On November 10, 2016, Wheaton College held a student cooking competition of which I was asked to be a tasting judge. It was my pleasure to serve alongside Chef Anthony Tarro of Siena Restaurants.
Chef Anthony Tarro of Siena Restaurants
Chef Matthew Thompson, Aramark Regional Executive Chef
There were three teams made up of various Wheaton College students.
Team 1: Bipimbap
Team 2: Chicken Linguini
Team 3: Jollof Rice
Here were the rules from Chef Adam, Executive Chef, Wheaton College:
Iron Chef Comp
Each Group has 2 hours to prep and mise en place their dishes the day prior to service. This time will start after a quick tour and a safety brief as well as sanitation guidelines. Please be aware you will need to wear non-slip shoes (we can provide no slip covers). We will provide aprons, side towel and hats. All food will be ordered based on your recipe. You will also have access to a select amount of pantry items. The window for prep time will be from 12-5 pm. You are responsible for plates or platters (you will be able to choose from the selection we have…I would suggest gathering these items the day before and have a plan of how you are going to plate your dish
Prep day judging
One day one you will be judged on the following
Organization
Sanitation
Knife Skills
Proper cooking technique
Day Two
You will have 2 hours to complete your dish
Judging start at 5:30 sharp no exceptions
Each team will be given a number and that will determine the order in which you are judged.
For example team 1 will start at 3:30 and serve at 5:30
Team 2 will start at 3:45 and serve at 5:45
Day 2 you will be judged on
Organization
Sanitation
Knife Skill
Proper cooking technique
Flavor profile
Plate presentation
These were the final Dishes:
Bipimbap: A Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul and gochujang, soy sauce, or doenjang. A raw or fried egg and sliced meat are common additions
Fettuccine Pasta with Prosciutto, Chicken, Peas, and a Cream Sauce with Baked Rosemary Flatbread
Jollof Rice also called Benachin, is a one-pot rice dish popular in many West African countries. It is the progenitor of the Louisianian dish jambalaya. Jollof rice can be served with any kind of meat or chicken, this one served with chicken gizzards.
And the whole team
Congratulations to winning TEAM 2!! Chef Adam and I concluded that we would compete against each other next semester and invite these students to judge us. it was a pleasure to work with this great group of students!