Chef

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of profiles of local restaurant chefs. Kelly Fitzgerald has a pretty impressive chef's resume. He's worked at upscale hotel restaurants in Washington, D.C., and New York City and prepared food for entertainment VIPs and political elites. So, after 40-plus years in the business, where did he go for his next gig? Shepherdstown, W.Va. In September, Fitzgerald celebrated one year as chef of Bistro 112, a country-style French restaurant on German Street.

In finishing out the series with seven ingredients or less, I wanted to reintroduce a favorite sandwich - but with my twist. I know there are eight ingredients listed, but I consider lettuce and tomato a staple that should be in the fridge. This is my sandwich spin off of a Hot Brown, which originated in Louisville, Ky., at the Brown Hotel in 1926.  Traditionally, a Hot Brown is an open-faced turkey and bacon sandwich that is broiled.  I decided to covert this into a panini and opted for pot roast for a more hearty style.

Celebrity chef Justin Warner made a Hagerstown appearance Sunday to help the Washington County Community Mediation Center. The former Hagerstown resident won “The Next Food Network Star” in July, and now he said he wants to start giving back to the community that made him who he his. Warner spread his joviality at a Sunday afternoon event at LJ's and the Kat Lounge, where Washington County Community Mediation Center supporters paid $60 per...

Chef Justin Warner has never forgotten his roots. During several interviews with The Herald-Mail leading up to his "The Next Food Network Star" win in July, Warner has always made a point to include a "shout out" to his fellow Hagerstonians. And now just weeks after being selected as the next new face of Food Network, Warner is keeping his word. Sunday night he'll take part in the "Come to the Table" dinner and event at LJ's and the Kat Lounge in Hagerstown. The $60 ticket price will include cooking demonstrations lead by Executive Chef Lonnie Coble and LJ's Chef de Cuisine Steven Farrell, as well as chefs Rachel Inman and Amanda Combs; live auction, raffle, four-course meal and a cash bar. A limited number of tickets are still available as of presstime Tuesday.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of profiles of local restaurant chefs. Dieter Blosel doesn't mind hard work. As executive chef and owner at Schmankerl Stube, it goes with the turf - long hours on his feet; preparing customers' favorite dishes consistently; the difficulty of serving as many as 200 customers in a kitchen barely big enough for three cooks. Blosel accepts all this. "That's just the way it is. That's how I grew up. This needs to get done.

Ag Expo and Fair 2012 announces the Iron Chef Competition 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 22, at Washington County Agricultural Education Complex, 7313 Sharpsburg Pike, south of Hagerstown. The event will take place at the Red Men Pavilion. Create an Iron Chef team of one chef and a maximum of four helpers. Teams will prepare an appetizer, main dish including a vegetable and one dessert for three mystery judges all in three hours. Teams will be supplied with at least three local meats for grilling, at least three local vegetables and at least three local fruits.

Taste of the Town was a satisfying way for many people to end the 2012 version of WaynesboroFest with an array of appetizer-sized goodies to please even the finicky epicurean. Food and drink from 14 local restaurants, caterers, chefs and food businesses lined table after table at the Waynesboro Country Club to tempt those in attendance Sunday. The food-focused event rounded out the 10-day WaynesboroFest, which celebrates the community's heritage and history. WaynesboroFest committee member Allie Kohler said most of the food vendors were from Waynesboro or had ties to Waynesboro.

Using their fingers or plastic forks, dozens of people invited to South Hagerstown High School on Wednesday tasted a variety of potential new menu items as the county school system moves toward offering students healthier foods that use fresher ingredients. Most of the items were new, such as a curried chicken wrap and Asian vegetable noodle lettuce wraps, and others were an attempt at a healthier version of existing dishes offered at schools, said Jeff Proulx, supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services for Washington County Public Schools.

Chris Grossnickle opened Brickyard Grill in downtown Hagerstown in November of 2010, providing sandwiches and soups for downtown workers. The restaurant faces West Washington Street and, outside the west wall, on a brick-paved walkway bordered with English ivy and roses. Grossnickle, 34, of Hagerstown, is a local chef who trained and worked within an hour's drive of Hagerstown. He grew up just over South Mountain in Middletown, Md., attended culinary school in Gaithersburg, and worked for several high-end restaurants in western Frederick County.

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series of profiles of local restaurant chefs. Berkley Cline oversees Pure and Simple Cafe in downtown Greencastle, Pa., a mile or so from Interstate 81. The cafe specializes in fresh, healthful food prepared to order. The emphasis is on local and organic foods. Cline, 46, said he got his culinary degree from James Rumsey Technical Institute in Hedgesville, W.Va. He worked as a cook all over the country - New Jersey, California, Maine.