I have decided that you guys deserve more! I know that a free limited-edition Restaurant: Impossible t-shirt is a great prize for winning twitter trivia, but I want to up the stakes tonight.

 

Here’s what you’ll win (6 prizes total)!

 

• 4 people will win the RI t-shirt.
• 1 winner will receive an autographed black polo shirt (the ones I wear on RI)
• And 1 will win a chef’s knife from my new line of knives BEFORE THEY ARE RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC!!
  

And the ban on previous winners playing again is lifted for this night only! Is anyone excited yet? 

 

Good Luck!

 

WOW is all I can say!! You guys really came through on this challenge (if you are seeing this for the first time, here’s the challenge I speak of). The response was amazing, and the amount of thought and effort that you put into your sandwiches. “Thought” and “effort” were exactly how I based my judgment in this contest because I did not want it to be a “culinary” competition.

 

I wish that I could award you ALL something for participating. You all did so well.

 

And The Winners Are:

1st place goes to Jannine Fisk and her sandwich “The Sledgehammer.” The effort and care that she put into every ingredient of this sandwich was so well thought out that I was even willing to overlook the use of bell peppers (you know I hate bell peppers).

 

You can read Janine’s original post here and see for yourself just how great she did!

 

 

 

2nd place goes to Lee Scan and his “Steak, Egg, and Avocado Breakfast Sandwich.”  Surprisingly, there were quite a few varieties of this same sandwich involving steak, eggs, avocado, and English muffin, so I went with my chef instincts and chose this one based on presentation. Undeniably, it looks GREAT!

 

Here’s Lee’s original post on facebook.

 

 

3rd place goes to Cynthia Chen Sadowski and her “Roast Chicken and Mash” sandwich. I chose this sandwich because it creatively incorporated my absolute favorite meal into a sandwich. A few people attempted it, but Cynthia’s cunning use of potato bread put her over the top!

 

You can see here original facebook post here.

 

 

 

Of course in proper Robert Irvine fashion I have to have a 4th place winner for “Best Effort,” and that goes to 13 year old Kayla Burget and her “Super Irvine Steak Sandwich.” She put an amazing amount of thought into her dish and stated it quite sweetly. I overlooked the bell peppers, again, in this case because I loved the sentiment and have a soft spot for kids. Plus, look at the presentation! We’ve got a future rock star chef in our midst! 

 

Congrats and Thanks!

 

Again, thanks so much to all who participated. This was a very close competition, and always very difficult to judge.

 

To the winners! Email webmaster@chefirvine.com to claim your prize.

 

 

Here are the rules for RI Twitter trivia:

1. Links to the questions will be posted on twitter.
2. Click the link and answer in the comment section below the question.
3. Make sure to leave your twitter name with your answer.
4. Winners will be contacted through a direct message on twitter to claim their prize, so you MUST follow Chef Robert on twitter (@robertirvine1) to win.
5. If you’ve won before, give someone else a shot!

Here we go again guys with another fun and exciting cooking contest! This one, however, is going to be completely different in that it is NOT going to focus entirely on culinary skills. This challenge is going to hinge on creativity and also your level of knowledge of all things “Robert Irvine.”

 

Here’s The Challenge!

 

You know how some delis will make sandwiches named after people? I want you to create a sandwich called the “Robert Irvine.” Make it however you want, with whatever you want. The only rule is: it must be a sandwich that you think represent who I am, what I am about, and what I like.

 

 

 

 

<——-NO! Not like this.

 

Things to consider:

 

• Is there a food that reminds you of me? (better not say jerk chicken)
• Is there a particular food or ingredient that I’ve mentioned loving before. (this is where being a fan becomes an advantage)
  

 

To Participate:

 

Make your creation, post a picture and a description of the sandwich (including an explanation of why you chose the ingredients) to my facebook page. The winner will be chosen by me, and announced on Friday, January 18th! I will choose the winner based mostly on creativity, and a little on culinary prowess (it needs to be edible).

 

1st Place Will Win:

The autographed chefs coat that I wore on the Iron Chef America Holiday Battle when Morimoto, Ted Allen, and I battled it out with Michael Symon, Nadia G. and Ben Sargent. And I do mean the ACTUAL coat that I wore on the show! It is a short sleeve vented coat that features the Robert Irvine Live logo and my name. 

 

2nd place will win an autographed cookbook. 3rd place will win a free t-shirt.

 

 

Good Luck!

 

The contest begins NOW!

 

 

I want to reach out to all of my fans and thank you for your support over the past year. I truly have the best fans ever!!! Thanks to you, Restaurant: Impossible has become one of the most popular shows on the Food Network (with many more episodes scheduled), and my touring show, Robert Irvine Live, has been filling theaters across the nation.

 

Looking Forward

 

There are a many very exciting developments coming up for 2013, and I want you to trust this website to be the source for all of the news you need to keep up-to-date with everything. Stay tuned for news of some great new TV appearance, as well as, live show dates, and festivals announcements!

 

Alongside the late-breaking news, we will continue to have recipe and cooking contests, I will continue to answer YOUR questions about cooking and the restaurant industry, there will be product reviews so you know what’s best to use in your home kitchen, and we will keep highlighting some of the outstanding fans that are a part of my world and the great things you are doing.

 

We also have some great new products in development that will be available from my online store and at your local retailer, including: an amazing new knife line that is exquisitely-made yet affordable for the home cook, spices, cookware, sauces, apparel, and MUCH MORE!

