Earlier this week, in La Quinta, California, America Cooks with Chefs arrived at its exciting conclusion: six participants, all ordinary Americans, competed in a live competition at the Clinton Health Matters Annual Activation Summit. The challenge? Prepare and serve a delicious meal with fewer than 800 calories. Our lucky contestants had a bit of help: before the competition, each was paired with a JBF Award–winning chef, who welcomed their respective trainees into their restaurant kitchens and taught them their recipes, with some healthy cooking tips on the side. The chefs also flew to California to support the contestants during the event. Former president Bill Clinton summed up the competition nicely on his recent appearance on the Rachael Ray Show.
After the last competing dish was served in California, a panel of judges (which included JBF president Susan Ungaro) deliberated over the recipes. In an exciting announcement in front of conference guests, contestant Victoria Phillips and her chef partner, Tony Mantuano of Chicago's acclaimed Spiaggia, were crowned as the winners. Phillips and Mantuano's winning dish took a popular seafood and accessorized it with Italian flavor: salmon with Barilla pasta, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. You can get this tasty, healthy, and effortless recipe right here. You can also watch Victoria's cooking lesson with Tony here.
We'd like to congratulate all of our participating Americans and chefs on a job well done! For more chefs, recipes, and videos, head over to americacookswithchefs.com. You can also follow ACWC on Twitter at @AmericaCooks.
Read more America Cooks with Chefs coverage on AOL and the Huffington Post.
