UPDATE 2: In case you missed the story in today's paper, Percy Whatley of The Ahwahnee did not win the Bocuse d'Or USA.

James Kent of Eleven Madison Park in New York City took the top prize and will advance to the international Bocuse d'Or competition at Lyon, France in 2011.

Whatley did win the "Best Meat" category for his lamb dish. For a full description of what he cooked, read this story.

UPDATE 1: Let the games begin. Percy Whatley of The Ahwahnee is now in Hyde Park, NY for the 2010 Bocuse d'Or USA competition.

If he beats his 11 competitors, Whatley will represent the United States in the 2011 Bocuse d'Or, the Olympics of the culinary world. (These videos give you a hint of the event.)

We'll find out Saturday night if Whatley takes the American prize. In the meantime, here's a look at the challenges ahead.

If you happen to be in the area, feel free to drop in. Friday's demos, book signings and seminars are open to the public, as is Saturday's competition.

Since this is the first time I'm interested in the Super Bowl, I'm curious to know who you're rooting for -- and where you're watching the game.

Most of you already have a spot, but just in case you don't, here are a couple of restaurants to consider:

• Red Caboose Cafe: The pre-game party starts at 1:30 p.m. Your ticket Includes a tri-tip sandwich lunch, an appetizer buffet, soda or tea, and one draft Bud Light or Coors Light.

  Raffle prizes and a Nintendo Wii are part of the party. Advance tickets are $20; tickets at the door are $25. For more info, call (559) 297-9545.

• And since I'm a Who Dat girl, I couldn't resist telling you about this one: Sequoia Brewing Co. is showing the Super Bowl at both locations with a New Orleans-themed menu: crawfish pasta, jambalaya, shrimp gumbo, fried shrimp, oyster shooters and oyster po-boys.

  There's no cover charge. Call (559) 434-2739 for more information at the North Fresno location, or (559) 264-5521 for the Tower District restaurant.

Jif really, really wants you to use peanut butter in everything.

Since 2003, its "Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest" has featured recipes from children around the country. This year, 10-year-old Rachel Granillo of Clovis is a semifinalist. She created lettuce wraps with peanut butter, chicken, apples, grapes, mayonnaise and honey.

Want to help her advance to the finals in New York City? Rachel needs lots of online votes for her lettuce wraps, called PB & Fruity Says "Let Us Rap" (pictured above). If she scores in the top five vote-getters, she'll compete in the New York City cookoff for the grand prize: a $25,000 scholarship and a Jif gift basket.

If you'd like to help her, vote every day through Feb. 12. Note: Jif limits you to one vote per person and per e-mail address per day (12:00 AM ET to the following 11:59 PM ET).

photo source: Jif

Inspired by Mike Oz's and Kim Burly's praise for local agriculture, I'm starting a series that highlights notable food from the central San Joaquin Valley.

This is the food I use to defend the Valley when die-hard big-city friends ask, "How do you survive in such an unsophisticated part of the country?"

(OK, I'm exaggerating a little here, but everyone knows Fresno has its critics.)

My reply goes something like this: "You wouldn't believe the stuff I've eaten here. I've sucked on Cara Cara navels, blood oranges and page mandarins at one of the country's largest citrus collections. My springtime treat is Chandler strawberries from farm stands -- so much better than any strawberry in a New York store. And the fresh figs! Did you know that most domestic figs are grown in central California?"

By the time I'm done rhapsodizing, my friends get it. "You have an awesome job," they say.

Armed with my "Taste This" list, you too can brag about Fresno and the Valley. Start with a product that is unusual: Pomegranate honey.

UPDATE: As promised, here's my column about the Rio Grills' connection to humanitarian efforts in Haiti, as well as the Daily Grill's fundraiser on Feb. 3.

Certainly, there are more local businesses and organizations helping out. After the jump is a list from the American Red Cross Central Valley. I'll add more names as they come up.

Also keep tabs on Mike Oz, who'll keep his own list of donations and benefit concerts from the Valley's musicians.

