It was a night of exquisite pork cuisine, warm fellowship and a lot of heart. On Nov. 12, ten Oklahoma chefs presented their best, original pork dish first to be judged and then to be enjoyed by all who attended Taste of Elegance at the Express Event Center.

Chef Gayland Toriello representing the Museum Café took the evening’s top honors placing first in the competition. For his efforts, Chef Toriello received $1,000 from the Oklahoma Pork Council and an opportunity to represent Oklahoma at the National Taste of Elegance next spring.

“This is my first time to compete so I was very surprised that I won,” said Toriello who has worked at Museum Café for one and a half years and has been lead chef for six months.

Toriello’s named his winning creation “Pork 3 Ways.” The dish featured a pork belly salad with huckleberry sauce, a pork chop with apricot poppy-seed sauce and pork rillets. It was garnished with English pea gelee, parsnip and pickled beet relish and a thin sweet potato.

“When I was researching my dish, I learned about rillets and wanted to try this approach to cooking pork,” said Toriello.

To create the rillets, he slowly simmered shredded pork butt, pork ribs and pork shanks in their own juices, cooking them down to create a very tender, flavorful chopped pork element to his dish.

“I really enjoyed using pork and learning more about pork for this competition,” said Toriello. “I have realized there is so much variety in pork with the different cuts and ways it can be prepared. It’s very appealing to me.”

Chef Vince Howard of Bolero placed second with his “3 Pork Cassolet with White Beans” and received $500 from OPC. Marc Dunham of the Rancher’s Club placed third with is “Pork and Beans” and received $250 from OPC. Chef David Sullivan of the Oak Tree Country Club received the People’s Choice award and $250 for his “Ginger Braised Pork with Port Wine Reduction.” Chef Jakub Heartlieb of Elements Steakhouse and Grill in Tulsa won the wine pairing award for pairing his “Braised Pork Shoulder Tart and Pork ‘Crème Brulee’ with Roots and Mushrooms” with Deloach Pinot Noir.

The other much-appreciated chefs and their dishes at Taste of Elegance were, Jonas Favela of the Ranch Steakhouse with “Braised Pork Loin, Green Chili Ravioli and Glazed Belly;” Trey Ferguson of Coolgreens with “BLT and Fries;” Chris McCabe of RedPrime Steakhouse with “Maple Glazed Pork Belly ‘Bacon’ with Deep Fried Egg, Red Wine Béarnaise;” Miguel Olmedo of North Park Grille, Embassy Suites Norman with “Beer Marinated Pork Loin with Caramelized Onions and Cranberry Confit;” and Kevin Ward of The Coach House with “Aji Braised Pork Shoulder on Rice and Yuca Succotash with Chillie Pork Reduction.”

“The quality of the chef’s dishes was outstanding again this year,” said Joseph Royer, two-time state and national Taste of Elegance winner and judge and owner of Saturn Grill. “Oklahoma has always done well in the National Taste of Elegance and I hope all Oklahomans realize that we have chefs right here that are using the most innovative culinary techniques and creative approaches for pork entrees.”

While everyone enjoyed a lot of great food, giving back to the community was a big part of the evening. Hearts for Hearing was the event beneficiary of Taste of Elegance.  This world-renowned group of hearing healthcare professionals located right here in Oklahoma City have a mission to provide each child born deaf or hard of hearing in Oklahoma with free cutting edge hearing technology. Additionally, families can apply for financial assistance for the specialized auditory-verbal therapy and rehab support so their child can learn to listen and talk. For more information visit www.heartsforhearing.org

“This was an outstanding event,” said Kris Taylor, director of development for Hearts for Hearing. “The food was great and it was fun to talk to the chefs and everyone that attended.  We are so thankful for all the support this event provides for Oklahoma children with hearing loss and their families.”

Along with the Oklahoma Pork Council many other companies supported the event so Hearts for Hearing received every penny made from ticket sales. Express Event Center donated the facility. Cargill donated their Sterling Silver Premium Pork for the event. Premium Brands donated the wine for the pre-event reception. Ed Murray of News9 generously gave of his time to emcee the event.

“It was another great Taste of Elegance,” said Roy Lee Lindsey, OPC executive director. “Thanks to all the chefs who shared their dishes, sponsors that supported the event and everyone who attended. We hope to see everyone back next year.”