This Saturday, local amateur chefs Karen and Andy will compete to see who can serve up the best fish taco, and we’re pulling in some top-notch kitchen talent to judge their creations.
The Host: Chef Raymond Alongi
Born in Boston and raised in Quincy Massachusetts, Ray got his start in the food industry at an early age. As a young child, coming from a Sicilian heritage, he has watched his father, Chef Danny Alongi, work in some of the best hotels and restaurants on the East Coast. Ray put his culinary career on hold to join the Marines in 1980 and again in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. In 1995, Ray opened his first restaurant, Casa Regina named for his daughter, The Purple Eggplant and The Purple Eggplant Café. Chef Ray Alongi is an award-winning chef and has been featured in numerous local and national publications. In 2013, he competed in Season 11 of Fox’s Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey. Ray is the Director of Culinary operations for ARC Restaurant Consulting in Boston and was recently the Executive Chef for Turner’s Yard, a 200-seat gastropub co-owned by Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins, Time Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox, Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys and designer Taniya Nayak from HGTV and the Food Network.
Judge #1: Susannah Locketti
Raised in Kingston, Massachusetts, Susannah gained national recognition for her practical and resourceful approach to low-cost, healthy cooking when she appeared on the inaugural season of “The Next Food Network Star” in 2005. Not only did she place among the top four finalists, but also held her ground as the only mother in the cast pit against culinary instructors, restaurant owners and private chefs. She now authors SingleMomSurviving.com, and media appearances including everything from a regular food segment representing AllRecipes magazine on the Better Show, national morning and talk shows including Queen Latifah, and the Doctors, local broadcast and radio affiliates, and The New York Times to The Boston Globe.
Judge #2: Lorettta LaRoche
Loretta LaRoche is an acclaimed speaker, author and international stress management and humor consultant who has evoked wit and irreverent humor on her audience for over 30 years. Using humor to reframe a stressful situation, Loretta captures a new perspective on the difficult parts of life. She is on the Mass General advisory council for anxiety and depression and is founder and president of The Humor Potential, Inc, a company offering programs and products for life style management. She is a well-recognized TV personality on PBS with seven one-woman television specials airing on 80 PBS stations across the country and a Hay House best-selling author of 8 books. She has been nominated for local and prime time Emmy Awards, and has appeared on CNN, ABC, NBC and FOX affiliates.
Judge #3: Jes Childers
Chef Jes Childers earned her culinary degree from The DoveStar Institute after graduating from Plymouth South High School’s culinary program. A native of Plymouth, Jes has lent her creativity and culinary expertise to restaurants like Enoteca di Vino and the Driftwood Publick House, bringing new and exciting offerings to their menus.
Join us Saturday, July 11th at the first Seafood Smackdown: Best Fish Taco contest in Pilgrim Memorial State Park and watch as our judges determine who can create the best fish taco in town!
