Columbia Crest and Food Network Star Bobby Flay Unveil the "Flayvors of Washington" Recipe Contest Winners on FoodNetwork.com

Paterson, Wash

Top-Two Finalists Competed in "Face-Off" Challenge in New York City with Grand Prize Awarded to Frank Galella from Denville, N.J.; Runner-Up Mahsa Darabi, from Portland, Ore.

Columbia Crest Winery, in conjunction with Chef Bobby Flay, today announced the winning recipe of the "Flayvors of Washington" video recipe contest. Frank Galella’s recipe for Stuffed Veal Chops with Wild Mushrooms and Farro Salad took the grand prize at the "Flayvors of Washington" face-off challenge. To view the top two finalists' recipes, please visit columbiacrest.com

The contest, in its second year, challenged food and wine lovers throughout the United States to create and submit an original recipe inspired by Columbia Crest wines and utilizing ingredients from Washington state, along with a unique two-minute video showcasing the dish. The top-two video entry finalists were flown to New York for a special "face-off" event, where they prepared and presented their dishes, along with wine pairings, to a panel of judges that included Flay and head winemaker for Columbia Crest Winery, Ray Einberger.

Galella, a Denville, N.J., resident and advertising executive, utilized five Washington state ingredients – asparagus, chanterelle mushrooms, cherries, morel mushrooms and Walla Walla sweet onions – and paired the dish with Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay. As the winner, Galella received the opportunity to cook one-on-one with Flay at the Food Network kitchen while in New York, as well as a prize package valued at more than $5,000.

The nearly 140 video recipe entries received were posted on the Food Network contest Web page, where consumers were able to view and rate the top-20 picks – chosen by the Food Network test kitchen. From those 20, Flay reviewed the top-10 consumer-rated entries, along with two additional entries chosen by Columbia Crest, and selected his top-two favorites as finalists, which included the number-one rated video as voted by consumers. These finalists traveled to New York for the face-off challenge where their recipes were tasted and scored by Flay, Einberger and Miriam Garron – Food Network Kitchen sous chef.

"It was a fun experience to be on the other side of a food challenge, and I enjoyed meeting the finalists as they were both equally impressive and created delicious dishes," said Flay. "Ultimately, the bold flavors and pronounced Washington state ingredients scored higher toward the Stuffed Veal Chops which paired quite nicely with the Columbia Crest Grand Estates Chardonnay."

The runner-up is real estate agent Mahsa Darabi of Portland, Ore., who prepared a Cabernet-Braised Lamb Shank Infused with Pomegranate over Pan-Fried Saffron Polenta. The dish was paired with Columbia Crest Grand Estates Cabernet Sauvignon and utilized Walla Walla sweet onions from Washington state, as well as the wine in the recipe. The runner-up received a prize package valued at more than $1,000, including autographed copies of Bobby Flay’s cookbooks and various wine-related items.

"Once again, fans of Bobby Flay and Columbia Crest demonstrated their passion for food and wine, and that their creativity for using Washington state ingredients knows no bounds" said Einberger. "We couldn’t be more pleased with the entries, especially our top-two finalists, whose dishes perfectly completed the wines."

In 2007, Columbia Crest and Flay announced their partnership to demonstrate how simple it is to have a great food and wine experience, everyday. The following year, Columbia Crest and Flay launched the first "Flayvors of Washington" contest, which garnered nearly 700 entries. The winning dish was a Chicken Curry Burger with Crispy Prosciutto and Warm Apple Chutney recipe created by Teresa Ralston of New Albany, Ohio.

About Columbia Crest
Founded in 1983, Columbia Crest has grown from a small winery in a relatively unknown wine region to one of the most significant wineries in the United States and a major force behind Washington state’s emergence as a world-class wine region. More information about the winery can be found at columbia-crest.com.

About Bobby Flay
Chef Bobby Flay’s critically acclaimed restaurants include New York’s Bar Americain; Bobby Flay Steak in the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City; three outposts of his famed Mesa Grill in New York, Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, and The Cove Atlantis in the Bahamas; and Bobby's Burger Palace in Smithtown, N.Y., and Monmouth, N.J. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute, Flay also shares his enthusiasm for food through his cookbooks; his latest, Burgers, Fries and Shakes, will be released in April 2009. He hosts a variety of national programs on the Food Network, including "Throwdown with Bobby Flay." Flay regularly informs audiences about seasonal, fresh dishes and ingredients as a food correspondent for "The Early Show" on CBS.

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For further information:
Erin Shane
425/415.3696
erin.shane@ste-michelle.com