ORIGINAL POST: The Standard could take a few lessons from this flier:

What I like about this one: It focuses more on the relief efforts than the entertainment. This flier explicitly tells guests they don't have to stay for dinner -- or even cocktails -- to donate. They simply can talk to the on-site Red Cross rep (Karen Chisum) and take off.

If folks do stay for the evening, they should talk to Britney Hatch, a co-owner of the Rio Grills in Clovis and Visalia. Hatch tells some horrific stories about her eight months as a volunteer in Port-au-Prince orphanages. She also says her aunt adopted eight Haitian boys because of the experience.

(I'll have more details about Hatch, and her strong ties to Haiti, in an upcoming column.)

Wassabi is not the only restaurant raising questions of impropriety.

A reader sent me this yesterday: "And you thought Wassabi's plastic urinal splash guard of a woman's mouth might be considered by some to be in poor taste? Now we have a local watering hole pimping booze and hot wings under the guise of relief for thousands of Haiti's dead and wounded."

I can't tell you if that urinal's red lips are made of plastic -- and I have no desire to get close enough to check.

But I can show you this:

UPDATE: In my column today, Wassabi owner K.C. Choi responds to complaints about the sushi roll names and the urinal in the men's bathroom at the original Wassabi.

For a look at that urinal, scroll to the bottom of this post, and read the accompanying description.

ORIGINAL POST: An interesting letter about the new Wassabi crossed my desk yesterday.

Mary Jo and George Stott of Madera, frequent shoppers at Fig Garden Village, stopped in the new Wassabi and were shocked by the names of some of the sushi rolls.

Click on the image at right to read the whole letter. Here's a snippet: "You can rest assure [sic] that we will not be eating at Wassabi and we will tell all of our friends about this gross restaurant who has moved into an upscale segment of Fig Garden Village only to try to lower its standards by outlandish and vulgar menu titles."

After the jump is a list of names they consider "crude, rude and disrespectful."

If you read my column on Friday, you'll know that Ryan Scott, a season 4 contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef," is at Whole Foods Market tonight.

I promised a couple of his recipes on this blog, so here goes:

Chicks in a Blanket
Makes 16 pieces

1 pound bulk chicken sausage
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
10 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, beaten
10 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 cup butter, melted and divided

If you went to the Beehive's party, you saw or yes, licked my ice sculpture of Scoopy. (Because I'm discreet, I won't tell you who sucked on Scoopy's stinger.)

Here's my story about the experience. Paul Germain of the Academy of Ice Carving and Design is a terrific teacher -- and I can't say enough about his patience and hospitality. Take a look:

If you didn't watch Food Network's Iron Chef America on Sunday, you missed an important local fruit.

The secret ingredient was California figs -- which are grown almost exclusively in the central San Joaquin Valley. Overall, the state provides 98% of the country's fresh figs and 100% of dried ones, says Karla Stockli, chief executive officer for the California Fig Advisory Board.

Throughout the episode, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and his challenger, Dena Marino of Ellina in Aspen, Colo., created 10 dishes with fresh and dried figs.

Morimoto's cappuccino with fig cream, roasted fig burrito, and fig-and-red bean dorayaki were particularly strong statements with the fig, says Iron Chef judge Andrew Knowlton.

For Marino's part, the fig panna cotta with honeyed cream and ground amaretti cookies was her best dish, Knowlton says.

The winner?: Morimoto.

But the real winners are fig lovers, who should take inspiration from the episode -- as well as a related event sponsored by the California Fig Advisory Board.

On Thursday at 6 p.m., the Cracked Pepper Bistro will host a $25 fig tasting menu that includes Marino's fig panna cotta. Marino will join the event via Skype. Guests at Cracked Pepper can watch Food Network's re-broadcast of the episode.

For reservations, call the Cracked Pepper Bistro at (559) 222-9119 or the California Fig Advisory Board at (559) 243-8600.

[photo credit: Diana Baldrica, The Fresno Bee]