Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, the renowned Roots drummer, hosted the first ever ?uestlove Cook Off in Philadelphia at Time Restaurant on April 3rd. Nine chefs, chosen by ?uestlove through Twitter, competed in the day long contest which ended in a five course meal presented by each candidate.

Encouraged to be creative, ?uestlove threw a Top Chef twist at the contestants who had to include a “drum stick” appetizer in both chicken and seitan form, their interpretation of “soul on a stick,” a potato option, a salad course and finally the chef’s signature dish.

Judged by Audrey Taichman, Marcos Espinoza and Drew Lazor, regional foodies, along with actress Sasha Gray and ?uestlove, all were treated to a culinary feast. Philadelphia sous-chef Kenny Bush won the contest with General Tso-style chicken and seitan wings, his mother’s candied yams with homemade marshmallow fluff and a lamb kafta kabob with mint cilantro purée earning the grand prize of cooking for the Roots at the annual Roots Picnic on June 4th.

Stay tuned to twitter.com/cook4quest for more info on ?uestlove upcoming food ventures!