Chef Ben Clay of Les Bourgeois in Rocheport received highest honors during the Mid-Missouri Taste of Elegance culinary competition, Jan. 12 in Columbia. Chef Clay prepared a Vignole Braised Pork Osso Bucco, Chinese Black Rice with Winter Squash, and Five Spiced Pig Ear Coriander Salad. His winning dish earned the $1,000 top award and the opportunity to compete in the National Taste of Elegance event to be held June 28-29 in Baltimore, Md.

Missouri Pork Association and the Central Missouri Food Bank hosted the Mid-Missouri event. Pork products for the evening were sponsored by Cargill featuring Sysco Corporation's premium White Marble Farms pork. Seven chefs prepared dishes for judging on originality, taste and presentation. Previous winners, master chefs and food editors served as judges. More than 200 attendees sampled the dishes during a reception to honor Central Missouri Food Bank donors.

This is the 22nd year for national Taste of Elegance events. The National Pork Board sponsored the first event in 1987.

"We are proud to sponsor the Taste of Elegance events," says Don Nikodim, executive vice president of the Missouri Pork Association. "Working with chefs to create new menu items, then promoting those items, helps build demand for pork, while introducing consumers to the product's great taste."

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Source: Missouri Pork Association