Pahk, Oestreich share chef of the year title

A pair of Napa Valley chefs will share the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Chef of the Year crown for 2006.

Judges for this year's chefs competition held last Friday night at Yountville's Lincoln Theater couldn't decide which dish they liked best -- the kalbi beef and grilled scallion roll on a "symphony" of mustard greens from Silverado Resort executive chef Peter Pahk or the mustard cured gravlox on Yukon gold potato pancake with crme frache from Maynard Oestreich, executive chef of Rings Steak, Seafood and Chops.

So, they decided to award a tie -- the first in the mustard festival's 13 years.

In addition, hundreds of attendees at the awards on Friday night had a hard time agreeing as well on the 14 offerings from participating wine country chefs.

As a result, there was a tie for the People's Choice Award. Once again, chef Pahk was singled out for his kalbi beef dish, and he'll share this award with Vincent Nattress, executive chef at Meadowood Napa Valley. Chef Nattress delighted tasters with his maple and Dijon mustard pulled pork sandwich topped with celery root and whole grain mustard slaw.

Also serving up tasty dishes were Thomas Halligan, executive chef, All Season's Bistro, and Chris Aken, executive chef, Stomp, both in Calistoga; plus a wealth of Napa chefs, including Tripp Mauldin, executive chef at Angle; Kimball Jones, executive chef, Carneros Inn; Chad Hendrickson, executive chef, The Hess Collection; Victor Scargle, executive chef, Julia's Kitchen at Copia; Bryan Martinez, executive chef at Marriott Napa Valley; Jeffrey Longenecker, executive chef at Siena, the soon-to-open eatery in the new Meritage Resort; chef Yoshiharu Sogi, Silverado Resort; Hoss Zar, executive chef at Zar Restaurant; and Angela Tamura, executive chef at Zuzu.

Remember Wonder Bread?

Just about everyone has a Wonder Bread story to tell. Who can forget how it stuck to the roofs of our mouths when paired with PB&J or how Dad buttered a slice at each evening meal?

As the iconic bread marks its 85th anniversary, Wonder Bread is launching a national search for recipes and memories that celebrate the brand. If you've got a creative and inventive way to enjoy Wonder Bread, the makers of America's most popular brand of bread want to hear from you. The most original and unusual submissions will be featured in the official "Wonder Bread Cookbook," to be published by Ten Speed Press in 2007.

Recipes submissions should include a list of all ingredients and step-by-step instructions as well as the creator's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. Submissions also should include information about how the recipe was conceived and/or why it is personally meaningful. The deadline for submission is May 15. Creators of recipes selected for the book will be notified soon afterwards. All submissions will become the sole property of Interstate Bakeries Corporation.

Recipe submissions can be e-mailed to wonder85@wonderbread.com or sent via postal mail to:Wonder Recipe and Memory Search, Interstate Bakeries Corporation, Attn: Susannah Brown, 12 East Armour Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64111