Journey Staff Room

Willows Lodge kicked off its Iron Vintner Challenge on June 2 in fine fashion as winemaker Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan Winery beat Efeste’s Brennon Leighton in an event that is bound to breed hours of smack talk in Woodinville’s food and wine circles.With a format similar to that of the Iron Chef television show, the participating winemakers showed off their cooking skills in front of spectators gathered on a patio outside the resort’s Fireside Cellars. The winemakers-turned-chefs each had an hour to prepare an appetizer and entrée featuring a mystery ingredient that was revealed at the beginning of the competition, in this case wild king salmon.

Leighton prepared salmon ceviche over cellophane noodles as his appetizer and an entrée he called “salmon three-ways over asparagus.” The latter included salmon mousse, roast salmon and salmon roulade. McNeilly countered with spring rolls stuffed with salmon and mango followed by a risotto with salt-roasted salmon, asparagus, mint and other goodness. The judges were three Seattle food writers who gave the nod to McNeilly.

I caught up with both contestants after the results were announced, and it was clear that each takes his food-preparation skills seriously. McNeilly attributes his passion for cooking to his mother, Suzanne, who leads culinary tours through Italy with Changing Gears Journeys. Leighton seemed down but not out. “Food, to me, is what everything is about,” he said. “I make wine as a complement to food.”

The Iron Vintner series continues on successive Wednesday evenings through June, with Tim Stevens of Stevens Winery cooking off against Darby English of Darby Winery on June 9. The winner battles it out with McNeilly in the finals on June 16. Admission to these is $25 (tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets), and guests can watch and learn cooking tips from the contestants while sipping varietals from their respective wineries (admission includes two tasting tickets for featured wines, and additional beverages and food are available for purchase). The Championship Dinner ($135 per person) takes place at Willows’ Barking Frog restaurant on June 23. The Barking Frog’s executive chef, Bobby Moore, emcee for the cook-offs, will serve a special four-course meal accompanied by varietals created by the participating winemakers. Proceeds from the event series benefit the Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, which gives people with disabilities opportunities to incorporate horseback riding into their treatment programs.

From what I hear, chef Moore came up with the idea of hosting such a competition after hearing his winemaker friends boast about their own cooking skills. Consequently, while helping raise money for a worthy cause, the participants, all friendly rivals, have serious bragging rights at stake.

Can’t make it out to Woodinville for the cook-offs? Treat dad to an indulgent weekend at Willows Lodge for Father’s Day. The resort’s Room with a Zoom package, available June 20, includes a room at the inn, a couple of complimentary beers from Red Hook, whose brewery is right next to the hotel, and a chance to test-drive a Tesla electric sports car. (We recommend waiting until after the test-drive to drink the beers.)