2012 Celebrity Judges:
- Chef Barry Sexton, owner of The Opinionated Palate, featured on Food Network's Dinner: Impossible
- Chef Alina Eisenhauer, owner of Sweet, featured on Food Network's Chopped, Cupcake Wars, and Sweet Genius (which she won!)
- Chef Tim Quinn, WBC 2011 Champion
- Chris Liazos, chef and former owner of Webster House Restaurant
- Barbara Houle, Table Hoppin’ (T&G) writer
- John Lawrence, owner of Pepper’s Catering
- Christina Andrianopoulos, Host, Dining Out Metro on City Vibes Metro
Chef Barry Sexton
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Chef Barry E. Sexton has successfully acquired over 30 years experience in the culinary arts. The Philadelphia Art Institute graduate always believed that great food is a combination of bold tastes, textures and color. Like fine art, crucial ingredients waiting to be blended on a canvas.
Chef Sexton’s was classically trained for more than a decade under the tutelage of Master Chef Jean Pierre Tardy, who was the Executive Chef of Le Bec-Fin for seven years. Chef Barry worked closely with him keeping the creative process alive by using his imagination with the best and freshest ingredients available to create signature dishes at Jean Pierre’s Restaurant in Newtown, Pa., known locally for its French cuisine. Chef Sexton demonstrates his passion and love for cooking in every aspect. Throughout his career, he has worked at some premiere restaurants and hotels in Philadelphia and Bucks County areas.
This award-winning chef is well known for his keen sense of creativity, gourmet catering, and private cooking classes that showcase his style of cooking. His cuisine integrates the sophisticated flavors of African, Caribbean, Italian and Asian all infused with a cultural blend from around the world. In 1995, he was voted the Top Chef to watch, while working at Striped Bass, a well-known restaurant that specialized only in seafood flown in from around the world. Chef Sexton created dishes that reflected his proven track record with customers. He also helped launch Zanzibar Blue, a popular upscale jazz/blues restaurant located in the Philadelphia Hyatt Hotel. Chef Sexton’s menus have been well received by notable personalities such as Rosa Parks, mother of the Civil Rights Movement, actor Denzel Washington and former congressman Bill Gray. His artful plating and delicious food attracted admirers of his unique cuisine.
Chef Sexton has also been employed as Executive Chef of the Buck Hotel & Conference Center in Feasterville as well as abroad at the five star Round Hill Hotel & Resort, Jamaica, W.I. During his stay at Round Hill, Chef Sexton was invited to cook a dinner for several Ambassadors and Prime Minister’s of the Caribbean Council.
Chef Sexton’s impressive style has been featured in news and magazine articles., as well as local television shows. He was featured on the popular Food Network Show, Dinner Impossible starring Robert Irvine. This award-winning
chef also participated in the Atlantic City Food Show 2007 where he collaborated with Iron Chef Morimoto and Chef Guy Fieri of Diners, Dives & Drive-Ins.
Chef Sexton was invited to be a judge at The Restaurant School in 2008 with Master Chef Jean Marie Lacroix for the C-CAP Scholarship Program for young aspiring culinarians.
In 2008 while at the Gourmet Food & Wine Festival, Chef Sexton had the pleasure to work with other famous Food Network Chefs such as Chef Tyler Florence who has been seen on “ Food 911” and Tyler’s Ultimate. Also Duff Goldman owner of Charm City Cakes and his show the Ace of Cakes.
Most recently Chef Sexton was in Washington, D.C. where he was asked to cook at the Canadian Embassy. White House Chefs were on board promoting a Taste of Canada Food Show, which showcased a bounty of fresh seafood from Canada. Over 200 attendees enjoyed an evening of spectacular displays and food sampling.
Chef Barry Sexton is the proud owner/operator of The Opinionated Palate Catering service, allowing him to create customized menus for memorable occasions for his clients. Chef Sexton’s incredible reputation as a premiere chef/caterer has catapulted his career to new heights. This past year, Chef Sexton has been involved with several community charity projects such as, the Alex’s Lemonade event, Autism Awareness and the Colon Cancer Alliance.
Chef Barry Sexton continues to engage in numerous culinary endeavors: hosting food shows on TV, cooking classes, chef demonstrations, product endorsements, and national culinary judging.
