Bismarck Tribune

By Virginia GraBy Virginia Grantier

Alocal chef thinks there are people plotting against him.

"I'm probably a target,"said Tim Heiser Thursday, the laughing owner of Kathleen's restaurant in Bismarck.

And it's not a half-baked idea.

Heiser, 26, who reportedly has all of his cookies, is referring to Tuesday's showdown against seven other restaurants.

He goes into the event as the reigning grand champ, the People's Choice, from last year's Death by Chocolate event where top local chefs bring in their best chocolate efforts to the State Capitol. A crowd - which numbered about 300 people last year - samples the desserts and votes.

It was Heiser's first time competing and his spun-sugar brownie, a combination of a couple recipes, was the darling of the desserts and took the big prize for 2005. "I didn't know what to expect so I went all out," he said.

Now it's comeback time, and there are chefs out there with lots of Death experience, and past Death honors, who are planning to rein in on Heiser's pastry parade.

The Death event is a fundraiser for Girls Scouts. Heiser and others are well aware of that and have their priorities in order. But it's also a chance for some fun competition - that seems to be getting more competitive.

Nicole Key, director of community development for the Girl Scouts of Sakakawea Council, said this year she's noticed that the chefs aren't really willing to share what they plan to bring to the event.

"They're kind of secret …,"she said. "If they don't want to tell I don't push it."

She said she's not at liberty to share with the newspaper anything that she knows.

And that's not much.

Some of the chefs have declined to tell her what they're making; Others have shared and indicated to her that the information can't go any farther.

Then there are those who ask her what she knows about what other chefs are making, and she has declined to divulge.

"They definitively get competitive with each other," she said. "They try to out do each other and themselves."

Heiser declined to share what he plans to bring, mainly because of the competition, "you wouldn't want to tip off anybody." But also because he doesn't know, hasn't decided.

Heiser, who was an Eagle Scout and happy to help the Girl Scouts, said he was honored to win and kept the plaque on display at the restaurant until someone bumped into it and broke its stand.

He doesn't know who did it. But is sure it was accidental. "It wasn't sabotage,"he said and laughed.

Bernie Eckroth, executive chef of the Seven Seas Inn in Mandan, said he wasn't willing to divulge what his restaurant was making except to say that it would probably be one of his mom's recipes.

The Tribune did find some chefs ready to disclose.

Dan Greff, Doublewood Inn's executive chef:It'll be a brownie bottom cheesecake bar, melted chocolate on top, that he tested on a couple who go to the annual Death event and know what works. He said they said it was "wonderful."

Greff, who got a Death award last year for having the "sweetest dessert," is friends with Eckroth. He said they'll joke about who between the two has what it takes to win the thing. But he saw him recently and they didn't talk about Death, or what they were bringing, Greff said.

Nobody asked. Nobody told.

Aaron Bank, owner of the soon-to-open Mr. Delicious Cheesecake Cafe, suggested that a chocolate cheesecake effort is in his future. And Randy Walz, Walrus' owner, thinks his entry will be a chocolate truffle.

Matt Levine, East 40 Chophouse's chef, said he couldn't say because he doesn't know. His sous chef is making whatever it is and Levine hasn't been notified.

Other restaurants participating:Didonna's Italian Restaurant and The Pier.

Death by Chocolate will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the State Capitol's Memorial Hall. The event, which raised $12,650 last year, is the local Girl Scouts' council's biggest annual fundraiser besides cookie and nut sales, Key said.

In addition to chocolate, there will be hors d'oeuvres from Country House Deli and Gloria Jean's Coffee will serve gourmet coffee. Violinists Sierra Heinrich and Cassie Collins will perform and there are door prizes such as a one-night stay at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com)