SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. [NYSE: JPM], and illy, the Italian coffee company beloved for its unique blend of the highest quality coffee, hosted the illy Chef Challenge on August 6 at the Westin St. Francis. Presented by Chase SapphireSM Visa Signature®, San Francisco chefs Chris Cosentino and Elizabeth Falkner faced off against Dominique Crenn and Russell Jackson in a live cooking battle. Cosentino and Falkner were named “top chefs” of the culinary clash after winning over judges with four creative dishes using illy coffee, including Cosentino’s eggs poached in bacon-coffee stock with coffee gélee, potatoes and celery, and Falkner’s coffee ice cream sundae with bananas foster and cocoa nibs.
Chase Sapphire and Visa Signature will donate $20,000 to Meals on Wheels of San Francisco on behalf of winners Cosentino and Falkner, and $5,000 to Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation on behalf of runners-up Crenn and Jackson.
The cooking competition challenged Cosentino (“Chefs vs. City,” Incanto), Falkner (“Top Chef Masters,” Citizen Cake, Orson), Crenn (“Next Iron Chef,” Atelier Crenn) and Jackson (a.k.a "The Dissident Chef,” Lafitte) to create the best dish – featuring illy coffee – while using a basket of surprise ingredients. The event was part of SF Chefs 2011, a week-long food, wine and spirits festival held at Union Square. “Eye on the Bay” host and KCBS Foodie Chap Liam Mayclem emceed the culinary battle, and San Francisco Chronicle’s Miriam Morgan, Sunset magazine’s Margo True, Parade’s Fran Carpentier and Esquire’s Christopher Mariani judged and selected the winners.
Chase Sapphire Visa Signature cardmembers received VIP seating, as well as discounted tickets to the event. Two Chase Sapphire cardmembers were selected to sit at their own tasting table next to the judges and sample the chefs’ culinary creations.
“Chase Sapphire cardmembers are passionate about meaningful experiences in life,” said Sean O’Reilly, general manager, Chase Card Services. “We are proud to celebrate our cardmembers’ passion for food with the illy Chef Challenge, which featured some of the city’s favorite chefs and gave the San Francisco Bay Area a taste of the unique experiences offered by Chase Sapphire. We are also honored to support the nonprofit causes close to the chefs’ hearts.”
Also at SF Chefs 2011, Chase Sapphire and Visa Signature hosted Behind the Blindfold, a series of playful competitions exclusively for Chase Sapphire Visa Signature cardmembers, on August 6 and 7, at the SF Chefs Grand Tasting Tent. Three contestants tested their tasting palates by attempting to correctly identify locally grown delicacies while blindfolded for a chance to win prizes. More information about Behind the Blindfold can be found at www.chasesapphire.com/behindtheapron.
MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: For additional high-res images, interviews with participating chefs or questions regarding the illy Chef Challenge presented by Chase Sapphire Visa Signature, please contact Jessica Lee at jessica.lee@ketchum.com or 415-984-6234.
About Chase Sapphire
Chase Sapphire is a rewards credit card that offers premium travel rewards and benefits, a range of redemption choices, exceptional customer service and memorable experiences, such as the illy Chef Challenge. More information is available at www.ChaseSapphire.com.
About Chase
Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM), a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.2 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries. Chase serves consumers and small businesses through 5,200 bank branches, 16,200 ATMs, mortgage offices, and online and mobile banking as well as through relationships with auto dealerships and schools and universities. Chase also has issued more than 90 million credit cards. More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com.
About Visa Signature
Visa Signature is a premium payment card issued by banks in the United States. Visa Signature offers cardholders a range of benefits and perks, in addition to a number of rewards programs that may be offered by Visa Signature partners, such as airline, hotel and cash back programs. Visa Signature cardholders enjoy access to a host of benefits, such as complimentary concierge services, the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, and warranty manager service, as well as special offers for perks focused on cardholder passions, such as travel, wine and food, sports and entertainment events. Perks range from everyday values, such as special offers on movie tickets and discounts at select retailers, to VIP tickets for premier concerts, Broadway shows and epicurean events, and once-in-a-lifetime packages for events such as the Olympics and FIFA World Cup. For more information about Visa Signature, visit www.visa.com/signature.
About illy
Illycaffè is the world’s finest Italian coffee and a leader in quality, innovation, and technology. A third generation Italian coffee company, illy is the number one European imported coffee brand in North America. Based in Trieste, Italy, illycaffè produces and markets a unique blend of coffee as the single brand leader in quality coffee and gives coffee connoisseurs an overall authentic Italian coffee experience. Illy is available in more than 50,000 of the finest restaurants and coffee bars and is sold in over 140 countries around the world, serving more than 6 million cups of illy coffee per day. Globally, illy employs more than 700 people.
Illy buys green coffee of the highest quality Arabica directly from the growers through partnerships based on the mutual creation of value. The Italian-based company fosters long-term collaborations with the world’s finest coffee growers – in Brazil, Central America, India and Africa – providing know-how and technology and offering above-market prices.
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