Three “C’s” to This Chef’s Success

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A typical week in the life of Palak Patel involves jetting across the globe to pitch breakthrough neuromarketing technologies to some of the world’s largest and most notable companies. Come the weekend, however, she slips out of her Manolos into her chef’s coat and welcomes the familiar, comforting atmosphere of the kitchen.

For the past few months, Palak, a member of NetIP’s San Francisco chapter, has been travelling to Los Angeles to battle it out against 24 chefs as the only Indian contestant in the Sears’ Chef’s Challenge Competition. The prize? Twenty thousand dollars for a local food bank, a complete kitchen renovation (reserved for her mother), and let’s not forget notoriety.

This dual track life is nothing new to Palak, an Indian-born, Atlanta-raised and self-taught personal chef. Blending her culinary passion into her larger life was always her dream, so in 2006, she launched her own Personal Chef company — and now, she’s solidly in the running to win the top slot in Sears’ professional cooking competition.

Palak’s culinary specialty is paring Indian spices with a modern twist. Take her recipe for Fiery Seared Scallops –the one that got her the spot on the competition—where Indian staples such as cayenne pepper, cumin, and coriander create a delicious dish with aromatic flavors that burst at the first bite. This is just one of many unique recipes Palak wants to share with you—each one with a secret side that promises to surprise and delight NetIP voters who support Palak in the contest.

Vote for Chef Palak at www.searschefchallenge.com starting June. 26^th – July 10^th (you can vote multiple times from different email addresses, once every 24 hrs per address) Send her to the semi-finals in Chicago, and then sign up for her private Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/chefpalak to get the scallops recipe as well as updates as she advances in the competition.

Vote for one chef from each region: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, DC