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The Signature Chefs Auction is a fabulous event showcasing some of the top chefs in our area. It also is one of the most unique fund-raisers that any charity presents. Some of the best restaurants in Southwest Florida participate at this spectacular event with a sampling of their most delectable foods. Each Restaurant will be paired with a local Celebrity.
Participating Restaurants:
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Edwardo is a Sous Chef at Bistro 41 and was previously a chef at Two Meatballs and had worked for 4 years with Darden Restaurant.
He loves sports and loves to cook. His favorite food is Mexican.
Ahi Tuna Tartar Cone: Ahi Tuna, seaweed, red onion, cilantro, avocado and Yuzo emulsion served in a crispy wonton cone.
Featured Dish:
Ahi Tuna tartar Cone
Ahi tuna, seaweed, red onion, cilantro, avocado and Yuzo emulsion served in a crispy wonton cone.
Celebrity: Gina Birch
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Eduardo Prieto
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Reiner Drygala
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 Chef Andy Brown has a culinary degree from the School Craft College-Livonia, Michigan and has been with Main Street Ventures Restaurants, parent company of Blue Pointe Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill for 11 years.
Andy is from Southeast Michigan and has been in Southwest Florida for 3 years. He and his girlfriend Monica love simple home cooked meals. Hailing from the Great State of Michigan he loves his Red Wings, Tigers and Wolverines.
Featured Dish:
Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes with mustard sauce and Gazpacho with crème Fraiche
Celebrity: Drew Steele
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Andy Brown
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A Minnesota native, John has been a resident of Florida over 22 years. He has over 35 years of kitchen experience as a chef in various SW Florida kitchens including South Seas Plantation, Sundial Resort, South Bay Bistro. Currently John is with Cibo and has been for the last 7 years as Sous Chef & Executive Chef. Chef John studied under George Eder at Brainerd Vo-Tech in Minnesota.
He is happily married and has been for over 30 years to Carley and is a father to 3 beautiful children Christopher, Justin and Mollina.
Featured Dish:
Gnocchi Con Fungi Rustica - Porcini Mushrooms, Marsala, Basil, Rosemary, White Truffle Infused Oil and Grana Padana
Celebrity: Jim McLaughlin
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John McDonald
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 Chef Harold is a graduate of Johnson & Wales with a degree in Culinary Arts and of Boston University Hotel in Restaurant Management.
He married to his wonderful wife Julie and has two daughters, Kayly and Kenzie. In his spare time he likes to golf, travel, enjoy good food and wine. He has been with Cru for 2 years.
Featured Dish:
Cured Salmon, Watermelon, goat cheese and Shiso terrine
Celebrity: Stacey Adams
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Harold Balink
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Donna has 26 year experience as a cake decorator and sugar artist, with over 21 years teaching experience in cake decoration and sugar artistry.
She has been married for 27 years and been blessed with 5 children, 3 of whom help in the bakery. Her hobbies- making cakes, always looking for new ways to create extreme and epic cake design, in her down time she likes to go to the movies to escape!
Featured Dish:
Gourmet Cupcakes: Pina colada, Baileys Irish Cream, Choc Ganache, Key Lime, Orange Choc Ganache
Celebrity: Kennedy
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Donna Barley
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Chef Justin Fleming is a graduate of the College Culinary Arts in Business Management/Marketing. He has worked as a Chef under Jim MacDonald at Bella Ciao in Ann Arbor, MI and trained under Celebrity Chef Craig Common. He has been with Hemingway’s Island Grill for the past 3 years.
Featured Dish:
Brie Bombs- Raspberry preserves & chipotle pepper in an eggshell prpen with flaney glaze
Celebrity: Stacey Deffenbaugh
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Justin Fleming
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 Chef Justin Schaffer graduated from Ecole Chocolat-Professional School of Chocolate Arts and has been creating chocolate delectables for the last 7 years.
His favorite hobby is fishing and he enjoys watching the Gators play football. He also enjoys spending time with his family; wife, Shannon, his parents and two sisters. His favorite food is stone crab.
He continually gives back to the community by donating many of his delicious chocolates to a variety of community and fundraising events throughout the year.
Featured Dish:
Cake pops- cabernet sipping chocolate assorted chocolates
Celebrity: Leoma Lovegrove
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Justin Schaffer
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 Chef Martin M. Liz is born and raised in Key West, Florida. He is the Executive Chef of Florida Marina Clubs: Jack's River Bar Naples, Jack's Havana Bar Key West and also The Club at Key West Harbour.
