Iron Chef

A bittersweet moment: U of T finishes close second in Iron Chef cook-off

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 17:58:19 +0000

A bittersweet moment: U of T finishes close second in Iron Chef cook-off

geoff.vendeville Mon, 02/27/2017 - 12:58

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U of T's Iron Chef team were the runners-up in the inter-university cooking competition on Saturday. They posed for a portrait before they stepped up to the plate (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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Iron Chef

Food Services

Students

Undergraduate Education

They followed their recipes to a tee, but that wasn’t enough to earn the University of Toronto first place in the inter-university cooking contest.

U of T’s student chefs finished a close second at Saturday's competition to defending champions and competition favourites, the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

It was the nearest U of T has ever gotten to savouring victory in the four-year-old competition. They were just 1.5 points behind the winners, said U of T executive chef Jaco Lokker.

Although a first-ever triumph would have been sweet, especially since U of T was hosting the event this year, it isn’t the only thing that mattered.

“They had fun and made friends for life,” Lokker said.

U of T wasn't left empty-handed though – the team won a whisk-shaped award for best appetizer in recognition of their quick cured salmon gravlax.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst took home the trophy in the 2017 Iron Chef competition (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

While they had their sights on the trophy from day one, the students said they were happy to compete and gain experience in a professional kitchen.

“We only met each other a month ago so to get this close is actually quite impressive,” said team member Jordan Su, a human geography student.

After the results were announced at Chestnut Residence Saturday evening, they smiled, shook hands with their coach, U of T executive chef James Piggott, and congratulated UMass Amherst.

Only a few hours earlier, everything seemed to be going U of T’s way in the kitchen.

In their practices, they had used many of the foods that were included in the black box of mystery ingredients, which was given to each team the night before their competition.

The only real surprise was the gelatinous konnyaku, made from a tuber used in Japanese cooking.

“I had never seen this in my life,” Su recalled. “My Google search history was all konnyaku.”

U of T tweaked a menu they had rehearsed weeks before, the salmon gravlax and a main course of ramen with Indian flavours.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, they split into their familiar roles and began preparing the dishes. Felipe Branco, an MBA student, was the team’s designated butcher. He moved at such a frantic pace that he began sweating through his white chef’s hat less than an hour into their time.

Brettany Colette, in equity studies, chopped up vegetables and took the lead on the sauces and broth. They left the delicate task of plating their dishes to Su. He wore see-through gloves like a surgeon and used tweezers to lay out the food.

All the while, their coach Piggott and the team’s understudy Ailin Xi cheered from the sidelines. A crowd of family and friends came to New College cafeteria to show their support.

The U of T students served their dishes right on time. Their salmon starter received glowing reviews from all three judges, chefs Brad Long, John Cirillo, and John Higgins.

But U of T’s ramen bowl didn’t pack enough flavour.

“The ramen was good. It was visually pleasing, but I was looking for that power punch to sort of transport me to the land of ramen. And it didn’t quite get me there,” said Higgins, the director of George Brown’s culinary school and a judge on the TV show, Chopped Canada.

In the end, it may have been an overdone slice of pork that was U of T’s undoing, said Lokker after reviewing the scorecards.

Although they had neither the best appetizer or best main, UMass Amherst won overall – the university has won three times in the last four years.

The team's mouth-watering menu included salmon three ways (seared marinated salmon with tandoori foam, salmon croquette with cilantro emulsion and apple relish, crudo with fleur de sel, and celery salad with lemongrass vinaigrette) and Ontario maple leaf pork (bacon wrapped pork loin with mushroom masala jus, french lentil agnolotti with highland creme, jardiniere vegetables and maple glazed carrots).

The award for best main course went to McGill University – the team made a stuffed and roasted pork with blue cheese spatzle. The University of Ottawa team, which featured the same students who finished second last year, came in fourth.

U of T executive chef, residential dining New College and Iron Chef coach James Piggott shakes hands with Iron Chef team backup Ailin Xi, a nutrional sciences student, at the awards banquet. The whisk in the middle is their trophy for best appetizer (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

U of T’s coach Piggott had said all along that the university would put up a fight for first place on its home turf. He wasn’t disappointed.

“These guys came together at the exact moment they needed to,” he said.

This year’s backup team member Xi will have a chance to claim top honours at the next competition, which is due to be held at McGill next year. As the understudy this time, she was guaranteed a spot on the team in 2018.

“I’m going to bring it,” she said.

Final Iron Chef practice: 'This is a gold medal plate'

geoff.vendeville — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 16:47:11 +0000

Final Iron Chef practice: 'This is a gold medal plate'

geoff.vendeville Thu, 02/23/2017 - 11:47

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The U of T Iron Chef team’s appetizer on the last day of practice was a quick cured salmon (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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With the inter-university culinary competition days away, is U of T's team ready?

The University of Toronto Iron Chef team faced its stiffest test yet on Wednesday, days before competing against students from three other universities.

Using a box of surprise ingredients, the team had 2 1/2 hours to produce an appetizer and main dish that would wow the guest judges, U of T executive chefs Jaco Lokker and Suman Roy.

