Regional chefs compete in annual Taste of Lake Superior

Tom Hanson didn’t think it would hurt to have a higher power on his side.
So while preparing his whitefish paella, which would be scrutinized an hour later by judges in white coats and tall hats, Hanson mimicked a Spanish tradition he had observed while researching the dish online. With a spatula and a careful hand, he arranged the sizzling contents of his frying pan into the shape of a cross.
“That’s how the whole dish begins,” Hanson said. “You have to bless the dish.”
Hanson’s paella was one of 16 dishes prepared by regional chefs Wednesday evening as part of the Taste of Lake Superior - an annual contest in which chefs compete to create the best-tasting meal using Lake Superior fish.
Held on the lawn of Glensheen Mansion, Wednesday’s fourth annual edition featured chefs from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, from the Oceanaire Seafood Room in Minneapolis to the Landmark Inn in Marquette.
“Our restaurant is really a food-for-the-
people kind of place,” said Hanson, whose paella won the people’s choice category - voted on by about 300 visitors.
Working with his son, Louis Hanson, and Duluth Grill’s kitchen manager, Dan LeFebvre, Hanson also concocted a quesadilla with lime-marinated herring and a homemade corn tortilla for the judges.
“We’re never going to try to go outside our element too far,” Hanson said about the dishes he chose to serve. “We just want to be who we are. It’s not about winning or losing. It’s about creating a dish we believe in.”
Each group was given one whitefish, one herring and 90 minutes to produce two meals - one using each fish - that would satisfy the judges’ scrupulous taste buds.
Unfortunately for Hanson, the judges - all certified executive chefs - seemed to have more sophisticated palates than the paying customers. They awarded first place in both categories to the Oceanaire Seafood Room of Minneapolis and both second-place spots to Larsmont Cottages on Lake Superior, located in Two Harbors.
Paul Madsen, former chef at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center and one of the four judges, said they consider organization and sanitation when scoring competitors during the preparation stage.
Glenn D’Amour, a judge who also instructs culinary students for the Duluth School District, said the tasting portion rates dishes on flavor, texture, presentation and creativity.
Some chefs put a little more thought into their meal selection than others.
Chef James Damon and owner Marc Rea from Fitzgerald’s at Eagle River Inn (Eagle River, Mich.) decided on tempura-battered white fish with Asian slaw for one of their dishes. How did they make that choice?
“Over a couple beers,” Rea said, seemingly relaxed as Damon busily chopped vegetables. It was the pair’s first cooking contest.
“I think Damon is a little nervous; I’m excited,” Rea said. “It’s an honor to be here, so I’m just enjoying it.”
Once the dishes were prepared, they hovered one by one over to the judges’ table. Taking just a few bites from each, the judges chattered about which dish was too salty and which tasted just right.
When Madsen approved of a particular dish, he would slide it off the the side - before servers could carry it away - so that he could sneak a few extra bites. Otherwise, “On to the next one,” he would say.