Local chefs will battle each other for the title in a multi-week event that begins May 10. The real winner is Moveable Feast— a nonprofit that delivers meals to people with AIDS, breast cancer, and other life-threatening conditions—which will receive 10 percent of the proceeds.

Here’s how it works. Thirty-two teams (a chef and sous chef) will face off in single-elimination events. There will be two cook-offs each week for 16 weeks held at the Grand Ballroom at The Belvedere.

The first go-round features Stephen Carey of Milan against Mark Ricker of Morsel. On May 11, Matthew Merkel of The Reserve challenges Antonios Minadakis of Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. And so on. Check out complete information on the Mason Dixon website.

Judges include Jerry Pellegrino, Sergio Vitale, and Damon Hersh among other local celebs and foodies.

Guests can select two ticket levels. General admission ($55 each, including tax and gratuity) includes a gourmet four-course meal and a chance to be guest judge from a random selection. For $75, visitors receive a four-course meal, reserved VIP seating, and will be able to taste and vote alongside the tournament’s celebrity judges.

Each evening’s event begins with a happy hour at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed by the competition at 8 p.m. and judging beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets are available on the website. Good luck, chefs.

The author of Omnivore’s Dilemma, who became a crusader for organic food and a foe of feedlots because of a woodchuck (more later!), drew an overflow crowd of about 1,000 to Goucher College last night.

The conversational, on-stage chat with Goucher president Sanford Ungar, whom many students informally call "Sandy," was relaxed, funny, and informative (essentially, "You are what you eat eats, too"). Here are some of Pollan’s thoughts.

But, first, I have to comment on Pollan’s appearance. He’s lanky, balding, wears glasses, and had on the tightest jeans I think I’ve ever seen on a guy, including Mick Jagger. (If that’s what his diet does, I’m in.) He looked Berkeley (CA, where he lives) hip, though, with a pink, untucked button-down shirt, a dark gray sports coat, and boots. He’d easily fit into any newsroom or coffee shop around the country.

Okay, back to snippets of what he said.

—About meat: "I do eat meat (sustainably raised). I don’t eat feedlot meat or fast-food hamburgers or chickens." He likes rabbit. "It tastes just like chicken, I swear."

—Fast-food restaurants. It was thumbs down for all of them, except Chipotle. "I wish we had more of them," he said, referring to the Mexican food chain and citing the restaurant’s local sourcing of meat and cooking everything fresh. It’s probably no surprise that he dissed KFC’s new DoubleDown (two pieces of fried chicken sandwiching bacon, cheese, and a secret sauce). "You can eat three animals," he said in awe, or horror, of the combo.

—Pollan’s food weakness? "I really like cheese," especially French Morbier. After he said that, Ungar joked that there would be a run on the cheese in Towson, where Goucher is located. Pollan explained that the delectable cheese has a thin layer of ash in the middle separating cheese made from morning milk and cheese made from evening milk. (Locally, you can find it at Whole Foods for $17.99 a pound; at Wegmans, for $25.99 a pound among other places.)

—How to beat the growing problems of obesity and diabetes 2. "The key is getting off processed food."

—About the higher cost of organic food. "If you can invest time instead of money, you can eat more cheaply," he said, referring to cooking at home. But he added that we should consider the people who grow our food. "We need to pay farmers a living wage," he said, to which the audience applauded loudly.

—At restaurants. "I don’t order meat unless they can tell me where they’re getting their meats. I get fish or go vegetarian."

He also talked about the impact of politics on food production, First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to educate children about food origins, the growth of local farmers’ markets, movements to improve school lunches, irradiation of meat and poultry, and much more—all with his trademark approachable style.

He also took several questions from Goucher students. The two hours flew by, and then he signed books.

And back to that woodchuck, who started Pollan’s mission. The short synopsis of the story is that he had a garden, a woodchuck kept eating his plants, he tried to match wits with the critter ("It became my horticultural Vietnam"), and lost. He bought a fence.

But the incident made him realize that "there must be a better way to deal with the natural world," he said. "The garden is one (place). Your plate is another."

He’s been writing about the food world every since.

Huffington Post launched a new online food section yesterday (April 12). I can already tell it’s going to be one of my favorite places to go for food news, recipes, and restaurant happenings.

There’s so much more than just recipes on the site, but I really liked this one by personal chef Claire Thomas and can’t wait to make it. She calls the brownies "awesome." Check out her blog The Kitchy Kitchen, too.

Beer brownies

3 1⁄2 ounces dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa and up)
2 tablespoons instant espresso
8 tablespoons of butter
4 eggs, at room temp
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar, loose, not packed
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Claire used Valrhona)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
1 cup malty beer (She used the Bruery's Rugbrod, a Danish Rye Beer, but a Belgian Quad, a Stout, or a Porter would work, she writes)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, halved and toasted lightly

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and pop in the walnuts until just toasted, about 5 minutes. Sift together the flour, spices, and cocoa powder. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate, instant espresso and butter in a bowl over boiling water, add the beer and stir to combine, then let cool. Beat together the eggs and sugar until thick and shiny. Continue beating on low while adding flour mixture and wet ingredients alternatively. Finish with the vanilla. Do not over mix. Fold in the chips. Pour into a buttered and floured 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle the walnuts on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Photo by Claire Thomas

Opening day is so much fun. And RA Sushi in Harbor East is once again offering the O’s roll— an eight-piece spicy lobster roll topped with fresh salmon and avocado drizzled with an orange spicy mayo sauce ($11). It's available daily during baseball season, but if you have a game ticket stub, you get $2 off on game days.

Sounds like a winner to me. Let’s hope the O’s show their stuff against the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon.

Baltimore has a connection to season two of Top Chef Masters. Chef Monica Pope, Goucher College class of 1985, will be competing against 21 other chefs in the Bravo premiere that airs at 11 p.m. tonight (April 7).

After Goucher, Monica went on to establish herself impressively on the culinary scene. She is a 2007 James Beard Award nominee for Best Chef: Southwest and is the owner of the restaurants t’afia and Beaver’s in Houston.

She also was named 2009’s Best Chef at the Houston Culinary Awards and was the only Texas woman ever to be named a Top 10 Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine.

Monica isn’t able to disclose the outcome of the contest, but we hear that she fared well. Go, Monica.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

Stuggy’s Old Fashioned Hot Dogs and Sausages opened today (April 5). The carryout shop is sure to fill a food gap in Fells Point.

I just happened to be walking by and decided to peek inside when I was told it was the first day of business. Stuggy’s (809 S. Broadway) must be hitting the right notes. The tip jar was almost full.

I already had lunch so I’ll have to go back and try the dogs myself soon. Maybe tomorrow. The menu is tempting, with items like the Bmore Dog (all-beef, quarter-pound jumbo kosher hot dog, grilled baloney, and deli mustard), the Wild Thing (bison sausage, blue cheese, and diced raw onions), and The Cuban (jumbo dog, pickle spear, pulled pork, baked Virginia ham, Swiss, and mojo sauce).

Prices range from $3.99 to $7.99 for individual dogs and sausages, or there are combo meals that include a drink and fries. Stuggy’s also has fried Oreo cookies ($2.29).

I have to stop writing. I’m making myself hungry. I may have to go back this afternoon!

Milan, the new Italian/Mediterranean restaurant on the edge of Little Italy and Harbor East, will be offering brunch on Sundays, beginning April 4 (Easter Sunday).

Brunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s an a la carte menu prepared by executive chef Stephen Carey. The glitzy dining room and outdoor patio would be a great place to show off your Easter bonnet.