Chef Alina Eisenhauer
Growing up in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Chef Alina Eisenhauer was inspired to cook by her mother, a dedicated farm-to-table cook who took pride in baking from scratch for her family. “She never bought anything commercially prepared, everything always had a healthy push.” Along with building an appreciation for local ingredients and cooking with love, her mother’s approach to food gave her a hunger for something else. “I was always looking for something with sugar!” Finding an ally in her Dad, who also had a sweet tooth, Alina started experimenting with sweets and desserts. Her search for sugar has led her to be successful dessert bar owner, entrepreneur and to multiple appearances on Food Network.
Curious Consumer
Alina’s first memories are of eating are born out of curiosity. “I wanted to know what everything tasted like. My mother says I couldn’t walk past anything without wanting to try it, flowers, plants – everything.” Putting her interest to task, Alina started working in kitchens when she was 13. “My neighbors owned a breakfast place and I started helping to cook breakfast.”
Sweet 16
Not long after, New York’s SoHo restaurant Whole Wheat & Wild Berries opened a location in the Berkshires. Alina heard they didn’t have a dessert menu, and pluckily approached the owner with an offer to make desserts for them – sweetening the deal with a tray of no-bake cheesecake and a chocolate cake. The owner was impressed by the 16-year-old’s courage and talent, and gave her a chance. “I worked there throughout high school, and ended up putting both desserts on the menu as well as a few vegan and macrobiotic desserts. Now, in my business, I try to return the favor. When I get approached by someone really serious who shows potential, I work them into the schedule, first as interns, and eventually as staff.”
A Competitive Streak
Alina was encouraged to go to college for TV and Film, and never considering culinary school, “It was my passion, and stress relief – I didn’t want to ruin it by turning it into a job. But, cooking was never far away. “My mother said,when I came home from college, the first thing I would do was turn the oven on – I missed having a kitchen!” Looking for a way to keep her weight in check at school, she found a new passion and path in fitness. “I met people who were into it competitively.” This led her to a ten-year fitness career, and in 1996, she competed in Miss Fitness America Pageant, Miss Fitness USA Pageant and the Miss Galaxy Pageant, and placed in the finals in all three.
Being the Bread Maker
Alina found the competitive aspect appealing, but there was something missing. “I wasn’t passionate about it. It wasn’t creative. It wasn’t fulfilling - or filling. I was dieting all the time.” When Alina was pregnant with her son in 2003, her husband turned her back to the baking path. “He came home and said, ‘I cannot find a good loaf of bread’. That was it. I had never worked in a bakery before, but it felt right. I decided to open the Sturbridge Baking Company. I planned it throughout my pregnancy, and when my son was six months old, we opened.” Over the next five years, the menu extended well past bread and cookies to tarts, pies, scones and cakes as well as breakfast and lunch - and earned a “Best Bread” award courtesy of Worcester magazine.
Finding her Calling
In 2008, she sold the bakery, and moved onto her next venture, Sweet. “I wanted more. We moved to Shrewsbury Street– with 20 other restaurants, the perfect location for a dessert bar.”
As the Executive Pastry Chef and Owner of Sweet - serving up cakes and cupcakes during the day, and cocktails and desserts in the evening has earned Alina many accolades including a “Worcester’s most Creative Chef” award by Pulse magazine in 2009, Worcester Magazine’s Best Dessert award 2009, 2010 and 2011, Worcester Living’s Best Dessert award 2009, 2010, 2011 and City Living’s Best Dessert award in 2008, 2009 and 2011.
In addition to being a successful dessert bar owner and entrepreneur, Alina has been featured on three of Food Networks most popular competition Shows; Chopped, Cupcake Wars and most recently winning the season premier of Sweet Genius.
Alina’s custom cakes have earned her a celebrity following as well as an appearance on the upcoming season of Bravo TV’s hit show The Real Housewives of New York. “Cake decorating is much less about cooking skill and much more about artistic ability so I get to use an entirely different skill set. I’ve made cakes for the top 13 American Idols, comedian Jeff Dunham, Bob Segar, Kid Cudi, Guns N Roses, and The Cake Boss himself, Buddy Valastro!”