Talking Stick Resort Chef Wins National Cook-Off With Southwestern Paella Dish

American Culinary Federation Award Brings $1,000 Prize, National Honor

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Oct 06, 2011, 09:00 ET

SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY, Ariz., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "Winning the top chef of the national cook-off is a great accomplishment for me and it says a lot about the types of food, we are offering guests at Talking Stick Resort. Now the resort has a national champion chef. Not many resorts can say that."

Those are the sentiments of Samuel Murillo, a resident of Glendale and executive sous chef at the 1 1/2-year old Talking Stick Resort, after being named winner of the American Culinary Federation's (ACF) 2011 national Paella, Please! competition held earlier this summer in Dallas.

"I just did what I do best, and that this is cooking and not worrying about the long odds," says Murillo. "Everyone turned up the heat in the competition, but I knew my recipe was going to be hard to beat and at the end I was victorious. I chose to prepare Southwestern paella with cilantro cream because I am from Arizona and I am Hispanic and I wanted to showcase my heritage and region through this cuisine," says Murillo, who won a $1,000 to go along with $250 he won as a western regional winner in competition here last April during the ACF's regional convention.

Paella, meaning small pan, is one of Spain's most popular rice dishes and is usually cooked with chicken or seafood and seasoned with saffron. Murillo's winning recipe included chicken stock, mussels, clams and shrimp. Of his recipe, he says: "I came up with it using traditional paella and adding my own Southwestern flare. I kept the recipe simple so that anyone could make it, using ingredients that are easy to find in most local stores."

The national Paella Please! competition was sponsored by Riviana Foods and challenged four regional winners to prepare six servings of a signature paella dish featuring white or brown Minute Rice. Recipes were judged on originality, clarity of format, ingredients, cooking methods, main-dish tableside cooking techniques and creative presentation.

The ACF, established in 1919, has 20,000 members and is the largest organization of professional chefs in the country. Its purpose is to seek and build awareness of the culinary industry and strengthen the image of professional chefs. It operates the most comprehensive certification program for chefs in the Untied States.

Talking Stick Resort was developed by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC), a sovereign tribe with some 9,000 members. The 15-story luxury resort received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating and features 497 deluxe rooms and 15 luxury suites. The property is also home to a 240,000 sq. ft. casino, 650-seat showroom, six entertainment lounges and five restaurant/eateries that offer guests dining options ranging from fine dining to bistro service – and delicious food prepared by national award-winning chef.

SOURCE Talking Stick Resort