Iowa City chef wins Pork Producers award

DES MOINES — An Iowa City chef has won an award from the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s annual Pork Congress.

Paul McDermott, a chef at Wildwood BBQ & Saloon in Iowa City, earned the Media’s Choice award, designated by media professionals invited to the event. His win in this year’s lineup joined wins by several Iowa chefs who used boneless pork loin for the first time as a featured cut in the competition — a cut that is underappreciated but valuable for its versatility.

“The chefs demonstrated that well,” said Kelsey Sutter, the association’s marketing and programs director. “When I stepped back and looked at all the plates, they were all using the same cut of pork, except they were all completely different dishes with different flavor profiles — everything from Italian to Cajun to Mexican.”

The competition is a Pork Checkoff-funded culinary competition designed to inspire innovative and exciting ways to menu pork in restaurants, bringing together talented chefs from across the state.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.