8th Annual 'Fish to Fork' Announced

Credit: Omni Amelia Island Resort

​AMELIA ISLAND, Fla., May 7, 2024 – Omni Amelia Island Resort is excited to announce its eighth annual Fish to Fork culinary weekend from May 9-12, 2024. The highly anticipated return of this epicurean competition features a distinguished chef lineup, including a James Beard Award nominee, former Food Network competitors, and the resort’s very own award-winning chef, each bringing their own unique styles and flavors to the festivities. With sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and tree-topped canopies as the backdrop to this gastronomic adventure, the weekend will offer true dock-to-dish specialties.

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The Fish to Fork weekend culminates in a final chef showdown with event guests declaring a well-deserved winner via a live vote.

“Fish to Fork is unlike any other food competition or festival out there,” said Executive Chef Omar Collazo. “Giving chefs the opportunity to catch what they’re going to cook adds to the fun of competition. We have such a diverse group this year and it will be fun to see each chef brings their own flare and cooking style to the local Amelia Island fare.”
 
On Friday, May 10th, each chef will set out on a fishing excursion in collaboration with Amelia Island charter captains in anticipation of the Main Event on Saturday, May 11th from 6-9:30pm. Each chef will transform the catch-of-the-day into a signature dish. Later in the evening, two teams of three chefs will compete in the Team Challenge to create dishes that utilize a surprise secret ingredient unveiled before the challenge commences.
 
During the evening, guests will taste and vote on the items prepared during both the Individual Challenge and Team Challenge to determine the winners. The competing chefs will also vote to determine the Chef’s Choice winner during a closed door tasting.

This year's competitors include:
 
·        Omar Collazo, Executive Chef, Omni Amelia Island Resort (Amelia Island, FL)
Executive Chef Omar Collazo joined Omni Hotels & Resorts in 2014, and since then has held multiple culinary positions with the brand. In 2021 he was promoted to the Executive Chef role at Omni Amelia Island Resort, where he oversees culinary operations for over 10 dining outlets and banquet functions across the resort’s 80,000 square feet of meetings and event space. Prior to joining Omni Hotels & Resorts, he spent years working alongside Chef Kenny Gilbert in Jacksonville Beach, FL.
 
·        Jasmine Norton, Owner and Executive Chef, The Urban Oyster (Baltimore, MD)
Chef Jasmine grew up in Baltimore, MD and discovered her love for oysters at the tender age of seven. She was introduced to them by her father, with whom Jasmine would regularly enjoy eating oysters with. Her father also taught her to how shuck them very shortly after. Her love for adventure and passion for food sparked the creation of her first restaurant concept; The Urban Oyster. In 2017, Jasmine opened the first female, Black owned oyster bar in the United States, The Urban Oyster. Her restaurant represents various things; it's a movement for those who prefer quality food in a relaxed and less pretentious atmosphere. Shortly after opening its doors, The Baltimore Sun nominated Jasmine’s cream of crab soup for the best in the city and in 2019 the restaurant was dubbed The Best Raw Bar by the Baltimore Magazine. At the height of a global pandemic in 2020, Jasmine opened her second restaurant, The Urban Burger Bar, and quickly received the Best Burger nomination within a few short months after opening. Jasmine was named to the 25 Women to Watch by The Baltimore Sun in both 2019 and 2021. She has competed on Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games and Chopped. She has also been featured on the Cooking Channel for The Urban Burger Bar. In 2021, she created her very own private label of oysters, Ice Aprons™️ slated for distribution in 2025.
 
·        Jonathan Zaragoza, Executive Chef, Birrieria Zaragoza (Chicago, IL)
Chef Jonathan Zaragoza was raised on Chicago’s Southside by a tight-knit family with strong cooking roots — he recalls standing on a step stool, helping his mother stir eggs as a five-year-old.  At the age of 12, in the backyard of their home, Zaragoza began learning to make birria, roasted goat from Jalisco, in a wood-burning oven built by his grandfather and father. His task was to start the fire, tending to it until the goat was ready to go in for its overnight roast. In 2007, Birrieria Zaragoza opened its doors giving Zaragoza a platform to create and continue learning from while diving headfirst into Chicago’s hospitality industry. From working at Sepia and Sixteen as a young cook, cutting his teeth on the Michelin circuit, to becoming the chef of Masa Azul at 22, Zaragoza’s culinary abilities have afforded him acclaim and the world as his kitchen. His path has taken him throughout Mexico, deep into its rich culinary heritage, to bring its traditions with him to London, Dubai, Paris and all across the US. Lately, you’ll find Jonathan cooking at his restaurants Birrieria Zaragoza, Čálli and El Oso. 
 
