Throughout the day, attendees can enjoy signature dishes from 20 beach restaurants for $5 or less, all while viewing the live cooking demonstrations, a chef’s challenge cooking competition, an amateur cooking competition and a free concert.

Kicking off the day this year is the team challenge, taking place at 10:30 a.m. This year’s teams will include: Our Lady of Assumption Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Island Authority, Pensacola Beach Woman’s Club, Pensacola Beach Fire Station, and the Krewe of Wrecks. Each team will have 20 minutes to prepare their dish using surprise ingredients.

Returning this year is the “Chef’s Challenge,” in which six beach chefs will once again compete in a cooking contest that begins at 11:30 a.m. This year’s chef participants are representing Casino Beach Bar & Grill, Crabs We Got ‘Em, Flounder’s Chowder House, Hemingway’s Island Grill, Peg Leg Pete’s and The Grand Marlin.

Each chef will have 30 minutes to prepare a scrumptious and prize-winning seafood dish incorporating a surprise mystery ingredient. A blind tasting of all the dishes will be presented to three distinguished judges to be critiqued based on taste, plating presentation and use of ingredients. The winning chef and dish will be announced after the competition. The winner takes home a trophy and bragging rights for a year.

The Pensacola Beach Celebrity Chefs will take the Gulfside Pavillion stage to butter up the crowds at 1 p.m. Saturday to present a simultaneous live cooking demonstration and Q&A session.

• Chef Jere Doyle of Crabs We Got ‘Em will be preparing Apalachicola Oysters of the half shell topped with red snapper and Gulf shrimp ceviche.
• Chef Dan Dunn of H20 at the Hilton Pensacola Beach Gulf Front will be making fried mullet tacos.
• Chef Josh Warner of The Grand Marlin of Pensacola Beach will be serving grilled Scottish salmon and brown sugar soy glazed bacon, with lettuce, tomato, and wasabi mayo on a toasted ciabatta.
• Chef Dennis Moore of Flounder’s Chowder House will be making cold poached Gulf shrimp, buckwheat noodles, Dash and mirin broth crisp vegetable salad.
• Chef John Smith of Hemingway’s Island Grille will be making Jamaican bread pudding.

Following the Celebrity Chef demonstration, festival-goers with pre-purchased wristbands can sample the chefs’ creations. A limited number of wristbands are available for $20 at www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com.

Festival-goers can sample a variety of beers from dozens of micro-breweries starting at 5 p.m. Wristbands can be purchased at www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com for $12.

Prepare to get your Classic Rock fix on when White Tie Rock Ensemble takes the stage at 7 p.m. to close out the 10th annual Taste of the Beach festival. White Tie is an ambitious group of local musicians that combine classic rock hits by artists such as Journey, Aerosmith, Van Halen and The Eagles with the precision and detail of a symphony orchestra, creating the ultimate music experience. The concert is free to the public, but a limited number of VIP seating tickets will be sold for $30 each. The VIP area will be cordoned off and will be general admission for ticket holders. Tickets are $30 each. Please note that no coolers or extra chairs will be allowed in the VIP area.

For more information on this year’s Taste of the Beach or for lodging for the event and wristband purchase information, visit www.tasteofpensacolabeach.com.

About Taste of the Beach

Taste of the Beach is one of several festivals and events presented by the Pensacola Beach Chamber of Commerce, Inc. The Pensacola Beach Chamber is a not-for-profit corporation committed to promoting, advancing and stimulating civic, business, commercial interests and the general welfare on Pensacola Beach. Sponsors for the 2015 Taste of the Beach include: WEAR-TV, Pensacola News Journal, The Bacon, Cat Country 98.7 FM, Nash FM 102.7, Magic 106.1 FM, News Talk 1370 AM, Soft Rock 94.1 FM, Jet 100.7, Resort Quest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, Hilton Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa Island Authority, Buffalo Rock Pepsi, Performance Food Service, Cheney Brothers Food Distributor, and WaterStreet Seafood.