5 Corners Kitchen Wins Seafood Throwdown

The new kid on the block, 5 Corners Kitchen, was victorious in a "Seafood Throwdown" held at Saturday morning's farmers' market.

Sponsored by Cape Ann Fresh Catch Community Supported Fishery, chefs Barry Edelman from 5 Corners Kitchen and Paul Riccardi (executive chef) and Jake Soucy (sous chef) from Ataraxis Tavern competed against each other to come up with a entree using lobster. 

The two chefs did not know the secret ingredient was lobster until minutes before the contest started. Each chef was given $25 to use at the farmers' market and each chef could bring four of their own ingredients with them. 

While Riccardi chose toasted garlic and mango sauce, Edelman went more traditional with olive oil, garlic and lemon.

A large crowd gathered to watch the chefs compete Saturday morning. At the end of the hour-long competition, Riccardi created a "deconstructed  steamed lobster" with a sweet and sour mango sauce while Edelman went more traditional with a sauteed lobster on a bed of Swiss chard, corn and potatoes.

The throwdown was judged by former restaurant owner and now cooking professor Rosalie Harrington, Leigh Vincola, director of marketing at Edible Boston Magazine, and judged and emceed by Rosalie's husband and morning radio host on WRKO Todd Feinburg.

Both chefs were ranked on a scale from 1 to 10 or 1 to 5 in categories, such as presentation, taste and use of the whole lobster.

Harrington remarked after taking a forkful of Edelman's dish, "it just tastes like summer."