Florida Keys & Key West: PHILLY FOOD INFLUENCERS COOK-OFF

Tinsel & Tine Tackles
Poached Red Snapper & Key Lime Pie

in Cooking Competition with
other Philly Foodies and Influencers

By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

ORIGINAL POST March 13, 2017 – Regular followers of Tinsel & Tine know other than Oscar Night, and a very few other posts here and there, that this is not a cooking blog. I highlight & promote foodie events, like the Alex’s Lemonade Fundraiser at Yangmings; and Food products, like our recent #BreakfastNight promo for Krusteaz; Philly restaurants, even chains, like the roll out for Cheesecake Factory’s new menu items; Foodie Films, like Almost Christmas; and new food industry sites, like our recent campaign for Renzell Restaurant Ratings; along with our upcoming post featuring a food in film book called “Movie Night Menus”.

So when Kory Aversa of Aversa PR contacted me to say I’d been chosen to be one of the contestants for this Philadelphia Florida Keys & Key West, Food Influencers Cook-Off  taking place at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College, my first thought was to turn it down. My second thought was to put either my sister, LeVonne Lindsay, a very good cook, or my friend Denine Gorniak (The Bicycle Chef) in my place, and I’d handle the promotion and social media.

But Kory said no, it had to be the actual “Philly Influencer” competing, and besides, Denine was also a contestant. That really made me not want to participate, as Denine is a chef and graduated from The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.  But then, he said the magic words, not the chance to win an all expenses paid trip to the Florida Keys, YES! I did want that. I haven’t had a vacation in 8 years.  But the magic words were the @thefloridakeys tourism had been trolling everyone’s social media for over a month and some bigger outlets were not considered because their social media was not as tight as mine @tinseltine – Then I’m in!

Here’s a little video from the evening, featuring Chef Bobby Stoky, which gives you an idea of the scope and fun of the night. I’m in the background near the end of the video looking lost, as I couldn’t find a grater to zest my lime.

I really appreciated my sister LeVonne @Leonas_Lovequest and my BFF Diane Roka @dianeroka attending to cheer me on!

 

This was my cheering team last night during #flkeyscookoff @dianeroka & @leonas_lovequest Can’t wait til Diane posts her drawing of me at my station. It really did feel like a Food Network celebrity cooking competition! Thanks bestie & sister for being in my corner!

A post shared by LeAnne Lindsay (@tinsel_tine) on Mar 7, 2017 at 6:50am PST

Diane captured me first in action, in my chef’s hat and the Florida Keys apron each contestant received. And then below, in ink, as Diane is an illustrator. We make a good tag team capturing and documenting events around town.  And on occasion, she’ll cover an interview for me, like this example during the PEANUTS Anniversary.

 

Busy week, haven’t had a chance to do a blog post on the PHILLY FOOD INFLUENCERS #flkeyscookoff yet, but here’s another pic of me in action! Thanks @dianeroka #Repost @dianeroka with @repostapp ・・・ Film and food blogger @tinsel_tine gleefully making key lime pie at the #flkeyscookoff at @walnuthillcollege on Monday night. Someone give this woman a cooking show — she is hilarious! I think that’s @FrugalPhillyMom in the back. @thefloridakeys @aversapr @koryaversa #cookoff #cookingcompetition #keylime #keywest #bakeoff #floridakeys #walnuthillcollege

A post shared by LeAnne Lindsay (@tinsel_tine) on Mar 11, 2017 at 8:54am PST

 

Here’s the @dianeroka illustration I mentioned this morning of me during The Philly Food Influencers Competition She knows I hate my profile, so glad she captured me from the back. #Repost @dianeroka with @repostapp ・・・ Here’s a drawing I did through the kitchen observation window of @tinsel_tine making her key lime pie at the #flkeyscookoff last night at @walnuthillcollege . Le Anne always says that she can’t cook, but everything she makes when she does cook and bake is delicious! She was already nervous, and having me and her sister @leonas_lovequest cracking up behind the glass at some of her “I Love Lucy” moments probably wasn’t helping, but she still did a great job. #walnuthillcollege #cookoff #cookingcompetition #bakeoff #keylime @aversapr @koryaversa #floridakeys @thefloridakeys #bloginfluencer #dianeroka #drawnjawn #drawtography #drawtographer #spotcolor #micron

A post shared by LeAnne Lindsay (@tinsel_tine) on Mar 7, 2017 at 2:01pm PST

You may be wondering, what in the heck has Florida tourism got to do with Philadelphia? Well, this #FLKeysCookoff was the kick-off to the currently running Florida Keys and Key West Campaign at Philly’s 30th Street Station, where you’ll find a colorful display enticing you to get away to the Keys!

The below video gives a little more detail and features the winner Colleen Kennedy of Souffle Bombay, she has a beautiful website and is a major cooking blogger.

No one can say Fox 29’s Alex Holley has a big head

I know the #FLKeysCookoff was all in fun, and for exposure for all involved, and I had a great experience; still, I think they needed two trip winners, one an actual chef with a food site, and one who is just a Philly Influencer, as there were contestants who were radio personalities, morning show hosts, fashion bloggers etc.. who really don’t cook, or even watch “Throw Down with Bobby Flay”, myself included, so we really didn’t have a shot at winning.

Note: their were runner up winners with undetermined cooking backgrounds: Best fish dish – Chris Balbi and Steve McCann from Philly Gay Calendar and for Key Lime Pie – freelance writer Sarah Maiellano was allowed to cook with her husband Joe Maiellano.

My finished Poached Red Snapper Presented to the Judges

Although, I will say, as I did in the photo essay, I was proud of the way both my Keylime Pie and Island Style Coconut Milk Red Snapper came out, both aesthetically and deliciously, so I suppose that’s all that really matters – except, I still wish I was packing a suitcase of island wear and heading to the Keys!

There’s one fast shot of my fish dish poaching right before I cover it the way real chefs do, not with a lid, but another frying pan. It’s at 0:58 – 0:59 don’t miss it! LOL!