Specializing in Florida fresh Seafood, Cuban fusion, and Conch Republic cuisine. Newly recognized as the Pig Roaster Master General of the Conch Republic and author of Cooking in The Islands food column in Fish Monster Magazine. Chef Martin's cuisine is described as the traditional unique flavors of the Caribbean executed with French technique
Featured Dish:
Cajun Shrimp Flambé’
Celebrity: Larry Hart |
Martin M. Liz
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 Chef Craig has 40 years of culinary experience in and around Boston and in Florida from Orlando to Key West. He is currently the President at Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Culinary Federation and the 2010 Chef of the year for the Chapter.
He has been married for 16 Years to his wife Lynne. He has been with the Pink Shell Resort for 8 years.
Featured Dish:
Not Dogs: Trio of shrimp, scallops & salmon seasoned, chopped and encased served on a hot dog bun with Wakami relish & citrus mustard.
Celebrity: TBD
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Craig Panneton
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 For Ross Peterson, cooking has always come easy. It’s what he loves best! And not coincidentally, it was also what his mom loved best (well, aside from Ross), since it was in their family owned restaurant where Ross was given his first big push straight into the prestigious Culinary Institute of American in Hyde Park, New York, where he graduated in 1990.
Chef Peterson’s first brush with regional global cooking was as a C.I.A. student, while doing his externship at the Intercontinental Wailea on Maui, Hawaii. His feel for style cooking was further enhanced after graduation, at The Trellis in Williamsburg, Virginia, where for over a year he labored under the direction of Marcel DeSaulniers.
Featured Dish:
Toasted Coconut Risotto Rice Pudding served in a Short Bread Spoon
Celebrity: Ernie Hartlieb
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Ross A. Peterson
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Chris Ketcham is a self taught pastry chef decorating his first cake at the age of 14. He has been a featured Demonstrator for the Retail Baking Association in Cake Decorating.
Chris is a father of three – Andrew (17), Megan (15) and Mackenzie (7). He and his wife Lisa, co-owners of Mason’s Bakery have been married for 18 years. His favorite hobbies are playing poker and working in the yard.
Featured Dish:
King Cake: Bourbon Pecan Tarts & Bourbon Rum Balls
Celebrity: Sheriff Mike Scott
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Christopher Ketcham
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 Chef Jim is the Regional Manager for Pagelli’s. He is a graduate of Wales and a Certified Executive Chef.
Jim is engaged to be married and had 2 great kids, Amanda 18 and Justice 9. His hobbies include photography, traveling, cycling and golf. He also enjoys football and basketball but is a diehard Red Sox fan. He loves food and especially the Backyard BBQ.
Featured Dish:
Drunken Pork
-Marinated slow roasted pork loin sliced & finished with a strawberry basil mojito BBQ sauce.
Celebrity: Lindsay Louge
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Jim Sargood
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He has always wanted to cook for others. Raised by a family that was always in the kitchen, he knew early on that he would be a part of the culinary industry. Throughout the years Javier has held a variety of positions in the culinary fields. While developing his skills and increasing his training along the way, he has become very talented in his chosen profession.
Javier began at The Bridge and worked his way through learning everything he could about the restaurant industry and loving every minute of it. He then moved onto Snug Harbour and finally Parrot Key Caribbean Grill, where his skills in the culinary field are matched by few and his creativity stands alone.
When he is not at Parrot key Caribbean Grill his favorite things are being with his family, attending church, coaching his son’s little league team and watching his daughter play soccer.
He also enjoys cooking with the Florida flavors, which include all fresh fruits, vegetables and seasonings, but most important Florida’s seafood. He loves the challenge of creating new recipes and he enjoys participating in local events such as The Taste of the Beach, The Taste of the Town and The March of Dimes Signature Chef Auction.
What set Javier’s cuisine apart from others is how he blends Florida’s ingredients with the taste of the Caribbean, such as his Bahama Mahi Mahi which consists of fresh fillet of Mahi Mahi grilled and topped with Javier’s own blend of fresh bananas, Myers dark rum and a sweet coconut cream sauce only available at Parrot Key Caribbean Grill.
Featured Dish:
Crusted Sea Scallops on mango puree with Fresh Herb Salad
Celebrity: Chris Delozier
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Javier Uscanga
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Executive Banquet Chef Matthew Maurad
Sanibel Harbour Marrtiot Resort & Spa
With his wonderful wife and family fueling and inspiring his culinary interests from a young age, our Executive Banquet Chef, Matthew Maurad, joined Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa in August 2005.
