Farmington Restaurant's Red Snapper Hooks 'Ready, Set, Cook!' Judges' Votes

Cugino's of Farmington was the only 'Ready, Set, Cook!' competing team to lay the entire grilled red snapper fish on top of its culinary creation and the presentation may have caught the judges' attention.

The restaurant's self-named Team Shallot won the event trophy after the four teams spent 45 minutes racing into the darkness of the night to incorporate red snapper, cactus, Thai cucumbers and Community Farm of Simsbury vegetables into a creative dish.

"We're really thrilled to have this event at the farm," Diana Goode, Gifts of Love executive director, said, noting that the cooking competition featuring local chefs and celebrities represents the organization's mission of providing its clients with local, healthy food.

Gifts of Love has long had a partnership with the Community Farm of Simsbury, where the event was held. The two organizations are considering a merger. The vegetables in the non-profit's food pantry come from the farm and food pantry ingredients were used in the four competing chefs' dishes. .

The judges' table was made up of Haddam resident Jim Bucko, managing partner of business operations for The Riverhouse, The Society Room of Hartford and Riverhouse Catering; Mary Ellen Fillo, Hartford Courant 'Java,' 'A La Carte,' and 'Spilling' columnist; Rebecca Lobo, a Granby native and former UCONN basketball player and United States Olympic basketball team champion; and chef Chip Miller.

They took taste and presentation into account in the four dishes presented to them.

Rachel Lutzker, FOXCT Morning News traffic reporter and CT Morning Extra co-host, and Paul Nanos, of Farmington, host of the The Paul Nanos Show on FOX Sports Radio 1410, emceed as featured chefs Luis Vazquez of Cugino's, Matt Cormier of The Meat House, Michael Lee of Max's Oyster Bar, and Jordan of Pond House raced the clock to make dishes that would catch the judges' attention.

Professional cartoonist Brad Gilchrist, a 1977 Avon High School graduate and Canton resident, assisted the Cugino's team. WFSB Sports Director Joe Zone, of Avon, served as sous chef for The Meat House team. 'Clean Food' and 'Clean Cookbook' author Terry Walters worked with Max's and Kevin Ngandhi, of ESPN SportsCenter, worked with the Pond House crew.