Harrell Remodeling

Ugly Kitchen Contest winners announced

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Bella Babot

Ugly Kitchen contest winner was announced along with four runner up contestants at a Gourmet Dinner, created by Chef Bruce Finch of  A Party for Your Palate, (San Jose) and  held at the Harrell Remodeling Design Center on Wednesday Jan. 25^th.   Our contestants dined on Tamarind Beef Short Ribs delicately topped with watercress, sides of Creamy Polenta and Broccoli Rabe with Almonds.  After such wonderful fare, they were provided with a sweet ending to the dinner with custom made dark chocolate cupcakes from Sprinkles Cupcake Shop (in Palo Alto) adorned with a sugar wafer of the famous Harrell Remodeling logo of a purple iris.  Contestants chatted with one another and the staff of Harrell Remodeling as they enjoyed appetizers, beverages and a scrolling presentation of the entry photos. Once seated, they were in for a treat as each table was served by Iris Harrell (CEO), Ciro Giammona (newly appointed President), Bella Babot (Director of Marketing), Genie Nowicki (Senior Designer) and Nichole Garber (Marketing Administrator) with the grace (well almost!) of experienced ‘food servers’.

Chef Bruce Finch stopped by each table personally as he explained the dinner, ingredients and methods in which each dish was prepared, including the number of days he roasted the delectable short ribs – which were “melt-in-your-mouth tender”.

After all were satiated, the winners were announced with much fanfare, laughter and even pride of “how truly ugly their kitchen was”.  One of our favorites was the presentation told in true “Dr. Seuss” form. There were stories that tugged at our heart strings, some filled with humor and others who wove creative or intriguing stories on why their kitchen should win.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening, and in addition to the winner’s prizes, every contestant took home a warm and cozy fleece blanket, a ribbon festooned boxed cupcake for later and memories of a night out, where strangers quickly became friends and all discovered that at least for one night, having “an ugly kitchen” was an amazing amount of fun!

If you would like to see the winning entries, please go to our Ugly Kitchen Contest page on our website, for the entry winning photos and statements about each kitchen.

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