Livermore Mayor, Wente Chef Matt Greco Win Mayors’ Healthy Cook-Off Challenge

Information from the City of Dublin--

The City of Livermore was victorious in the 1st annual “Alameda County Mayors’ Healthy Cook-Off Challenge,” which was held at the Dublin Farmers' Market on Thursday, July 25, 2013.  

Mayors from six cities in Alameda County partnered with chefs from restaurants in their communities to participate “Iron Chef”-style in the cook-off.  Mayor John Marchand of Livermore teamed up with Chef Matt Greco from The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards to create the winning recipe.  

The Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association provided each chef with a bag of produce from the Farmers’ Market, while Grocery Outlet of Dublin provided a protein item and grains.  

Nine judges, including four members of the Dublin community, and five student chefs from the Serendipity Cooking School at Mt. Diablo High School in Concord, judged the dishes on taste, presentation, healthiness, and creativity.

The City of Dublin and the City of Hayward tied for second place, while third place went to the City of Albany. The  winning teams will compete this fall against the top three winners from the “Contra Costa County Mayors’ Healthy Cook-Off Challenge,” which was held on July 18.  They will meet in a cook-off at the Serendipity Cooking School in October.

The goal of the “Mayors’ Healthy Cook-Off Challenge,” co-sponsored by Wellness City Challenge in Concord, is to highlight the importance of healthy eating, and encourage people to include fresh fruits and vegetables in their meals.

Other participants in the Alameda County event were: 

• Albany Mayor Peggy Thomson and Chef Rhasaan Fernandez from Sam’s Log Cabin
• Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti and Chef Jose Guevara from Johnny Garlic’s
• Fremont Mayor Bill Harrison and Chef/Owner Bill Rinetti from Massimo’s
• Hayward Mayor Pro Tem Mark Salinas and Chef Tony Solorio from Tacos Uruapan
• Pleasanton Mayor Jerry Thorne and Brian Hampton from Handles Gastropub