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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: Reason to believe ... Family Fest offers back-to-school giveaway ... Ticket Availabity ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Reason to believe ... Family Fest offers back-to-school giveaway ... Ticket Availabity ... IRON CHEF OREGON Omar's chef wins statewide title By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 10, 2015 @ 8:18 pm By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 10, 2015 @ 8:18 pm » RELATED CONTENT • Ashland chef aims for statewide honor • Where do Ashland’s top chefs go to dine? • Omar’s Seafood & Steaks chef claims top prize » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> The judges have decided: The best chef in Oregon is working right here in Ashland at Omar’s. It’s James Williams and he faced down the other best chefs in the state at the annual Iron Chef Oregon contest, part of the Bite of Oregon food fest in Portland, using surprise ingredients in three successive cook-offs over the weekend. Working with his son Skyler Golden as sous chef, Williams, in the final round, was given pork jowl as the secret ingredient and, 45 minutes later, presented three judges with braised pork jowl, served with bacon corn puree, along with chili honey-glazed bacon from their pork belly leftover of the day before, he says. It was served with roasted cauliflower, sauteed spaghetti squash and dried cherry pan sauce, which included some of the braising liquid. He bested Travis Taylor, executive chef at Sunriver, last year’s Iron Chef. “Throughout the event, we were in control,” says Williams. “We were up against some really tough competition. All three rounds were super close. Working with my son, it was just seamless, really super easy, like just one person in the kitchen. “We both automatically knew what we were going to do with that jowl. Literally, they reveal the secret ingredient 30 seconds before they start the clock. We had some ideas for the sides (side dishes) ahead of time and some we made up as we went.” In the initial round, against Jonathan Hoffman of Cannon Beach, Williams got a rib eye and created a pan-seared rib eye for the main dish, with roasted fresh corn, bacon succotash and sautee of rainbow swiss chard, with red wine reduction sauce. In the semi-final, against Astoria chef Sean Whittaker, he created roasted pork belly with Yukon gold bacon risotto, honey-glazed baby carrots and roasted hedgehog mushrooms. Williams won a spot at Iron Chef with his victory last November at Ashland Culinary Festival — and next year will defend his new title against the top chef in the Portland semi-finals. His freshly won-crown coincides with Omar’s 70th year in business, to be celebrated next year. Located on Siskiyou Boulevard at Highway 66, Omar’s Seafood & Steaks started in 1946 and is noted for its innovative and lengthy “specials sheet,” often up to a dozen dishes. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By John Darling For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By John Darling For the Tidings Posted Aug. 10, 2015 @ 8:18 pm » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501