Kohler event benefits BB/BS, food pantries

More than 300 guests participated in the 2009 Kohler Chefs’ Challenge on Oct. 22. The charity-focused event generated $3,060 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Sheboygan County and 450 pounds of groceries for the Sheboygan County food pantries.

Guests were encouraged to donate canned goods at the door of the event and participate in the live auction. Proceeds from the event benefited Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Sheboygan County.

The Kohler Chefs’ Challenge is part of the annual Kohler Food & Wine Experience hosted each October. The event consists of six Destination Kohler chefs and six guests from the community competing on the Main Stage in three flights to create a dish in 20 minutes using a secret ingredient.

The guest chefs are winners of recent community auctions and fundraisers.

The 2009 Kohler Chefs Challenge overall winners were Horse & Plow Chef Joe Austreng and Kathryn Hillstrom. The winners from each flight of the competition were:

Flight 1: Riverbend Chef Leonard Sorce and guest chef Heather Damitz. Flight 2: Whistling Straits Chef Gary Wigand and guest chef Mike Coulsen.

Flight 3: Horse & Plow Chef Joe Austreng and guest chef Kathryn Hillstrom.

The Kohler Food & Wine Experience in the village of Kohler showcases nationally renowned celebrity chefs, wine experts and regional restaurateurs. Co-spon-sored by Food & Wine magazine, the event offered a weekend full of flavor with culinary demonstrations, tastings, and food and wine seminars