PACE Center for Girls Broward's Advisory Council and Chef Hugh McCauley recently hosted Chefs for PACE! a celebrity cook-off at Hugh's Culinary.  Chefs (left to right in photo below) from Doris Italian Market, Café Vico, 101 Ocean, The Jib Room and Mai-Kai restaurants participated in an "iron chef" style competition to raise funds to support the girls of PACE. 

Over 100 guests attended and cheered for their favorite teams while listening to music and enjoying cocktails in and around the bustling kitchen area.  The one hour competition began with the announcement of Key West shrimp as the "secret ingredient."  By the end of the hour and a flurry of activity, all five chefs and their teams had prepared delicious and artfully presented platters of food for everyone.  

(l-r) Angela Nieto, Rich Wagenheim, Gladys Rodriquez and Penelope Blair cheer after cooking with Chef Owen Henry (far right) and Sous-Chef James Hipps (behind) from The Jib Room

Cook-Off Judges (left to right in photo below) Senator Debby Sanderson, The Honorable John P."Jack" Seiler, Leslie Stevens and Chef McCauley voted The Jib Room team as the Overall Winner and the guests voted Café Vico as their "fan favorite."  Whether cooking in the competition or sampling the culinary creations, chefs and guests acclaimed that Chefs For PACE! was a fun-filled evening.

PACE Broward is grateful to the event's sponsors -- Maroone, an AutoNation company; Sheila Bechert; Penelope Blair; Finizio and Finizio Law Offices, P.A.; Hugh's Culinary, and Cathleen and Douglas Hodgson.  As an inaugural event, Chefs for PACE! raised over $18,000 to help fund services for girls at PACE.   

(l-r) Tamara Mohabeer, Gale Butler and Esther DeJesus from AutoNation pose with Aggie Pappas (right center), PACE Broward Executive Director.

(l-r) Chef Marco Vico celebrates with Marianne Finizio, Rob Stewart, Tim Bascombe and Jamie Finizio Bascombe after being voted "Fan Favorite"

(l-r) Sponsors Cathleen and Douglas Hodgson with Planning Committee member Gayle Strogen

 Event Host Chef McCauley and Event Chair Sheila Bechert.  Thank you for a wonderful event!

All proceeds from this event support PACE Broward, a nationally recognized nonprofit gender responsive counseling, academic, life-skills education day program for girls at-risk ages 11-17.  PACE Broward is located at 2225 N. Andrews Avenue in Wilton Manors.