{From left, Bobby Trampier, Vito Racanelli and Allyson Mace}
Editor’s Note: This post originally reported that Trampier competed against Eric Brenner in the final round. It has been updated. All hail a new champion; Bobby Trampier, sous chef at St. Louis Country Club, emerged the victor at Taste of St. Louis’ Chef Battle Royale last weekend, Sept. 19 to 21. The battle is a live cooking competition during which eight chefs competed head-to-head over the course of three days. Trampier emerged victorious in the Battle: Seafood against Carl Hazel of The Scottish Arms. His winning dishes included seafood chowder and dessert highlighting apple through cider-poached apples and a Calvados parfait.
Trampier also competed against executive chef Josh Norris of Triumph Grill in Battle: Pork, winning with a dish of Thai pork and ramen noodles, and against D. Scott Phillips of Balaban’s Wine Bar and Restaurant in Battle: Beef.
The chef showdown was one highlight of the 10th annual Taste of St. Louis, which took place in its new Chesterfield location for the first time. In addition events like Sauce Magazine’s Restaurant Row, the Art & Wine Walk and Kid City, this year’s Taste also included ticketed events that featured Food Network chef’s Tyler Florence and Duff Goldman.
Taste co-director and marketing director K Sonderegger said an estimated 250,000 people attended the three-day event, on par with attendance rates in years past, and called it a great success. “Moving the event to Chesterfield wasn’t exactly starting over, but it was a new event in some ways,” she said. “I’m happy to say the enthusiasm we have had at our past downtown events followed us here to Chesterfield.”
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Sauce Magazine is a sponsor of Taste of St. Louis. Â
This article appears in September 2014.