Arcadia Mayor Pro Tem Mickey Segal and his wife, Lee, a nutritionist and gourmet cook, will join Food Network reality stars Penny Davidi and Jyll Everman as judges of Taste of Arcadia’s first-ever culinary contest. The annual Arcadia Chamber of Commerce event will be held 5:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Monday, September 24, at the L.A. County Arboretum.
Celebrity chefs Davidi and Everman competed in Food Network’s Season 7 Next Food Network Star in New York last summer.
Mayor Pro-Tem Mickey Segal and Lee Segal
The judges will sample food, desserts and drinks from dozens of vendors throughout the entire evening, Winners will need to be present and still serving to guests when judges announce their selections near the end of the event at 9 p.m. in the following categories:
- Best of Show
- Most Innovative Dish
- Best Savory Item
- Best Dessert Item
- Best Presentation
Chef David Flood of Flooded with Flavor Catering Company and Nordstrom Café has been responsible for organizing the contest and recruiting the Food Nework celebrities.
Penny Davidi
About Penny Davidi
Born in Iran and raised in California, Davidi shared her Middle Eastern recipes as the first Persian Jewish chef on the show. She learned the art of cooking from the women in her family and later developed her own innovative recipes. Davidi also competed in Chopped All-Stars Season 2, landing a spot in the “Showdown” episode, which aired in May. Mother of two teenagers, In 2008 Davidi sold her successful business, Pizza Rustica in Beverly Hills to focus on other projects. She most recently used her celebrity to help raise awareness and support for PATH (People Assisting the Homeless).
Jyl Everman
About Jyl Everman
Everman, a finalist in Food Network’s Season 7 Next Food Network Star, also has been a guest on the Rachel Ray Morning Show and several national radio stations. She was a private chef for six years before opening Jyllicious Bites, a catering company devoted to gourmet finger foods. She currently teaches monthly cooking classes at Village Kitchen Shoppe and is a part-time culinary specialist at Williams-Sonoma.
About Mickey Segal
Serving his third four-year term on the Arcadia City Council, Mayor Pro Tem Mickey Segal has served as Mayor twice. The certified public accountant is the managing partner of Nigro Karlin Segal & Feldstein, LLP. His numerous philanthropic activities include: chairing the $2.5 million Capital Campaign for the Arcadia Unified School District’s technology plan; chairing a $6 million Capital Campaign for Covenant House; and chairing the Capital Campaign for Methodist Hospital’s North Tower, raising over $28 million. He is currently chair of Methodist Hospital’s board of trustees and has co-chaired the American Cancer Society’s Southern California Invitational Golf Tournament for six years. He also co-chairs the Heartbeat of Hollywood Golf Tournament for the benefit of the Motion Picture Television Fund, which raises over $700,000. A board member of the Unified Educational Trust at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, Mickey is the vice-chair of planned giving for their $150 million Capital Campaign.
Segal and his wife Lee will be presented a Humanitarian Award at the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership’s 9th Annual San Gabriel Valley Awards Gala on Sept. 7 at the San Gabriel Country Club in San Gabriel.
The independent non-profit Jewish Federation of San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys will honor Segal and Steve Sopkin at the Honoring Community Leaders Brunch at the Doubletree Hotel in Monrovia on Sunday, Oct. 21.
About Lee Segal
Earlier this year, Lee Segal was named one of “50 Fabulous Women” by THE Magazine of Pasadena for her generous community support. Relying on her degree in food and nutrition from Cal Poly Pomona, she recently prepared 50 pounds of beef brisket for two Arcadia Chamber events. She is a volunteer board member of the Arcadia Welfare & Thrift Shop on First Avenue and has been chair of the organization’s annual White Christmas charity service. She also serves on the Arcadia Historical Museum Commission and Arcadia Museum Foundation board of directors.
As the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce’s Citizens of the Year in 2008, the Segals are pictured on the Arcadia Historical Society’s “History Lives Here” historical marker in front of the Chamber offices at 388 W. Huntington Drive.
The culinary contest is only one of several new features and activities planned for this year’s Taste of Arcadia, the community’s signature event that draws about 1,000 guests who enjoy the many different foods and tastes from the best local restaurants, caterers and wine-and-beer vendors.
New this year will be a Business Showcase at the Taste, featuring about 30 tables featuring area businesses and organizations, including new cars from several dealers.
New also this year will be a strolling magician and the eight-piece Lounge-O-Rama band, made up of local JPL and NASA employees. The band will play timeless Swing and Big Band numbers early in the evening, moving to classic pop/rock favorites after the sun sets and the dance party starts heating up. And helping with that will be the popular Brazilian Dancers.
Arcadia High School’s talented drum line will again greet guests as they enter the gate.
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