Going into this , I knew exactly who I was as a chef , and win or lose , I would leave as the same chef … - Henry Countiss
Northwood General Manager Daniela Zamfirescu said the club was proud to have Countiss representing it in the seafood cooking competition .
“ His dish ‘ The Whole Ocean ’ is a member favorite ,” Zamfirescu said .
Countiss uses two different styles of cuisine in creating the recipe for his signature ‘ Ocean ’ dish . A tasty dish , “ The Whole Ocean ” features lobster , scallops , shrimp and pepper jack grits in a tomato bacon cream sauce heavily rooted in Southern traditions .
Countiss adds bourbon , vanilla beans and shallots to highlight the natural sweetness of the gulf shrimp . “ Shrimp and grits is a heavy dish , so I added a fresh picked jumbo lump Gremolata on top to cut through the richness ,” he said . “ My goal was to give the judges a taste of the South but also to balance out that dish with the cool , bright and crisp crab salad . I think the two contrasted quite well . I think what made it special were the basics — hot , cold , sweet , sour , crunchy , soft . A true contrast of textures and flavors .”
Judging for the competition was based on the use of Gulf seafood , taste and presentation . Countiss missed out on the top honor , which went to Chef
Erika Lipe for her butter basted www . meridianstar . com
Countiss ’ dish , “ The Whole Ocean ,” features lobster , scallops , shrimp and pepper jack grits in a tomato bacon cream sauce heavily rooted in Southern traditions .
Chef Henry Countiss first became interested in cooking when he was a young boy watching his mother , grandmother and a family friend serve up tasty dishes from their kitchens
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Going into this , I knew exactly who I was as a chef , and win or lose , I would leave as the same chef … - Henry Countiss
lane snapper with fried green tomatoes , tarragon buttermilk dressing and topped with sweet potato hot sauce chili crab . But , he did make an impression . Lipe , who owns SoLa restaurant in Oxford , said she enjoyed meeting and competing with the Northwood chef . “ I think he has tremendous talent and a fantastic personality ,” Lipe said . “ I hope to get him to Oxford sometime to cook with me for a pop-up event .”
Countiss is thinking ahead with hopes of entering next year ’ s competition , too .
“ I am absolutely thrilled to go back next year . It ’ s easy to get caught in the mindset of winning and losing , but quite frankly , my only goal was to create good food and to represent Northwood well ,” he said . Countiss also gave a shout out to his kitchen crew at Northwood . “ If it were not for their hard work and dedication , I wouldn ’ t have been able to have the opportunity to go down to the coast and cook ,” he said . “ Going into this , I knew exactly who I was as a chef , and win or lose , I would leave as the same chef , just with a ton more insight and knowledge provided to me by both my fellow competitors and the judge . I cannot wait to compete for the crown again .” M
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