CHEF THROWDOWN

The annual Chef Throwdown is one of the most popular features of the Southern Delaware Wine, Food, & Music Festival. Included with admission, festival guests will have the opportunity to watch talented chefs go knife to knife in a high-energy, interactive, "Iron Chef" style cooking competition.

Presented with a mystery basket of ingredients they must use, competitors will showcase their skills, craftsmanship, and creativity as they prepare a complete dish for the judges in only 30 minutes.

The Hosts

HARI CAMERON

Mystery Basket Creator & Presenter

A multi-time James Beard finalist, "Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic", and Netflix star Chef Cameron is a highly-acclaimed restauranteur, one of Sussex County Delaware's most inventive chefs and author of The Current.

LEWIS “DREXEL” DAVISON

Master of Ceremony & Emcee

A veritable ball of energy whose roots in the restaurant and catering industry are part of his special recipe for his current day success as the Owner of Rehoboth’s renowned salon/spa and hot spot Bad Hair Day?

The Competitors

CHEF MELISSA FERRARO

Representing Northern Delaware

Sonora Restaurant & Outlandish Food Truck

Creative and bold, Ferraro knows how to push the boundaries of what's expected, transforming the ordinary into something truly extraordinary.

A graduate of the Art Institute of Philadelphia Culinary Program, her personality and culinary style combined with years of experience as an executive chef at various restaurants gave her all the "right ingredients" to build her own unique recipe for success.

From launching a thriving catering business, to expanding on that with a wildly popular food truck, and most recently opening the doors to Sonora Restaurant as the Owner and Head Chef - Ferraro continues to show no fear when tasked with building things from scratch.

Best known for her gourmet comfort food based on seasonal ingredients, it is no small achievement that her guests describe her as a "culinary genius" and "creative mastermind in the kitchen."

CHEF TISHA DISMUKE

Representing Southern Delaware

Taste of Jazz

Entrepreneur, Private Chef, Caterer, Culinary Arts Teacher and Entertainer are the primary hats Dismuke wears with style these days.

As a young girl, she embraced every opportunity to learn new recipes with her Grandmother - and anyone else that allowed her to join them in the kitchen - developing a true delight and finding inspiration in entertaining others with her blossoming skills.

In founding A Taste of Jazz, she developed her own unique way to blend her talents and passions into success. Cooking for Vivian Green, R&B singer-songwriter, and assisting Oprah Winfrey's personal chef being just a few of the feathers in her cap.

Known for igniting appetites, she continues to wow her growing following with innovative presentations and special renditions of soulful dishes infused with international flavors.

The Judges

MATT KERN

Recognized as one of the best chefs in the Mid-Atlantic region, two-time James Beard nominee, and respected for the creative genius he brought to his prior roles at Heirloom, Salt Air, and the Blue Moon Chef Matt Kern is Head Chef and co-owner, with his wife Karen of the beloved beloved farm-to-table restaurant, One Coastal.

LEAH RIZZO

Born and raised in Delaware, she'll be the first to tell anyone that lots of great food has always made the coastal Delaware area easy to love. Now host of WRDE - Coast Life and entertainment and lifestyle program, she takes great pride in highlighting the people, places, and events that make Delmarva so special.

PAM GEORGE

Pam George has written about the Delmarva area's dining scene for nearly 20 years. She is the author of First State Plates: Iconic Delaware Restaurants & Recipes, as well as five otherbooks on Delaware topics. Her work has appeared in Forbes, Fortune and numerous travel and dining publications including Delaware Today.