I am a member of the Everywhere Society and Everywhere has provided me with compensation for this post about Macy’s Culinary Council. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own. 

Are you a Grilling Guru? I definitely am not. While I reign supreme in the kitchen, my husband is the Grill Master in our house.  And he does a pretty good job! One of the best things about summer, in my opinion, is grilling and eating outdoors on our deck. I absolutely love the flavor of meats, vegetables and, yes, even fruit on the grill. Big juicy burgers, tender kabobs, smoky grilled peppers and zucchini – everything just tastes better grilled.

There are some pretty amazing home cooks out there who are experts at getting the most from their grills. In order to showcase some of the best original grill-based recipes from home cooks, this spring Macy’s launched a contest to find the Great American Grilling Guru.  Contestants from all over the country submitted their original recipes and Macy’s picked three semi-finalists for each region. Those semi-finalists competed in head-to-head competitions this past Saturday. The winner from each region will go on to the finals in New York City later this month for a chance to compete for a $10,000 prize and a trip to see the 2015 Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks.

I attended the semi-final Sizzle Showdown for the Central region this past Saturday at the Macy’s store at Old Orchard Shopping Center. I was excited to see what this creative home cooks had come up with for their winning recipes, but I was equally excited to see celebrity chef, and Macy’s Culinary Council member, Michelle Bernstein who would be judging the contestants.

I first learned about Chef Bernstein’s work when I saw her appear on my all-time favorite show, Top Chef. I immediately felt a connection to her. She and I are about the same age; we are both moms, and, frankly, we look like we could be sisters. (It’s the hair.) Based in Miami, with a Jewish-Argentinain heritage, Chef Bernstein’s cuisine combines Latin, Caribbean, European and, even traditional Jewish flavors into a unique fusion cuisine that is familiar yet innovative.

I won a copy of Chef Bernstein’s cookbook Cuisine à Latina at the event — which she was kind enough to sign for me — and I have already dogeared several recipes that I am dying to make, including Chilled Corn Soup with Corn Fritters, her mother’s Ground Beef and Tomato Empanadas, Tuna and Watermelon “Ceviche,” and Fava Bean Puree with Cumin and Lemon. Now I just need summer to come so I can find local fava beans, corn and watermelon!

While I was waiting for the event to begin, I couldn’t resist introducing myself to Michelle Bernstein, celebrity chef fangirl that I am, and honestly, she could not have been more lovely. We had a wonderful chat about food, DC — where she trained as a young chef — and the process of writing a cookbook. It is inspiring to see a woman who has reached the highest echelon of the culinary field, as Chef Bernstein has, all the while remaining gracious and warm. And that warmth carried over throughout the whole event. When she was judging the contestant’s entries, Chef Bernstein was full of compliments and enthusiasm for the work of these three home cooks.

The contestants had one hour to prepare their recipes, so host and local restaurant critic Steve Dolinsky and Chef Bernstein kept the crown entertained with grilling tips, the history of Chef Bernstein’s culinary career, and a lively discussion of the Chicago restaurant scene, including a heated debate on the city’s best burger. (Au Cheval or Kuma’s?)

Among Chef Bernstein’s grilling tips were to 1) watch sweet marinades which can cause flames to flare up and char the food too much; 2) remove meat from the grill just before it’s cooked all the way because the residual heat will cause the meat to continue to cook while it rests; and 3) always to start with a clean grill. (My husband tells me that that last tip is not universally accepted.) While we were waiting, the audience got to sample some of Chef Bernstein’s signature dishes including Grilled Corn with Ancho Chile Butter and Queso Fresco and not-too-spicy chicken wings.

Finally, it was time to judge the dishes and declare a winner. The three dishes were Grilled Chicken Adobo with Charred Corn Salad, Kentucky Beer Cheese Burgers, and Pesto Citrus Proscuitto Grilled Shrimp with Red Quinoa and Fruit Salsa. From the way that Chef Bernstein was digging into that Kentucky Beer Cheese burger, I thought for sure that one would win. Chef Bernstein praised contestant Vern Ramnes’s burger for the firm sear on the outside, but the tender, fluffy inside. (How to achieve this? Never press down on the patty with your spatula!) But in the end, the complex grilled shrimp dish was declared the best of the day. Chef Bernstein admitted that the number of ingredients in the recipe made her nervous but that the combination worked well and resulted in an unusual and refreshing dish.

Best of luck to Sonya Nelson Goergen, winner of the Central region, in the Macy’s Grilling Guru competition!