Excitement reverberated throughout the Worcester Technical High School's elegant rotunda as guests in a range of ages poured in on Sunday, September 28, 2008, to sample the finest food and drink from some of the local restaurants of central Massachusetts.
The evening started out nicely with where small groups of chefs proudly served their cuisine and carefully watched the reaction of the guests looking for clues to the result of the vote to come. The voices of the people were heard as all the attendees cast their ballets rating each business to determine their favorite.
In addition to the popular vote, seven judges, including the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's Barbara Houle, applied their culinary expertise to discern the best course and top restaurants of the night.
The gastric experience was just the beginning of the fun that evening. Jim Polito from WTAG provided wit and banter as MC. Salsa Storm performed several dazzling dances in the Center Atrium. Juggleography thrilled the audience by tossing knives. Free soothing chair massages were offered by Theracopie Massage Therapy and Wellness Center. The United States Army Color Guard made a dignified presence at the event.
Sir Jeremy John Bell from Scotland lead the crowd to the stage in a bagpipe procession for a Perrier-Jouet Champagne "sabering", where Sir Jeremy shows spectators how to "uncork" a $90 bottle of PJ with a 4-foot sword! One of the competing chefs even surprised the audience and the Scottish performer by singing a rendition of the Scottish National Anthem in Sir Jeremy's honor. Moving the crowd with him, Sir Jeremy then paraded upstairs to indulge guests in a luxe 20-year-old post tasting by Sandeman's.
The officiality of the public's voting was felt as policmen escorted certified public accountants and auditors from Houssan Ojerholm to the stage at the end of the night to deliver the sealed and certified results of the competition for best chef for announcement by Domenic D. Mercurio, Jr., president of Mercury Media & Entertainment, LLC. The anticipation of the 30 Worcester Technical High School culinary art students that assisted in the event that night could not be contained at they gathered around the stage to read the final winner. Simultaneously they announced and cheered that Baba Sushi was once again crowned Worcester's Best Chef, but this time for the People's Choice, instead of 2007's Judge's Choice.
It can be devised from the results of the People's Choice and Judges' Choice votes that sushi has become a popular choice of cuisine in the Worcester area as two sushi chefs took top honors in each category.
The evening started out nicely with where small groups of chefs proudly served their cuisine and carefully watched the reaction of the guests looking for clues to the result of the vote to come. The voices of the people were heard as all the attendees cast their ballets rating each business to determine their favorite.
In addition to the popular vote, seven judges, including the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's Barbara Houle, applied their culinary expertise to discern the best course and top restaurants of the night.
The gastric experience was just the beginning of the fun that evening. Jim Polito from WTAG provided wit and banter as MC. Salsa Storm performed several dazzling dances in the Center Atrium. Juggleography thrilled the audience by tossing knives. Free soothing chair massages were offered by Theracopie Massage Therapy and Wellness Center. The United States Army Color Guard made a dignified presence at the event.
Sir Jeremy John Bell from Scotland lead the crowd to the stage in a bagpipe procession for a Perrier-Jouet Champagne "sabering", where Sir Jeremy shows spectators how to "uncork" a $90 bottle of PJ with a 4-foot sword! One of the competing chefs even surprised the audience and the Scottish performer by singing a rendition of the Scottish National Anthem in Sir Jeremy's honor. Moving the crowd with him, Sir Jeremy then paraded upstairs to indulge guests in a luxe 20-year-old post tasting by Sandeman's.
The officiality of the public's voting was felt as policmen escorted certified public accountants and auditors from Houssan Ojerholm to the stage at the end of the night to deliver the sealed and certified results of the competition for best chef for announcement by Domenic D. Mercurio, Jr., president of Mercury Media & Entertainment, LLC. The anticipation of the 30 Worcester Technical High School culinary art students that assisted in the event that night could not be contained at they gathered around the stage to read the final winner. Simultaneously they announced and cheered that Baba Sushi was once again crowned Worcester's Best Chef, but this time for the People's Choice, instead of 2007's Judge's Choice.
It can be devised from the results of the People's Choice and Judges' Choice votes that sushi has become a popular choice of cuisine in the Worcester area as two sushi chefs took top honors in each category.
