Pomona Students Cook Against Time in First-Ever Cast-Iron Chef Competition
By Adam Myers
Staff Writer

On Tuesday, February 11 Frank Dining Hall was transformed into Kitchen Stadium. Four teams of students competed, attempting to cook the best possible meal within one hour in Pomona College's first Cast-Iron Chef competition. The event, modeled after the hit Japanese TV show Iron Chef, drew many students who cheered on their friends as they raced against time to prove their culinary skills.

Moderating the event was Pomona College Director of Catering Toby Bushee, who was also one of the main forces behind the event. Bushee expressed that he is a fan of Iron Chef, and that he was motivated to start this event to encourage student cooking. He sent out a digester message looking for teams, and the first four individuals to respond to the message won a spot for themselves and their teammates in the competition.

Competing were sophomores Gabe Podesta, George Hulley, and Matthew Foster, as "Team 151"; sophomores Aliza Norwood and Jeannie Kenmotsu as "Team Flower Power"; sophomores Katie Moradi and Kojo Asiedu; and senior Ryan Wilson.

Each of the teams was allowed to bring two of their own ingredients for the competition, but they were not allowed to know what other ingredients would be available. In addition, the teams had to make use of one of four "secret ingredients" not made known to them until the start of the event in each of the dishes that they prepared. The four secret ingredients were shrimp, scallops, chicken, and salmon.

The dishes were evaluated by a panel of judges, made up of Dean of Students Ann Quinley, ASPC President Phil Kopczinsky, Anne Johnson, Frank Bedoya, and Neil and Joan Gerard. The dishes were graded on four categories: taste, creativity, appearance, and use of the secret ingredients.

At 5:15 p.m., Bushee took the microphone and yelled to the teams, "Go! You have one hour!" For the next sixty minutes, crowds of friends and spectators hovered around the teams as they worked quickly. As the sixty minute mark approached, the anxiety of the contestants increased as they struggled to finish their dishes. After time was called, each team served its dishes to the judges, who made cautious remarks.

In the end, an upset was declared: Ryan Wilson, working alone, deeply impressed the judges with his dishes, which included chicken alfredo and sautéed scallops. Wilson will now go on to compete against Frank Dining Hall Director Michael Williams in yet another Cast-Iron Chef competition.

Overall, reaction to the event was very positive. "It's exciting to see the intensity of the contestants," said Bedoya.

"I think this is good. I would like to see more of this," expressed Yohance Serrant '03. "There should be more facilities for students to cook."

Asked if he thought the event was a success, Bushee responded, "Absolutely. It was great. The amount of the students that came out to watch, that's what it's for." He added that there will be another Cast Iron-Chef competition in a month, and that he is hoping that the other Claremont colleges will initiate Cast-Iron Chef competitions of their own.