Boca Raton Bowl Great Chefs Tailgate Showcase & College Spirit Night Yielded Many Winners

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Nov. 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Continuing in the celebrated 'culinary and community' tradition set by its inaugural event last year, there was plenty of great food, fun, football and 'fan and fund' raising in the game plan for the 2016 Boca Raton Bowl's Great Chefs Tailgate Showcase & College Spirit Night. The event drew more than 275 bowl fans donned in their college alma mater team colors, 20+ top chefs who served up 32 creative food, cocktail and brew entry samplings, an enthusiastic and vetted panel of "foodie and family" expert judges and plenty

of opportunities to rev up holiday magic for children as $10,000 in proceeds benefited this season's Spirit of Giving's annual gift drive.

Held at Via Mizner Golf & Country Club, the evening ignited a fan-tastic wave of pride for Palm Beach County's own annual NCAA-sanctioned postseason college football bowl game to be televised live by ESPN at FAU Stadium on Tuesday, December 20, 2016. Chefs and tailgate-spirited recipe samplings hailed from country club, resort, restaurant and catering chefs and two breweries for a bit of friendly competition for pre-game fun as the Boca Raton Bowl countdown to match two teams from the Mid-Atlantic Conference, Conference USA and American Athletic Conference (AAC). Dubbed 'Boca's Biggest Annual Outdoor Party℠, the Boca Raton Bowl game is the newest Boca holiday-timed tradition as a nationally televised spotlight shines brightly on Boca Raton and Palm Beach County.

The full-field culinary, cocktail and brew roster included 50 Ocean, Barrel of Monks Brewing, Boca Raton Resort & Club, Broken Sound Club, Burger Craze, Crystal Bay Caterers, Dubliner Irish Pub, Due South Brewing, Paellas De Espana Catering, Meatball Revolution, M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom, Oceans 234, Seasons 52, The Little Chalet, The Melting Pot, Tilted Kilt and Via Mizner Golf & Country Club.

The distinguished "foodie and family" expert judges included Deby Goldfarb, Holli Lapes, Heather McMechan, Jan Norris, Stacy Ostrau and Shaina Wizov. FAU First Lady and tailgate authority Carolyn Kelly served as the celebrity judge selecting the evening's Most Spirited Player (MSV) based on display décor and Most Valuable Player (MVP) based on the combo of décor and entries). Event-goers scored for their individual favorite 'draft pick' tailgate recipes.

"Based on the enthusiastic and creative response this year, our panel of judges really had their work cut out for them," reported Boca Raton Bowl Executive Director Doug Mosley. "All chefs took the competition seriously knowing that our bowl's charity partner Spirit of Giving (SOG) and the thousands of children in Palm Beach County would benefit from the nonprofit's annual gift drive for those in need."

And the winners are…

CELEBRITY JUDGE PICKS:

•Most Spirited Player (décor): Boca Raton Resort & Club, Executive Chef Scott Manocchio Most Valuable Player (décor and entries): M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom, Chef George Patti

"FOODIE AND FAMILY" BLOGGER/MEDIA PICKS:

•Judges' "Best Overall" Winner: Boca Bowl Beignets, 50 Ocean, Executive Chef Joe Bonavito

•Best Brew: Nuance Saison: Barrel of Monks Brewing

•Best Cocktail: Nutella Guinness Milkshake: M.E.A.T. Eatery & Taproom, Chef George Patti

•Best Dessert: Boca Bowl Beignets: 50 Ocean, Executive Chef Joe Bonavito

•Best Dippin': Truffled Onion Dip: 50 Ocean (Unanimous Vote), Executive Chef Joe Bonavito

•Best Handheld:  Sweet & Sticky BBQ Ribs: 50 Ocean, Chef Executive Chef Joe Bonavito

•Best Mac & Cheese: Pumpkin Mac: Broken Sound Club, Executive Chef Joseph Longo

•Best Surf or Turf: TIE

      -Ceviche Ice Bar: Boca Raton Resort & Club, Executive Chef Scott Manocchio

      -Classic Via Mizner Crab Cake: Via Mizner Golf & Country Club,

         Executive Chef James Boukhalfa

•Best in a Bowl: Paella Campestre: Paellas De Espana, La Paella Chef Dana Bass

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS:

•First Place: Sweet & Sticky BBQ Ribs, 50 Ocean, Executive Chef Joe Bonavito

•Second Place: S'Mores Mini Indulgence Dessert, Seasons 52

•Best Brews: Barrel of Monks Brewing

Still Time to "Get in the Game" and Join in the 2016 Bowl Festivities

Mosley added that there are still opportunities in which to join in the fun, excitement and festivities of "Boca's Biggest Annual Outdoor Party℠" and encourages South Florida residents to:

•Purchase Boca Raton Bowl game day tickets: Sales have been brisk so reserve tickets as soon as possible. For individual (sideline at $47 and end zone at $27) and special group and corporate ticket packages, call the ticket office at 561-362-3650, visit www.bocaratonbowl.com or e-mail or tickets@thebocabowl.com.

•Get 'game on' early at free open-to-the-public pep rallies, Monday, December 19. Area residents are invited to cheer on the competing teams at free team pep rallies held the night before the bowl game. The rallies will be center stage at Mizner Park Amphitheater and CityPlace. For updates and details visit www.bocaratonbowl.com.

•Make it a great and memorable 2016 game day and night on December 20 with family, friends, neighbors, coworkers and business colleagues:

oBowl game tailgating begins at 3 p.m. with the Bowl's Ford Fan Fest and Family  Midway surrounding the stadium. There will be plenty to do and see, including a live band, family fun and games, activities, food trucks, a beer garden, exhibition tents featuring giveaways and contest. In addition to performances by a live band, the marching bands and cheerleader squads from the competing bowl teams college bands and cheerleader squads will face-off.

oKick off begins at 7 p.m. The excitement and revelry of traditional bowl game kick-off ceremonies will include the traditional coin flip, an American Flag unfurled to fill the entire playing field during the performance of the Star Spangled Banner by Palm Beach County resident.

For more information Boca Raton Bowl, updates on bowl team announcements and other news, visit www.bocaratonbowl.com and become a fan on Facebook.