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City to Hold First Annual Ready Houston Preparedness Kit Chef’s Challenge Saturday, Sept. 21

‘Pressure Cooking’ Takes on New Meaning as Chefs Accept Disaster Preparedness Food Prep Challenge

HOUSTON, Sept. 17, 2013 — Resourcefulness and creativity are two qualities people must have when adjusting to the conditions of a natural or man-made disaster. So, who knows more about resourceful and creative cooking than celebrated chefs who have earned notoriety by constantly cooking for large crowds?

The City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security and the Houston Community Preparedness Collaborative are hosting a competition between top area chefs to find out who can render the best possible cooking under less than favorable conditions.

The First Annual Ready Houston Preparedness Kit Chef’s Challenge will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at Discovery Green at 1500 McKinney on the Anheuser Busch Stage. Five prominent Houston-area chefs will compete against each other, preparing their dishes using camp stoves to simulate food preparation conditions during a disaster.

The Chef’s Challenge is part of the ongoing regional Ready Houston campaign to inform residents about the need to prepare for emergencies before they happen. The program stresses four points: Make a Plan, Build a Kit, Stay Informed, and Know Your Neighbors.

“Five years ago this month, our region was impacted by Hurricane Ike and residents who experienced that event know firsthand the importance of being prepared in a weather-related disaster,” said Jackie Miller of the Mayor’s Office of Public Safety & Homeland Security for the City of Houston. “The Preparedness Kit Chef’s Challenge is a fun way to engage the community in the Ready Houston program and to reinforce the message of preparedness.”

The five chefs competing are: Chef Arturo Boada of Arturo Boada Cuisine; Chef David Denis, co-owner of LeMistral; Chef Tarsha Gary of Crave Gourmet Bakery & Catered Café; Chef Jose Montoya of the Houston Food Bank; and Chef Ruffy Sulaiman of Hilton Americas Hotel. In addition, six local media personalities will serve as judges as the chefs compete.

Dishes prepared at the competition will include only non-perishable food items, mimicking the types of food items that Houston-area residents might include in their disaster preparedness kits. Each chef will be provided with basic pantry items and cookware at their stations and must choose from a list of canned and shelf-stable ingredients, to be unveiled at the event. These ingredients fit five categories: protein; fruits and vegetables; starches; grain and nuts; and comfort foods.

Judges will sample the dishes and select one winner based on taste, creativity, and presentation. The winning Chef will be presented a commemorative award for display in their restaurant.

In addition to the cooking competition, there will be emergency response equipment on display, information on disaster preparedness available, and other giveaways. The Ready Houston Preparedness Kit Chef’s Challenge is being sponsored by Walmart and is free and open to the public. More information about Ready Houston is available at www.readyhoustontx.gov.

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