Local chefs featured on Food Network challenge
They cook up specialties on "Big Bash Caterers"
Local chefs Greg Ziegenfuss and Ann Marie Lemcke showcased their culinary talents on the "big stage" during the Food Network's "Big Bash Caterers" challenge.
Although the challenge took place in early April, the duo had to wait until the episode was aired Sunday, Aug. 24, on the Food Network to share their 15 minutes, or 60 minutes, of fame with their friends and family.Ziegenfuss, executive chef of Butler's Pantry Catering in St. Louis, gathered with friends and family in a back room of Weber's Front Row Neighborhood Pub and Grill in Webster Groves to watch the show, with food, fun and plenty of televisions.
A 1977 Kirkwood High School graduate, Ziegenfuss grew up in the Kirkwood area before he moved to St. Louis.
Lemcke, owner of The Art of Entertaining, a catering service in Webster Groves, opted to watch the show from home with friends and family, afraid the large crowd at Weber's would be a little too loud for her to hear the show.
Ziegenfuss and Lemcke, a team that had never worked together before, competed against three other teams from across the country. After the casting director called Lemcke, she teamed up with Ziegenfuss, whom she was familiar with because he works at the very catering service her parents, Anita and Richard Nix Sr., started in 1966. Lemcke's brother, Richard Nix Jr., now owns the catering service.
Seventeen teams from across the country were interviewed, and when it was all said and done, St. Louis would be represented on the national stage. The finalist teams traveled to Denver and competed for $10,000 in prize money.
"We felt we were the underdogs. The other teams were from places like Los Angeles, Miami and California," Ziegenfuss said. "We were honored to have been there and compete with people of that caliber and carry ourselves as professionals."
Each team had three hours to prepare a meal themed after the Denver ballet season. The teams then had one hour to set up their displays and serve real guests.
Ziegenfuss and Lemcke teamed up to make Champagne cocktail, Lobster Martini, Medora Lamb Pop and Pavlova.
With mostly great reviews from the judges, except the fact that the lobster may have been overcooked and the seasoning fell to the bottom of the glass of the Lobster Martini because it was pre-prepared before the team arrived at the site, it looked as if Ziegenfuss and Lemcke would be in the running to bring home the prize.
Although Ziegenfuss admits the lobster may have been overcooked, Lemcke had an answer for the seasoning at the bottom of the glass. On the show, Lemcke advised the judges to "stick their forks in the bottom of the glass" and scoop the seasoning, advice that received great reviews from the crowd at Weber's.
Holding their breath in suspense, everyone waited for the winners to be announced. At the end of the night, Ziegenfuss and Lemcke did not win the Food Network prize but felt they were still winners.
"We felt we did a good job, and that's the most important thing," Ziegenfuss said. "We felt the work we did was a winning combination, and we are winners in our book."
Ziegenfuss and Lemcke said maybe their loss was accounted to the fact they did not seem "challenged" enough. Post-interview questions and comments from the emcee chef pointed to the calmness and control of the team.
"You have to put your catering face on, and if something seems like it won't work, you have to make it work," Lemcke said.
Now that she has watched the show in "peace," Lemcke has scheduled a viewing of the show tonight (Aug. 27) on a big screen at Llywelyn's Pub in Webster Groves.
Whether they were robbed or too controlled, Ziegenfuss and Lemcke maintain the experience was great and a proud moment not only for them, but for the cities of St. Louis and Webster Groves.
You can contact Jameka Merriweather at jmerriweather@yourjournal.com.
