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(San Diego) -- Executive Chef Leidy, whose culinary talents are enjoyed and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of visitors annually at the San Diego Convention Center, took the top honor in Ocean Spray’s national competition for his “Cranberry Mojito” recipe in the beverage category. The competition, sponsored by North America’s best-selling brand name in canned and bottled juices, challenged food professionals to develop the ultimate culinary creation using cranberry as the key ingredient. Leidy, along with three other top finalists, will travel to New York on Nov. 1, 2007, to compete in a live cooking contest at New York City’s De Gustibus Culinary School and for a $25,000 grand prize. If he wins, he has committed to donating the proceeds to Becky’s House, San Diego’s local YWCA program serving homeless women and families, as well as women and children who are victimized by domestic violence.
As executive chef for one of the country’s most successful convention centers, Leidy dedicates his culinary talents to showcasing current food trends to discerning palates from around the world. His passion is to focus on menus using regional and locally grown ingredients, which particularly appeals to event attendees who literally come from every part of the nation and all parts of the globe. This also ensures the freshest and most delectable ingredients are being served and the use of local products is environmentally friendly.
For instance, San Diego’s coastal setting makes it a natural for ocean fresh seafood and its inland valley produces an amazing variety of organic fruits and vegetables. Its proximity to the convention facility decreases transportation emissions. And for beef, pork and lamb the Chef uses regional livestock that has been raised through humane, sustainable practices with no antibiotic or growth hormones involved in the animals’ feeding and care.
“Executive Chef Leidy is an incredible individual, and his efforts have earned him an industry-wide reputation for altering the way people think about cuisine in a convention center environment. His culinary expertise is one of the reasons why the San Diego Convention Center is consistently ranked as one of the top meeting facilities in the nation,” said Carol Wallace, president and CEO of the San Diego Convention Center Corporation.
Leidy joined Centerplate, the Convention Center’s exclusive food and beverage provider, in 2004. He oversees a staff of 220 employees, and his production demands for events range in size from half a dozen to over 10,000 attendees. He graduated with honors from the California Culinary Academy and speaks fluent Spanish.
The San Diego Convention Center Corporation is a public benefit corporation created by the City of San Diego. The Corporation is exclusively responsible for marketing, managing and operating the Convention Center. In its 18-year history, the Convention Center has generated $12.8 billion in economic impact, $270.3 million in tax revenues and continues to serve as San Diego’s premier gathering place.
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