The Class Act’s Daniel Dennis
Daniel Dennis, chef de cuisine at The Class Act Restaurant, Cedar Rapids, was named Superior Chef and earned overall second place honors at the Taste of Elegance pork competition in Des Moines earlier this week.
Chefs from 12 Iowa restaurants prepared their best pork entrees, judged on taste, originality and presentation. Dennis’ award-winning creation, local Berkshire pork belly confit, was served with a bacon, pear, potato pavé; pork hock with blistered grape demi-glace; and fried basil, balsamic grape pearls and micro-greens.
“This is such a great honor,” Dennis said. “Not only are we spotlighting the delicious versatility of pork, we are showing off the amazing culinary talents of Iowa’s chefs. Coincidentally, Cedar Rapids chefs took first and second place, and both are former Kirkwood Culinary Arts students.”
“Iowa is home to so many great restaurants with fresh, creative locally-sourced menus,” he continued. “It’s time we noticed the hidden gems in this state.”
Sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers, the Taste of Elegance competition kicks off the annual Iowa Pork Conference. Featuring some of Iowa’s top chefs, the competition is designed to inspire white tablecloth restaurants to add pork entrees to their menus and highlight the versatility of pork.