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Chefs go head-to-head for top honors
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Chef Damian Peca, left, and sous chef Zachary Heim, both of Cafe Atlantis, prepare their meal during the fifth annual Carlisle’s Own Iron Chef competition held Sunday afternoon at Letort View Community Center on the grounds of the U.S. Army War College. (Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
ABC27 news anchor Alicia Richards, left, and Carlisle Borough Manager Steve Hietsch taste test and judge the chefs’ food during the fifth annual Carlisle’s Own Iron Chef competition. (Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
The public gets a closer look at the chefs at the fifth annual Carlisle’s Own Iron Chef competition. (Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
Diane Halstead wondered at first if she had the right qualifications for the job.
It only took a few bites for the Carlisle woman to realize that all she really needed was a healthy appetite and discerning taste buds.
“It’s fun to see it from this side,” said Halstead, taking a break Sunday from her duties as an Iron Chef celebrity judge.
“It’s delightful and exciting,” she added. “We get to eat wonderful food.”
Last year, Halstead was a spectator at the annual fundraiser for the Employment Skills Center in downtown Carlisle. This time, she was the center of attention, seated just behind four regional chefs locked in a fierce but friendly competition.
More than 200 people attended the fifth annual Carlisle’s Own Iron Chef held at the Letort View Community Center at Carlisle Barracks.
The pace was intense as teams of chefs and assistants had just 45 minutes to prepare a main course and side dish.
“I love the competition and adrenaline rush ... the pressure of time ticking down,” said Brudger Washington, 17, a senior at Carlisle High School.
Washington is a second-year culinary arts student with big dreams of world travel and opening his own restaurant someday. He earned some hands-on experience working side by side with chef Jason Turner of Carlisle -- the defending “People’s Choice Award” champion from 2007.
Turner is working to open his own restaurant in downtown Carlisle to be called “The Green Room.” At the Carlisle Central Farmer’s Market, he does doing cooking demonstrations and answers questions from the public.
Turner was busy preparing rolls of veal scallopini stuffed with black kale, sweet potato and corn meal. He topped his creation with a sweet potato and mango chutney.
Each chef was given access to a pantry of assorted ingredients, including spices, herbs, vegetables, fruits, oils, butter, rice, milk, cream, flour and sugars.
Just prior to competition, each chef received a mystery basket containing the two food items they were required to use in preparing their recipe -- crab and veal.
The competitors
Turner matched his culinary wits with fellow chefs Damien Peca of Cafe Atlantis, Tony Dawood of Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar and Manuel “Nolo” Fernandez Garcia of Nolo’s Bar & Restaurant.
“Everybody came out and gave their best,” Turner said. “We are all here to support the same cause and help out as much as we can.”
Each chef had to prepare food for a panel of five celebrity judges and five other judges selected from those who bought tickets to attend. Dishes were judged on presentation, taste and originality.
Dawood edged past all three competitors to win both the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards.
Each award is a traveling trophy the winner can keep until the next Iron Chef competition. Dawood came into Sunday’s event as the defending Judges’ Choice champion from 2007.
“I’m looking forward to getting my cup back,” a confident Dawood said before the results were read. “It is always good to have good competition.”
A native of Sri Lanka, Dawood started his culinary career at age 14 when he helped his mother prepare traditional dishes. Past jobs include handling a wedding banquet for a Kuwaiti prince and a stint with Kokomo’s in Harrisburg.
“It feels great,” said Dawood upon receiving the awards. “This time it’s two.”
Aside from bragging rights, Dawood can display his trophies at either the Arooga’s in Harrisburg or a new restaurant set to open on Tuesday at the Camp Hill bypass.
He won with his Veal Scallopini de Gauve.
Aside from Halstead, celebrity judges included Steve Hietsch, Carlisle borough manager; Nathan Staggs, president and chief executive officer of Carlisle Regional Medical Center; Ronald J. Drnevich, past chairman of the board and CEO of Gannett Fleming, Inc.; and Alicia Richards, co-anchor of WHTM-TV Channel 27 news, who also served as emcee for the event.
Halstead works in Harrisburg as an advocate for increased public investments in early learning programs in Pennsylvania.
‘A great event’
Dale Cross, executive director of the Employment Skills Center, was pleased with the turnout.
“It is a great event for people to have an enjoyable afternoon while raising funds for our organization,” he said.
Last year, Carlisle’s Own Iron Chef raised more than $25,000 for adult education programs. Proceeds benefit classes in GED, literacy, English for non-English speakers and nurse aide preparation, Cross said.
“The need continues to grow an average of 10 percent a year,” Cross added. “With the current economic challenges, the need for second-chance education and training programs is greater than ever.”
The skills center receives less than half of its funding from competitive government grants, Cross said.
Aside from chefs, the fifth annual event included donated items put up for auction, including a $1,500 white gold and black pearl bracelet donated by Mountz Jewelers, a Phillies World Series T-shirt autographed by the players and a football signed by Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward.
