Iron Chef Challenge!

On November 3rd our sustainable agriculture class took part in one of the most challenging, yet incredibly fun activities we have had the opportunity to do this year. With the help of chef John, we were able to create delicious tasting (and looking) meals! 

The meals we created were scored by three different categories: Presentation, Taste and how sustainable the meal was. For example, we were provided with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables from our very own sustag farm, but we were also allowed to bring in any other ingredients we needed. The goal for these ingredients was for them to be sustainable, or in other words, local or organic materials.

We were given a limited amount of time to prepare the meals, and we were also penalized if our workstations weren’t cleaned up. During the preparation process we were given access to a stove, oven and basic materials like knives and cutting boards.

The first group presented delicious scrambled eggs with quinoa, tomatoes, onion, kale, basil, and cilantro. They also had a tasty side salad with strawberries, carrots, cucumbers and a light lemon dressing. Their presentation was simple and eye catching with lemons lined around the outer edge of the plate.

The second group made a simple, yet scrumptious batch of kale chips with sea salt with the choice of lemon. John admittedly said that he preferred his kale chips “without lemon” but also acknowledged the fact that kale chips were a crowd favorite and were yummy.

The third group created a kale burrito filled with veggies and a side kale salad. This was the most unique presentation of the day, especially with the fact that the burrito was fastened with a carrot slice.

The fourth group made a yummy kale omelet filled with kale, various veggies and goat cheese from Sonoma, which caught the judge’s attention and added a nice touch to their dish.

After much debate and deep thinking about the delicious dishes, the judges came to the final conclusion that the kale burrito won the iron chef challenge! What was the prize? Why, the leftover goat cheese!

-Jamie Ball