·        Sam Fore, Owner and Chef, Tuk Tuk Snack Shop (Lexington, KY)
Sam Fore is a Sri Lankan-American chef and recipe developer based in Lexington, Kentucky. Her pop up, Tuk Tuk Sri Lankan Bites, crisscrossed the country to bring her Sri Lanka meets the South dishes to diners far and wide since 2016. Her pop-up stints led to her first brick and mortar, Tuk Tuk Snack Shop, opened in September of 2023. Fore's cooking reflects her Sri Lankan upbringing in the American South; her dishes include her spin on Southern classics as well as new riffs on her family's time-tested dishes. Her recipes can be found in multiple national publications and across the web - her take on tomato pie graced the cover of Food & Wine in 2019. She was named one of Plate Magazine's Chefs to Watch (2018), was one of Southern Living's inaugural Cooks of the Year (2020) and was named one of Taste of the South's Taste50 (2022). In 2021, she joined the cast of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street, which airs nationally on PBS stations. In 2023, Fore was named a finalist for a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Southeast.
 
·        Steven Goff, Owner and Executive Chef, Tastee Diner (Asheville, NC)
Prior to his newest venture as the Owner and Executive Chef at beloved Tastee Diner, Chef Steven Goff served as the Executive Chef at funky modern American restaurant, Jargon, in West Asheville. Before that, Goff worked as the head butcher at Standard Foods in Raleigh and is the former Executive Chef and Owner of the King James Public House and AUX Bar in Asheville. Steven left home at fifteen, and spent the next eleven years homeless, jumping freight trains across the US and Europe, cooking wherever his travels took him. After being stranded in Asheville, he got more serious about cooking and enrolled in the AB Tech culinary program receiving honorable degrees in both Culinary Arts, and Baking and Pastry.  Because of his early life experiences, he is highly dedicated to supporting the local community through his food. He co-directed the popular local fundraising event The Blind Pig Supper Club and served on the Board of Directors of Asheville Independent Restaurants. Goff is currently on the Board of the Piedmont Culinary Guild in Charlotte and the Chow Chow Culinary Event Series in Asheville.  Chef Goff’s cuisine has been recognized by Food and Wine Magazine, Bon Appétit, Garden and Gun, The Local Palate, and various local publications. In 2019 he was named Chef of the Year by the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association. He lives in Asheville with his wonderful wife Samantha, their daughter Emma, and their array of animals.
 
·        Robyn Almodovar, Executive Chef, Timbr (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
Staten Island native Chef Robyn Almodovar’s childhood was filled with culture, vibrancy and a deeply ingrained passion for food. She graduated in 2005 from the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta and relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to begin her apprenticeship as banquet cook at The Hyatt Regency Pier 66. Just three years later Chef Almodovar became the Executive Chef of the 172-foot yacht, Lady Windridge. While following her dreams, Chef Almodovar honed her skills at several of South Beach’s culinary icons including The Forge and Danny Devito's Devito South Beach before obtaining an Executive Sous Chef position at the Royal Palm Hotel. Almodovar founded Palate Party, a fresh, mobile food café that utilizes locally sourced and sustainable ingredients. In 2013, Palate Party was voted Best Food Truck in Miami by the Miami New Times and 3rd Best Food Truck in South Florida by Sun Sentinel. Chef Almodovar continues to strive as a culinary Brand Ambassador sharing her excitement, bold flavors, and old school jive. Chef Almodovar has been seen on Hell’s Kitchen, CHOPPED, Cutthroat Kitchen, CHOPPED Impossible, and Food Truck Face Off.
 
To enjoy a truly immersive experience during the Fish to Fork weekend, a  Main Event travel package is available for purchase offering accommodations, and tickets. To book a travel package (all based on double occupancy), or to purchase tickets to the Main Event, and for more information visit www.fishtoforkweekend.com
 
Fish to Fork Main Event Package: May 11 - 12, from $943 per room, plus taxes and fees
·       One night of oceanfront accommodations
·       Two tickets to the 8th Annual Fish to Fork Main Event
 
Fish to Fork Main Event tickets: Saturday, May 11, $209 per person