Vom Fass Chef Battle: Round 2

Last October, Vom Fass hosted an "Iron Chef"-style competition featuring four extremely talented St Louis chefs! When the votes were counted, Chef Pepe Kehm and Chef Heidi Skye emerged the winner. Now, these chefs are returning to defend their title against the latest challengers to see whose dishes will come out on top at the next Vom Fass Chef Battle Royale!

On May 20th, a new battle will be fought against Chef Adam Gnau who will be aided by Charlie Martin, a mixologist with over a decade's worth of experience in the hospitality industry. Though these competitions are just for fun - and some serious bragging rights! - does Chef Adam have what it takes to dethrone the reigning champs in a multi-course meal featuring food and wine / cocktail pairings? Attendees will vote to choose their favorite of each course with the overall champion being the chefs with the most votes in total.

Our returning champions are Chef Pepe Kehm, executive chef and owner of Peno Soul Food in Clayton and Rosé by Peno in Layfette Square. Chef Pepe is known for his Southern Italian cuisine that he calls, "rustic, fresh, authentic, hand crafted from scratch dishes" that will transport you right back to his ancestorial home of Calabria. Chef Pepe will be joined by Chef Heidi Skye Hamamura, a private chef that owns a Japanese French fusion catering company called Taberu. If you've not seen her sushi platters and other beautiful dishes, you should look them up on Instagram.

The competition will be against Chef Adam Gnau, who Maplewood residents and diners will no doubt recognize from his time as executive chef at Acero Restaurant. Chef Adam is no stranger to the list of Best Chef America and was the winner of KMOX's Food Fight Finale in 2022. Attendees should expect nothing less than a great selection of courses from Chef Adam and mixologist Chris Martin who you may recognize ifyou've ever stopped in for a drink at places like the Moonrise Hotel, The Lucky Accomplice, and Olive + Oak.

How this event will proceed is as follows:

- About a week before the event, each chef will receive a "Mystery Box" of Vom Fass items. With these items each chef will plan a three-course tasting featuring appetizer, entree, and dessert. These dishes will be cooked live during the event for guests to see the chefs in their element.

- Each dish will be paired with either wine selected by a knowledgeable wine sommelier or a hand-crafted cockail. In total, guests will enjoy six total dishes (three courses each from two chefs) and six wine / cocktail pairings. There will undoubtedly be plenty for attendees to eat and drink!

- When all dishes have been enjoyed, attendees will vote on which team of chefs will be our winner! We will have a fun prize for them to take home and a traveling trophy, as well. We hope to host this type of event a few times a year with the winner of the previous round returning to defend their title. Though only one team of chefs can be crowned champion, the real winner is the guests who get to enjoy all these great dishes and wine! Don't miss our next Vom Fass Chef Battle featuring these St Louis celebrity chefs cooking just for you!!

Cost for this dinner is $150 per person, for six courses with drink pairings. Seating is limited to just 30 people so please don't wait too long to reserve your seat. The last chef battle sold out in just two days so don't wait too long to reserve your seats!

P LEASE READ:

- Due to the nature of this event, we will be unable to accommodate food allergies or special dietary requests. In all likelihood, the dishes prepared will contain meat, seafood, gluten, dairy, nuts, and other foods that may cause allergies in some people.

- Weather permitting, this event will be al fresco. We're hoping for a beautiful autumn evening to go along with these beautiful dishes. Dinners will sit at large, communal tables along with their fellow eventgoers. In case of rain, the event will be moved indoors.

- Should something come up, we are happy to give attendees a full refund as long as we are notified at least 72 hours before the event. If we are notified less than 72 hours before, we are happy to refund the ticket price in terms of store credit that can be used for a future event or any of the products we carry here at Vom Fass.