Ridgewood Chef Wins Round 1 of Competition

A Ridgewood chef is vying for the title as the ultimate culinary master in Bergen County, and scored an early victory on Saturday. By effectively utilizing the secret ingredient bananas, the chefs of  in Ridgewood took out Elan Catering's Joe Macri, of Lodi, in the first round of the Ultimate Chef Bergen County Competition.

"It went very well, we won! [We'll be] back on the 28th to face off the winner in the second round," chef/owner Laurie Cera excitedly told Patch in an e-mail. Should Cera and her son, self-taught pastry/sous chef Larry, claim victory once more, the team will take on , 's Justin Pehowic. The competition is being held at Chef Central in Paramus.

The reception to Cera's dishes was great, Cera said.

Tom Griffiths, a certified master chef of the CIA and one of the three judges, "Gave us tremendous kudos by stating he's never given a perfect score to anyone in a competition before, but did so on our soup, which was wonderful news," according to the owner of the upscale cafe on Oak St.

The 5 Seasons team also gave thanks to in Ridgewood, one of the sponsors that provided a $200 stipend for food purchases. Judges and contestants agreed – they'd never seen bigger scallops than the ones found at Whole Foods

Here are the dishes the winning team made:

Appetizer – Ground Banana Chip-Crusted Colossal Barnegat Scallops with Banana Kumquat Salsa & Banana; Kumquat, Key Lime Gastrique

Soup – Plantain & Poblano Vichysoisse with Ancho Chile & Honey Swirl, Plantain & Blue Corn Tortilla Raja Garnish

Entree – Pork Tenderloin Braised in Tequila with a Banana Mole, Banana Chip & Sour Cream Garnish, Plantain Tamales with Chile Lime Smoked Queso

Dessert – Banana Pudding Two Ways: Apple Bread Pudding with Banana Caramel Sauce, Banana Budino with Chocolate Cookie Crumble & Salted Caramel Sauce, Banana Ice Cream Bonbon Enveloped in Dark Chocolate with Pecans