During his time spent rising through the culinary ranks, Chef Matthew has earned rave reviews as one of the motivating factors behind our resort’s success. His culinary forte is creating dishes that are simple in approach and strong in flavor. When not found in one of the resort’s many kitchen’s, Chef Matt (as he is known in and out of his culinary world), can be found on the open seas of the Gulf of Mexico fishing for Shark and other game fish.
Executive Chef Trevor Betts
Sanibel Harbour Marriott Resort & Spa is proud to introduce Executive Chef Trevor Betts. Chef Trevor has been with the Sanibel Harbour Family for over 6 years. He began his Sanibel career as our Fine Dining Chef at Courtside Steak House.
Chef Trevor touts more then 20 years if experience at local properties such as the Cicero’s, Fish Monger, Kelly Greens Country Club and the Bonita Bay County Club.
Chef Trevor has been involved with many great events such as the Naples Food and Wine Festival, March of Dimes Ritz Carlton and Sanibel Harbour, Chaine des Rotisseures and has even prepared for the Caxambas Chapter of the America Culinary Federation.
Chef Trevor is supported by his family and friends. He enjoys creating fun and wonderful dishes, sports and spending time with his family.
Featured Dish:
Filet Mignon, C.A.B. (Certified Angus Beef) topped with morel mushrooms and a homemade demi glace.
Escargot with garlic Provencal sauce
Served in the main ballroom: Four layer chocolate cake, layers with Chambord and chocolate gnash and iced with cappuccino butter cream icing.
Celebrity: Ray Judah
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Trevor Betts
Matther Maurad
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Chef Danny Manzur has always been involved in a kitchen atmosphere since his first place of employment. He realized very early that he genuinely enjoyed and was good at creating dishes. When he joined Stonewood he began as a line cook but moved up quickly. He was given the opportunity to travel and grow the company while opening numerous stores. He worked side by side, exchanging ideas with the Executive Chef, Mike Druary and crafted seasonal dishes. Chef Danny was Corporate Chef and oversaw various stores in South Florida. Currently he is the chef for the Fort Myers location continuing to develop Stonewood as an evolving brand.
He originates from New York, moved to Florida when he was in junior high school. His parents and other family members live locally and visits them often. He enjoys basketball and soccer in his free time.
Featured Dish:
Smoked Salmon- House smoked Salmon with whole Grain mustard glaze & Chive Aidui
Celebrity: TBD
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Danny Manzur
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Reiner Drygala
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 Chef Tao has worked his whole life in restaurant business. He has been the Executive Chef for Sunshine Seafood Café for the past 7 years.
He loves his family. His wife also works Sunshine Seafood Café and they have two adorable boys.
Featured Dish:
Wood Grilled Duck Breast Mae Ploy served with roasted corn & Portobello mushroom relish drizzled with miso and sweet chili pepper sauce
Celebrity: Robert Van Winkle
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Tao Diaz
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 Chef Daniel Virola is a 2007 Graduate from the Culinary Institue of America, Trained briefly under Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus Restaurant in Sonoma Valley. Then spent 2 Years at Chops City Grill.
Daniel loves watching and playing Basketball. He enjoys movies and music. He loves all foods and is very open to new culinary challenges and ideas. He is passionate about pleasing people with his food and giving them the “WOW” factor.
Featured Dish:
Surf and Turf Carpaccio with arugula and mustard aioli (Tuna and Beef)
Celebrity: Stephanie Davis
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Daniel Virola
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 Chef Eddie Vozzella has a degree in Restaurant Management. He has many years of self taught cooking and has always worked in high volume restaurants. Eddie has opened as many as 10 restaurants for only 3 companies over the years and ALL VERY SUCCESSFUL and still in business for over 30 Years. He has been with the University Grill for 14 years.
Chef Eddie has a large family of brothers, sister, children, grand children and friends. He enjoys cooking, music and sports.
Featured Dish:
Beef & Veal Tortellacci with veal Demi Glaze & micro herb garnish
Celebrity: David Plazas
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Eddie Vozzella
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To all of the Chefs, restaurants and staff, we extend heartfelt thanks for all of your hard work and generous donations of your time and talents to ensure this event is a success.
For more information on how to become a participating restaurant please call 239-433-3463 or email Trent Howe at trent@gulfcoastcoin.com or Debbie McGennis-Howe at debbie@gulfcoastcoin.com
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