Culinary Competition Features Chefs from Around the World

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May 11, 2010, 12:53 ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With culinary competitions among the most popular events in America, one of the world's leading senior housing providers is hosting an intense cooking competition among its culinary talent to crown Ultimate Chef America.

The competition is produced by Brookdale Senior Living and its Culinary Arts Institute, a professional development program for its chefs; however, a closer look at Ultimate Chef America reveals the amazing culinary talent from around the world.

Competing chefs were carefully selected from communities across the United States, many who have their roots in countries like Brazil and Thailand, Sweden and Tanzania. In all, Brookdale culinary talent hails from more than forty countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

To seniors, food is much more than a source of nutrition; enjoying healthy and flavorful meals are all part of living an Optimum Life. Delivering on that is a constant challenge, which is why this competition and the overall cultural mix of its chefs is so important.

"Because our chefs hail from all over the world their culinary creations represent an intriguing fusion of styles, flavors and textures," said Joska Hajdu, Brookdale's Senior Vice President of Dining Services. Brookdale chefs prepare more than 130,000 meals per day.

"Cooking for seniors is a unique challenge because the sense of taste diminishes with age," said Hajdu. "The difficulty in satisfying the sense of taste is compounded by the desire to minimize use of salt, fat, and sugar, due to the effects of those ingredients on common diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease."

The Ultimate Chef America tour also features gourmet food tastings, wine and seasoning seminars. Also, a "Food for the Soul" seminar is presented by renowned geriatrician, Dr. Kevin O'Neil, and focuses on the natural healing powers of food.

In addition, Brookdale residents have created food inspired art for the event's silent auction with all proceeds benefiting the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, joining Brookdale in its continued fight against Alzheimer's disease.

"Ultimate Chef America represents an exciting line up that delivers the excitement of competition, the flavor of excellent food, the opportunity to learn, and a venue for supporting a worthy cause," said Hajdu. For more information about Ultimate Chef America, visit www.ultimatechefamerica.com.

Contact: Holly Botsford, 414-918-5314, [email protected]

SOURCE Brookdale Senior Living