When Festivals Inc., the force behind the Bite of Seattle and Taste of Tacoma, approached TV Tacoma's own Amanda Westbrooke, big changes were set in motion for a more Tacomacentric festival than in past years. Westbrooke couldn't have been more gung-ho.

"I was overwhelmed and excited to be a part of it," she said via correspondence. "As someone who has lived here for 17 years, I have lamented the fact that the Taste seemed to have less and less local restaurateurs in the last decade. The concept for showcasing local chefs for three days seemed to me to be a perfect way to bolster local business, showcase the tremendous talent we have in this community and provide an opportunity for the chefs to meet each other, a culinary trinity if you will!" 

Most notable of the Tacomacentric additions was the inclusion of a foodie throw down a la Food Network's show Chopped as well as a slew of local chefs - the likes of STINK's Kris Blondin and Dirty Oscar's Geoffrey Yahn - who demonstrated their skills in the kitchen with a real live kitchen in the heart of the festival grounds.

The first day of competition featured two instructors from the Bayview Culinary School going head to head. Their mystery basket ingredients consisted of chard, rhubarb and cod. Judges were randomly selected from the audience before the ingredients were revealed with the caveat that they had no food allergies. Judging criteria included three aspects: creativity, presentation and taste. Winners from both days of competition were handsomely rewarded with a set of Kitchen Aide knives and bragging rights, naturally.

The second day of competition pitted fine dining ace Hudson Slater from Maxwell's Speakeasy and Lounge against Tacoma's Kitchen Beautician Aura Mae with a compelling basket of ingredients like salmon, kumquats and ice cream cones.

Chef Slater created a kumquat and trout cake similar to a crab cake using the ice cream cones instead of bread crumbs. To compliment the fish cakes, he concocted an orange and bell pepper yogurt sauce that did not make the plating due to time. Slater's plating faux pas may have been why Aura Mae came out champion with her pan-seared, cone-crusted trout served with a bell pepper and kumquat salsa.  You can catch more from the Queen Bee of Taste Cooks cook off this Sunday, where she will demo a family recipe at the Bite of Seattle. She also told me she will appear at The South Sound Women's Show in October. Her ultimate goal?  To have The Kitchen Beautician on TV.

And though he didn't come out on top, Slater told me of the experience, "The competition was great because I often daydream about being on "Chopped," so it was fun to actually cook with the mystery ingredients and time constraint. I really want to do it again. I would do it again in a heartbeat."

When asked what was the most memorable of the whole experience, Westbrooke said, " The sweet intimacy that I was able to experience and share with these chefs in a very short amount of time. That feeling of connectedness, of making soul food with them continues to this day. I just dined at Maxwell's, and it was all I could do not to pinch Hudson Slater's sweet face and give him a hug in the kitchen."

You can find Aura Mae's recipe for the winning entrée on her Facebook page.