Catch up on U of T Iron Chef news, video and updates

The chefs surprised students Felipe Branco, Brettany Colette, Jordan Su and backup team member Ailin Xi with the ingredients: ginger beer, beluga lentils, beets, tandoori sauce and puff pastry.

This was the team's final practice before the cook-off against the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Ottawa and McGill University on Saturday. In the Iron Chef competition, the team will also be given a black box of ingredients and be asked to prepare an appetizer and main course to impress the judges.

Watch the cook-off live on Saturday

“Why do you look so serious?” Chef Jaco Lokker (centre) says, as he strides past students (from left to right) Ailin Xi, Brettany Colette, Felipe Branco and Jordan Su (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

The students met in the office of their coach, Chef James Piggott, to brainstorm a menu, deciding on a quick cured salmon with ginger-beer pickled beets and a lentil salad. The main course would be a tandoori braised chicken on biryani-style rice with roasted cauliflower, samosa and lime cilantro yogurt.

The team quickly got to work and assumed familiar roles in a kitchen station at the New College residence. Xi kept time to make sure everyone was on schedule. Branco butchered the chickens and salmon.

The guest judges Lokker and Roy questioned whether the students could pull off such an “ambitious” menu in time.

“A cured gravlax in two-and-a-half hours? Normally you’d do that overnight,” Lokker said.

The students got off to a slow start but picked up the pace to get their appetizer out on time.

A multiple exposure of Felipe Branco, an M.B.A. student at Rotman, butchering chicken (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

The judges’ initial skepticism seemed to melt away after they saw the finely sliced gravlax salmon arrive.

“That’s a gold medal plate to me,” said Lokker, after a few bites.

His fellow judge agreed. “If I go to a good restaurant in Toronto, and I got this, I’d be happy,” Suman said.

Their only criticisms were that the dish needed a touch more salt and that ginger beer gastrique lacked a little punch.

They were harsher on the main course since it arrived a few minutes late – the students took too long garnishing the plates. The chefs said the chicken was cooked properly, but that the rice should have been drier to be a true biryani. Overall, though, they were delighted.

“Every time you put something on a plate, it gets better and better,” Lokker said. The students have come a long way since their first day in the kitchen Jan. 24.

“This shows they’re becoming little culinarians,” Lokker told U of T News.

Read about Chef Lokker and U of T food services in Maclean's

Despite the glowing reviews, the students appeared downcast when they listened to the chefs’ criticisms. Their grade for the appetizer was an 83.

“I think of my grades and 83? Is that the best we can do?” Xi said later.

“With that mark, you go to the prof and say, ‘Where did I go wrong,’” Colette added.

Asked why the students looked glum, Lokker said it’s probably because they are high achievers.

“At the end of the day, they’re U of T students.”

Iron Chef: Meet the competition

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 16:00:55 +0000

Iron Chef: Meet the competition

geoff.vendeville Wed, 02/15/2017 - 11:00

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Felipe Branco and Brettany Colette plate a dish during a practice session for Iron Chef 2017. The U of T students and teammates will take on rivals from three other universities in a culinary showdown on Feb. 24-26 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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The crème de la crème of student chefs from the University of Toronto and three other universities will compete at U of T in an Iron Chef-style cook-off

Using a black box of ingredients, the teams will have to prepare an appetizer and main course to impress the judges.

For the first time ever, the University of Toronto is hosting the annual Iron Chef competition. U of T News is following the student chefs chosen to represent the university in the culinary cook-off against the University of Massachusetts Amherst and other schools on Feb. 24–26.

Catch up on Iron Chef with videos, recaps and watch the event live

Read about the U of T team

Here’s who U of T will face in the competition:

McGill University

McGill University's executive chef Oliver de Volpi (right) with winners of the Rez War culinary competition between McGill residences (photo courtesy of Oliver de Volpi)

The Iron Chef contest arose from a culinary contest between 10 McGill residences. The competition grew to include other Canadian and American universities in 2014.

“I’m sure we’re going to win this year,” said McGill’s executive chef Oliver de Volpi, “but then I’m sure every year.”

McGill picks its team by holding a preliminary round between the university’s residences so the students are all in their first year. They’ve been training in the residence kitchens since early February.

Typically in the practice sessions, the students prepare the dishes on their own while the university chefs chime in with advice.

The team’s chances are good this year, according to de Volpi, because each student is a natural in the kitchen. That said, he expects the competition to be stiff, especially UMass-Amherst.

“I’d like it if one of these Canadian teams takes them to the cleaners,” he said.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Massachusetts Amherst hosted the competition two years ago (photo courtesy of Anthony Jung)

UMass’s record speaks for itself. They were champions last year and in 2014, and finished second to Yale when UMass hosted in 2015. UMass also topped a national university ranking last year for best campus food.

The credo on campus is “healthy, sustainable and delicious,” according to the university’s Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises Ken Toong.

They pick their Iron Chef team from students in the Hospitality & Tourism Management program and those who work in the dining commons.

