The third biannual UI Iron Chef competition was a good ol’ fashioned food fight, hosted in the Bob’s Place arena Wednesday evening.
Vandal Dining chef Sarah Campbell adds a dash of spice to her Zuppa Toscana during the third biannual Iron Chef Competition. Campbell won by a single point, dethroning two-time title holder chef Dimon Johnson.
Two chefs, crammed in a small kitchen with an assortment of utensils and metal-ware in addition to a smorgasbord of ingredients, were pressured to conceive and execute a recipe on the spot. Twenty-five minutes on the clock set the intensity level, and tensions and pots nearly boiled over as the culinary artists created a dish they hoped would become immortalized on the taste buds of the judges.
The UI Iron Chef competition is coordinated in collaboration with Vandal Nutrition, Vandal Dining and the Residence Hall Association. According to Campus Dietitian Marissa Rudley, the meals created would be graded on appearance, taste, overall creativity and the use of secret ingredients.
“You always see something different, depending on what additives they use, how they incorporate the secret ingredients, it’s what makes Iron Chef interesting,” she said.
Each team was tasked with creating a meal in under 25 minutes, and the meal had to incorporate secret ingredients that were not revealed until right before the time started. Rudley said chefs had access to a surplus of local seasonal ingredients, sausages from Vandal Brand Meats and a smattering of other resources provided by Vandal Dining.
The event in question was split into two portions: a student competition and a Vandal Dining chef competition.
The student portion pitted Julia Coulthard and Heather Nelson in a battle-of-the-sexes cook-off against Joshua Hoesly and Nick Chen. Whichever team won would have their dish featured as a meal item at Bob’s Place the following week, and would also receive two gift cards to any Vandal Dining vendor on campus.
George Wood Jr. | Argonaut
“They had to use lentils, kale, and apples in their meal, somehow. At first, they seemed a little overwhelmed as if they had not worked with lentils or kale before,” Rudley said. “They each did a really good job executing their vision in the end, though.”
The men’s team cooked up what Rudley described as a “rustic ratatouille” and the ladies fired back with a creamy base coupled with zucchini slices. The ladies triumphed over the ratatouille, creating a meal one judge described as creamy, tasty and gorgeous.
The Vandal Dining Chef competition featured the three-time champion Dimon Johnson, and Sarah Campbell, an upstart competitor in the Vandal Dining kitchen. This proved to be a challenging run for both chefs, as they were not only restricted to the ingredients the student teams didn’t use, but they also had to incorporate cottage cheese into their meal.
George Wood Jr. | Argonaut
Vandal Dining Chef Dimon Johnson preps a lentil sausage stew for the third bi-annual UI Iron Chef competition. After the judge’s verdict, Johnson lost her two-time champion title by a single point to fellow chef Sarah Campbell.
Johnson cooked up a lentil sausage stew that appeased the judges, but Campbell won by a single point with her take on a Zuppa Toscana.
“I liked her use of the cottage cheese, it was done very tastefully,” Sophomore Kally Fish said. “It was very, very close decision.”
Next year, Rudley said she hopes to see even more student volunteers to help with the event, and another round of delicious culinary creations.
“This competition forces students to think quick to make a meal, and it teaches them how fun and easy cooking can be when you try it out,” Rudley said.
George Wood Jr. can be reached at [email protected]