Culinary Entertainment Continues Despite Weather Conditions

Despite the fact rain forced the further postponement of round one play, there was still entertainment to be found at the Viking Classic as culinary talent was on display Friday. The day began with a Viking Cooking School session in the morning, followed by demonstrations by Chef Nathan Lippy in the afternoon. Lippy, host of "Food, Drinks, and Rock 'n Roll," intertwines his passion for food and music to create an experience that goes beyond just pleasing the palate.

For a photo gallery from Friday's festivities, check our page on Facebook.

Although first round play is currently suspended until at least Sunday, cooking demonstrations will continue as scheduled, including appearances by Food Network star Tyler Florence at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

News Roundup

Andrea Hall of the Greenwood Commonwealth has a story on Ladies' Day festivities from Thursday at the Viking Classic: click here for link

Thursday: Play Postponed but Plenty of Action at Viking Classic

Although first round play was postponed Thursday due to weather and course conditions, there was still plenty of activity at the Viking Classic with Ladies' Day, the BankPlus Cafe & Expo, cooking demonstrations in the Viking Culinary Tent, and more.

Festivities in the culinary tent began with a Viking Cooking School demonstration at 11 a.m. themed "Mastering French Cuisine" inspired by the hit movie Julie & Julia. Activities continued at 1 p.m. as Chef Chris Wilson of Emeril's in New Orleans and Chef Lee Richardson of the Capital Hotel in Little Rock squared off in a pro-am style culinary competition. Three members of the audience were selected to be guest judges for the contest, in which each chef teamed with an amateur to compose his best version of shrimp and grits. Below is a description of the two dishes from guest judge Marshall Welch:

When you live in the South, there are a few things that you just can’t turn down - a friendly handshake, a kind smile, and a plate of warm food. As a southern gentleman, I would be beside myself not to accept a plate of shrimp and grits…or, in this case, two. Such was the case as I was chosen to be a judge in the afternoon chef’s cook-off. The two chefs, Chris Wilson and Lee Richardson, challenged each other to the dish once only know in South Carolina as a breakfast food for fishermen. Both culinary artists have roots in two of Emeril Lagasse’s many Louisana based restaurants, Lee at Nola and Chris in Emeril’s. With a few whirls of the wisks, some learning of the brand new induction cook-tops, and a few well placed comments to rib each other, I found myself staring at two completely different versions of a meal I myself have cooked many a time.

Chris presented his first: a complex journey of classic grits with white cheddar, a butter and citrus sauce (lots of butter) along with shrimp glazed with a from-scratch bbq sauce tossed with cremini mushrooms and bacon. This dish was an amazing mix of so many flavors creating a rich creamy taste pattern that is nothing like I’ve had before. The citrus butter sauce combined with the tang of the bbq glazed shrimp complemented each other very nicely and the cheese and grits added a creaminess that solidified the dish and satisfied the palette.

Lee’s approach was much different. He used rice instead of grits, ground in a beautiful Viking spice mill, and chose to sauté his vegetables in a shrimp stock utilizing the shells of the peeled shrimp and some Cajun spices for even more flavor. The result was a lighter dish with a more New Orleans-esque feel to it that really hit home for me. Growing up, I spent school holidays in Louisiana cooking and eating with family friends, adding a few more flavors to my personal comfort foods menu- Lee’s dish and its New Orleans flavor would fit just nicely on that menu.

So which dish was the best? Well, the competition officially ended in a draw. Both were incredible and deserve their due praise, but if you really must know the outcome, you can try making them yourself. The recipes for both dishes will be posted on the Viking Classic website. Good luck and remember when making these dishes to "laissez les bon temps roulez!"

For a complete photo gallery from Thursday events, visit our Facebook page.

More Food and Festivities Ahead for Friday

In addition to the scheduled tee off for round one, Friday will feature demonstrations by "Rock 'n Roll" Chef Nathan Lippy at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in the Viking Culinary Tent.

Friday is also Military Day at the Viking Classic, as admission is free for for all active, reserve, and veteran personnel as well as spouses and children who hold a U.S. Military ID.

First round tee off is currently scheduled for 7:20 a.m. on Friday. For tournament and leaderboard updates, visit: http://www.pgatour.com/r/leaderboard/

Early Commitments & Ticket Packages

Commitments
Early commitments for the Viking Classic: Heath Slocum, Rocco Mediate, David Toms, Chris DiMarco, Brad Faxon, Mark Calcavecchia, Brian Gay, Bill Haas, Steve Elkington...just to name a few. Having a stand alone date is going to be very big this year as our field continues to grow.


Ticket Packages
Buy your “Hit the Fairways” Package today and make Tournament Director Randy Watkins race Usain Bolt!! Randy will race against Usain Bolt's time if we sell 500 of these packages. Listen to Chuck and Doug in the mornings on The Score 620 to get all the details. Go to our website at www.vikingclassic.com to purchase your package now!

New Commitments

Viking Classic update…New commitments this week as Randy visited the St. Jude Classic in Memphis. David Toms, John Daly, David Duval and Rich Beem gave me the thumbs up and are coming to Annandale in October! That’s 4 major championships already, stay tuned for more!! This year will be our best ever!!

Viking Classic and Century Club Charities, Inc. donates $500,000 to Charity in 2008

The Viking Classic, Mississippi's premier sporting event, and Century Club Charities, Inc. are pleased to announce that over $500,000 was raised for charity through the Birdies For Charity program and the Win A Viking Kitchen drawing. This includes $140,000 donated to Viking Classic's designated charity, Friends of Children's Hospital. Since 1986, Century Club Charities has donated over $5.1 million to charities throughout the state of Mississippi.

From L to R: Dale A. Persons, Viking Range - VP Public Affairs; Eugene A. Simmons, CCC President; Bill Latham, CCC Ex-Officio; Robert Morgan, CCC Past Executive Director; Randy Watkins, Tournament Director

In 2008, 72 charities participated in the Birdies For Charity program. Kindness Foundation was the highest fundraising organization. Ralph and Frances Brown were presented a check on behalf of Kindness Foundation for $23,440.06 at a luncheon hosted by the Viking Classic at Annandale Golf Club on March 3.

From L to R: Doug Garner, Viking Classic Sales & Charity Coordinator; Frances and Ralph Brown, Kindness Foundation

Tyler Brady won the Guess the Birdies contest and received his choice of one major kitchen appliance from the Viking Range portfolio, as well as a Viking Culinary Package of cookware, cutlery and countertop appliances. Also included was a "Delta Experience" package that included a two night stay at the Alluvian Hotel and Spa, spa treatment for two in the luxurious "Couple's Suite", dinner for two at Giardina's Restaurant, and a custom designed cooking class for two with an Executive Chef from the Viking Cooking School.

From L to R: Doug Garner, Viking Classic Sales & Charity Coordinator; Kristen Thigpen, Magnolia Speech School

From L to R: Mark McGuffee, Madison-Gluckstadt Rotary Club; Doug Garner, Viking Classic Sales & Charity Coordinator; Joe Lee, Madison-Gluckstadt Rotary Club