Chefs show off delicious pork recipes

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis chef Craig Baker, executive chef at the Intercontinental Hotel, took home the top award at this year’s Taste of Elegance competition on Jan. 27 for his pork shoulder dish.

Indiana Pork hosted the event at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis to inspire chefs to use pork in creative, new ways. More than 400 people attended the event.

Chef Baker’s dish featured a banana leaf-wrapped pork shoulder marinated in achiote and citrus and slow-roasted until tender. It was presented over fresh masa sopes with a silky black bean purée enriched with pork stock.

The dish was finished with pineapple–habanero salsa, pickled onions, fresh cheese and micro cilantro.

Baker took home $1,000 and an automatic entry into the 2026 World Food Championships.

“Chef Baker is no stranger to food competitions,” said Jeanette Merritt, director of communications of Indiana Pork.

“Chef is a previous winner of Taste of Elegance and has a great understanding of how to make pork taste delicious and design a plate that is appealing to the judges. His dish was an outstanding example of well-prepared pork.”

Other winning chefs from the event were:

• Superior Chef Award (2nd place): Dean Sample
• Premium Chef Award (3rd place):  Tyler Shortt
• Wine Pairing Award: Turon Cummings
• People’s Choice Award, Favorite Entrée: Dean Sample
• People’s Choice Award, Favorite Display: Cole Padgett
• People’s Choice Award, Favorite Wine: McClure’s Orchard & Winery