Long Island's H2o Seafood Grill Chef Scott Szekretarwins National Recognition For Flair With The Pear Pear Bureau

Despite its proximity to the Big Apple, Long Island restaurant H2O Seafood Grill (www.h2oseafoodgrill.com) is giving pears primo attention lately, and the nation's largest fresh pear marketing association is taking note. Pear Bureau Northwest is honoring H2O's Executive Chef Scott Szekretar for his exceptional "flair with the pear" by featuring him on its Pear Panache website, www.PearPanache.com throughout the month of March. Szekretar is the first New York chef to be recognized by the program, and is among just seven chefs nationwide to be selected from a pool of hundreds of nominees.

Pear Panache is a chef recognition program designed to spotlight the top pear pros around the country. Running parallel to the height of the pear season, the Pear Panache website changes monthly, offering consumers fresh inspiration for working with all varieties of pears and numerous types of cuisines. Chef Szekretar's recipe for Porcini Dusted Scallops with Poached Bosc Pear Diamonds and Vanilla Riesling Butter is an ideal springtime entr�e, utilizing a pear variety that is in season through May.

"Bosc are an elegant variety, with distinctive characteristics. Their sweet-spiced flavor pairs especially well with delicate seafood," said Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO, Pear Bureau Northwest. "Chef Szekretar's recipe is both delicious and visually satisfying, with his creative pear 'diamonds.'"

Szekretar combines traditional ingredients with the unexpected. "I enjoy creating new recipes each week, experimenting with different tastes, aromas and seasonal foods," he said. "Both the sea scallops and the pears are succulent and in season through spring, and they pair perfectly with a hint of sweetness from the Riesling."

Recognized by regional media and foodies for making H2O one of the top restaurants on Long Island, Chef Szekretar graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and has been an invited guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City. He was born in Mineola and grew up working in Long Island restaurants including Maguire's on Fire Island where he came full circle from washing dishes as a 14-year-old to head chef eleven years later. In addition, Szekretar spent five winters in Colorado's ski resorts, refining his fine-dining skills in the kitchens of Terre Bistro, Tramonti and Dandelions. In 2002, Szekretar joined the Bohlsen family-owned restaurant Tellers Chophouse in Islip. He rose from saut� cook to chef de cuisine, and in 2004 moved to another of the family's restaurants, H2O Seafood Grill.