Benchmark Hospitality International at Deloitte University took the coveted “Senior Category Copper Skillet Award” for his winning dish of whole grain crusted striped bass with root vegetable hash, New York brim, blueberry gastric and tomato-pie.
In the competition, the chefs were presented with basic pantry items along with a "mystery basket" of proteins. They were given 30 minutes to prepare, create and present their creations to local judges.
For the third year in the 13-year history of the Copper Skillet Competition, IACC introduced a Junior Chef category where IACC conference venue chefs under the age of 26 competed in the cook-off.