 

All in all, 2013 is going to be a great year to be on “Team Robert” and I cannot thank you enough for being who you are and supporting what I do! Lastly, I want to remind you to keep our military and their families in your prayers throughout the year, and to try to do something for someone less-fortunate than you. With everything that has happened in our country this past year, I know that we can all use a little kindness to start us off on the right path. I trust that you will help me with that!

 

 

This was such a tough competition to judge! Everybody did a great job, and I wish I could award everybody something. You all showed distinct individual prowess in what you created, and I believe each dish deserves some sort of recognition. Of course, my decision was made even harder by my not being able to taste each dish and having to judge by looks, execution, and description. I’m sure a simple bite may have swayed me one way or the other. 

 

My decision was SO tough (you guys really stepped it up), that I decided to add a 4th place winner and change up the awards and rankings.

 

New Awards and Ranking:

• 1st place is still winning the personalized and autographed chef’s coat.
• 2nd place will receive one of my personalized and autographed cookbooks. 
• 3rd and 4th place will get a free t-shirt.

 

And Now The Winners!

1st place goes to Chris Lockhart with his Pork two ways, with roasted local apple and walnut rolled pork tenderloin, juniper braised belly, balsamic glazed brussels with bacon, celeriac puree.

 

This dish was fantastic in presentation and showed incredible adeptness at tying in the great Fall flavors that I was looking for. Plus, I’m a sucker for pork belly, and I was intrigued by the idea of juniper in the braising process. I may have to try that!

 

 

2nd place goes to Pao Ward and her sesame seed & pecan crusted pork tenderloin with vegetable crepe made with pan roasted brussels sprouts and red peppers, with caramelized onions, apples, and pecans. The dish is accompanied by an apple dressing made with apples, greek yogurt, sesame oil, honey, and soy sauce, and a hint of crushed red pepper on top.

 

I loved the presentation on this dish the most! Plus, she took some risk in trying to balance all of those flavors in one dish. Normally, I would have balked at so many different ingredients happening in one dish. If I had tasted it I would have known for sure, but judging by the balance in the presentation I can only assume that she knew how to balance the flavors as well.

 

3rd place goes to Lyndsay Wells for her Apple Juice Brined Jerk Pork Tenderloin with Apple Butter Gravy, and a Potato, Brussels Sprout, and Apple Hash.

 

This one won this spot on technique more than anything else. Brining can take a regular piece of meat and send it into overdrive! I personally would have used salted apple cider vinegar instead of sweetened apple juice, but the fact that she utilized the process at all shows some real chops (or in this case, tenderloins). I also would have worried about too much sweetness with the use of apples in every component, but the jerk spice would work great to add some balance.

Finally, 4th place (and the Team Spirit Award) goes to Holly Hammer Olson with her Pulled Pork Tenderloin Sliders topped with homemade french fried onions and homemade BBQ sauce on homemade toasted mini-sourdough buns. Accompanied by a Brussel Sprout, Apple, and Carrot slaw.

 

Holly won because of her “outside the box” decision-making when approaching the dish. Instead of trying to go gourmet, she angled towards a more comfort-driven dish. It should be noted, however, that using a more expensive cut of pork to make pulled pork would be a kitchen no-no. I decided to overlook that for what I can imagine was a tasty slider! I also decided to give Holly the Team Spirit Award for all of the posts of support and encouragement that she took the time to write for her competitors over the past week. That’s the kind of stuff I like to see!

 

How to Claim Your Prize:

Just email webmaster@chefirvine.com with your contact info. We will be in touch with more instructions.

 

Thanks to All!

I would like to say a very special thanks to everyone who participated. You are all winners in my book, and you are all wonderful fans!! I feel truly blessed to have such an amazing group of supporters. 

 

If you did not win, or were not able to participate, do not worry! This will not be the last competition! We will do a lot more of these in the future.

 

What do YOU think of our winner’s dishes? Post some comments!

 

It’s time for a contest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s how it goes:

 

Mystery box style.

If you’re not familiar with a mystery box, think Chopped. I’ll give you 3 ingredients. You come up with your best dish based off of those, and I will judge based on your description and the picture you submit.

 

Here’s the ingredients: (perfect for Fall)

1. Pork Tenderloin
2. Apples
3. Brussels Sprouts

Here’s how to play:

1. Create your dish using the 3 ingredients, adding whatever other ingredients you wish.
2. Post a picture (just ONE picture) with a description of your dish on my facebook wall. 
3. Feel free to comment on other’s dishes, discuss your own, and have your friends “like” your photo (it may help sway the judge).

Here’s what you win:

I will choose the winner, and you will win,

A blue limited-edition Robert Irvine Live chef’s coat SIGNED BY ME!

 

2nd and 3rd place will win a FREE T-shirt.

 

Better hurry!

 

The contest starts TODAY, and the winner will be announced on my website in ONE WEEK! (Nov. 2nd).

 

 

 

 

I recently received an urgent request for assistance involving an issue that is of incredible importance to me. I want to encourage each and every one of my fans to support this cause! 

 

 Philabundance is one of the largest distributor of food aid to the under-privileged in the Philadelphia area. Recently, the needs of their network of hunger relief shelters have nearly doubled leaving their dry food stock close to depleted.  A number of issues such as rising food prices, high gas prices and declining donated dry food in volume and variety have compounded making it increasingly difficult for Philabundance to secure and provide enough food to feed the people who need it most. The situation has gotten so bad that one of their community food centers was not able to open its doors for the first time in 20 years.

 

This represents a serious threat to the nutritional needs of people in these communities. Or to put it another way, people are going hungry. I know that most people do the majority of their charitable work and donating during the holiday season, but this is a crisis that needs support NOW! Please, donate whatever you can now.

 

Please click the donate button, and give!