Chefs Clayton Carnes and John Thomas. Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

Chef vs. Chef is a 16-week competition at Max's Harvest hosted by chef Eric Baker that pits local chefs against one another, cooking up surprise ingredients for a panel of judges — and our tasting pleasure.

Chef Clayton Carnes is counting the days until the opening of his first solo venture, Cholo Soy Cocina (try saying that three times fast), this summer. The place will pay homage to the Latin street food and Andean cuisine Carnes embraced while working in Cuenca, Ecuador. On Wednesday night, he faced off against Tryst's amiable executive chef John Thomas, who made it to the final round of Chef vs. Chef against Café Boulud’s Jimmy Strine last year.  

Judging the fast-paced battle were Cary Roman, founder of livingfla.com, the man behind the camera at almost every food and wine event in the area; chef Aaron Fuller, food and beverage director at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago; and chef Aaron Black of PB Catch Seafood & Raw Bar and the culinary mind behind seacuterie, a seafood-focused take on traditional charcuterie. 

Three secret ingredients, as usual, were donated by Sunshine Provisions:

Chinese black vinegar is made from fermented grains such as rice, sorghum, wheat, or millet. Ink black in color, it’s aged for a malty, smoky flavor.

Beef marrow bones are the unsung heroes of the kitchen. The base for dishes like the French pot au feu, the Vietnamese pho, and the Italian ossobucco, marrow bones can be eaten alone, split lengthwise and roasted just until the rich, fatty marrow starts to pull away from the bone. Then, all one needs is some hearty bread to scoop up the rich, nutty, sweet marrow dripping with golden beef fat. Ask any chef about marrow bones, and they'll immediately close their eyes and moan.

Thomas' straightforward, herbaceous roasted marrow bone with gremolata. Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

“When we make bone marrow here at Max’s Harvest," says Baker, "we soak it overnight to remove the blood. Cooked blood turns grey and looks unappetizing. A lot of work goes into the food before it gets to your table."

Finally, okra, also known as ladies’ fingers, ochro, or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. Its origins trace to Africa and South Asia, so it grows well in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions like South Florida. It has a characteristic slime, kind of like aloe, so people usually either love it or hate it.

Within the first fifteen minutes, Carnes brought out the first dish of the night: charred baby octopus with black vinegar ponzu, jalapeño, cilantro, and lemon balm. “The mellow, sweet vinegar and the tenderness of the octopus is perfect," said Roman.

Carnes deftly rushes his plates to the judges' table. Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

Carnes hurried back to the kitchen and brought out a second dish within minutes. However, the sautéed okra with molasses, black vinegar, crushed cashews, and sesame seeds would have been a stronger dish with more seasoning. 

"The okra was a little slimy,” said Black. "The sliminess should be embraced. It’s like ectoplasm. I just saw the new Ghostbusters movie."

Thomas' first dish was a straightforward roasted marrow bone with pickled okra, gremolata (a classic Milanese condiment of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest, traditionally served with ossobucco), and black vinegar. Slices of grilled ciabatta facilitated scooping up the marrow and soaking up the flavorful beef fat. 

“The marrow was cooked well. Decent dish," said Black. "The marrow needs acid to play off the fattiness."

Bowls of steaming soup came out next, Thomas making good use of the marrow bones in a rich, fortified stock with sliced Denver steak, maitake mushrooms, rice noodles, scallions, black vinegar, and sesame seeds.

"An all-around beautiful dish," said Roman.

"The broth makes the dish," said Fuller.

Thomas' flavorful take on pho was hearty and satisfying. Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

The well-paced battle continued with Carnes' third dish, motepillo, a traditional Ecuadorian hominy and egg scramble. Carnes first scooped roasted marrow out of the bones, then added it to the egg and hominy mixture. A touch of achiote (also called annatto) oil gave the eggs a bright yellow color. 

“Buttery, soft, rich, herbaceous," said Black. “Very subtle, and it has some texture to it. I like it; that’s all I have to say."

Carnes utilized an immersion circulator, donated to the battle by Aaron Michaels of Culinary Convenience, for his final course: sous vide marrow flavored with red miso and rested on a diminutive circle of brioche, topped with Maine lobster, trout roe, toasted pistachios, bone marrow butter, and hibiscus leaves. 

Black seemed on the fence with this one: "That’s a tasty little toast. I’m still thinking about it."

The winning dish: Carnes' red miso bone marrow on toasted brioche, with Maine lobster and trout roe. Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

Earlier, Thomas had been hand-rolling tortillas and squishing them in a tortilla press. His veggie tostada with charred okra, watermelon radish, and black vinegar aioli was perfectly executed.

“It was ballsy to bring a taco against the taco guy,” said Black.

Baker agreed: “JT gave Cholo Soy a lesson on taco shells.”

Thomas' "ballsy" veggie tostada with black vinegar aioli Studio B2/Emiliano Brooks

Carnes served up a cocktail in lieu of dessert. His black vinegar old fashioned with Angostura bitters and a tableside orange twist featured Zhumir, a cane liquor from Ecuador. 

Thomas whipped up a zabaione, using the black vinegar, for his dessert. He served it with slices of nectarine and pineapple and garnished the plate with a chiffonade of basil and lemon verbena as well as a splash of Carnes' Zhumir liquor. 

Wednesday night might have been one of the most difficult — if not the most difficult — battles to call, with both chefs bringing their very best to the judges' table. In the end, the final decision went to Carnes, who will go on to the semifinals, which begin next week with Jordan Lerman (Jardin) and Anthony Fiorini (13 American Table).

Chef vs. Chef takes place at Max's Harvest in Delray Beach at 9 p.m. every Wednesday through September. The 15-week event series is open to the public for a $5 donation, which benefits the Milagro Center, a Delray Beach-based nonprofit that works to enrich children’s lives through the cultural arts and academic support. Your admission gets you one glass of wine, beer, or cocktail and a seat for the culinary action.