Their coach, Anthony Jung, was described by a colleague as the “Michael Phelps of cooking” because he has won a dozen gold medals in culinary competitions.

The Iron Chef contest gets tougher every year, he said.

“To be honest, all the schools do so well that the difference between gold and silver is really small. It’s a crapshoot.”

University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa Iron Chef team finished second last year. They're back this year and going for gold. From left to right: Nicholas Namespetra, Anna Weber, Courtney Azure and Lindsay Trottier (photo courtesy of Isabelle Mailloux-Pulkinghorn)

The University of Ottawa came close to tasting victory last year, finishing as runner-up to UMass.

After fending off challengers in two qualifying rounds, the same uOttawa students from last year are coming back to Iron Chef for seconds. The university’s executive chef Nicholas Namespetra described his team as strong contenders: “They have a great imagination and strong grasp of flavour profiles.”

Courtney Azure, a member of the team and a biomedical sciences student, wished her rivals good luck.

“It’s just a competition. It’s about having fun, not winning,” she said.

But she couldn’t resist throwing a little shade: “But, I guess look out because we’re a pretty strong team.”

Iron Chef, day 1: Team prepares for food fight against other universities

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 18:00:49 +0000

Iron Chef, day 1: Team prepares for food fight against other universities

geoff.vendeville Wed, 02/01/2017 - 13:00

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Ailin Xi, a biochemistry and nutritional sciences major, tastes the salmon appetizer she prepared with Jordan Su, a human geography student (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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They'll be facing off against McGill University, University of Massachusetts Amherst and more

After the first training session for the Iron Chef competition, Chef James Piggott says the University of Toronto student team has the right ingredients to win the intra-university culinary cookoff.

But while Piggott hopes U of T will win – especially since the competition is being held here for the first time – he says victory isn’t the most important thing.

“If they walk away with a smile on their face and pick up a few new skills, that’s a job well done,” says Piggott, executive chef of residential dining at U of T's New College, who is training the student team.

“But let’s not lie. It’s fun to win.”

For the first time ever, the University of Toronto is hosting the annual Iron Chef competition. U of T News is following the student chefs chosen to represent the university in an culinary cook-off against the University of Massachusetts Amherst and other schools on Feb. 24–26.

Day 1 report card

Chef Piggott: “They would lose 20 per cent right off the top for kitchen cleanliness because that’s part of organization. But food wise, I’d probably give them an 85. The only things were – there were some portion-size issues, and there was the overcooking of the salmon. If I’m looking at the overall picture and deducting marks from 100 per cent, I’m taking a few points off for the salmon being overcooked. I’m taking a few points off here and there for the (small) portion size of the main course.

“Overall that brings them closer to 75 per cent. But that’s because they’re losing big marks for organization and cleanliness. They had stuff spread everywhere. We need to work on that. But overall, fantastic job.”

Student chefs face off to secure spot on U of T's Iron Chef team

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 21:30:32 +0000

Student chefs face off to secure spot on U of T's Iron Chef team

geoff.vendeville Wed, 01/25/2017 - 16:30

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Felipe Branco (left) and Jordan Su were among the four students chosen to represent U of T at the Iron Chef competition in February (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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They will face McGill, OttawaU, Yale and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in an inter-university culinary showdown hosted by U of T in February

Four student chefs have been chosen to bring the University of Toronto glory next month when the university hosts the annual Iron Chef challenge.

Brettany Colette, Felipe Branco, Jordan Su and Ailin Xi made the cut after a culinary duel in the New College cafeteria kitchen on Tuesday evening.

After receiving dozens of applications to represent U of T at the competition, U of T chefs Jaco Lokker and James Piggott invited 12 students to demonstrate their skills in a faceoff. The students were split into teams of three and given two hours, a whole chicken and the run of the New College kitchen to prepare a dish that would leave the judges licking their lips.

Here’s how the night went down:

5:30 p.m.

Piggott, the executive chef residential dining at New College, greeted the students in the cafeteria and made it clear that as hosts of this year’s contest, the stakes are especially high.

“We are hopefully going to have eight or nine competitors,” he said, “and we’re going to crush them. This is our home. This is our turf. We don’t lose at home."

6:00 p.m.

The students were separated into teams and took their places at counters in the kitchen.

Lokker, U of T's director of culinary operations and executive chef, introduced himself to the finalists.

He has coached the U of T team in each of the last three years at Iron Chef but stepped aside this time to host the event.

Piggott takes over as head coach although Lokker will help prepare the student chefs for the big event.

Read about Chef Jaco Lokker in Maclean's

Chef Jaco Lokker meets the students gunning for a place in the U of T Iron Chef squad (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Before the students at the trial could make a dash for ingredients, Piggott went over the ground rules:

“No swearing. This is not Hell’s Kitchen,” he said.

The contenders were allowed one f-bomb if they cut themselves – and even then, “It better be worth stitches,” he said.

At just after six, it was go time.

6:30 p.m.

The teams wasted no time planning their dishes: a classic coconut curry with blend of fresh herbs and fresh chicken stock; roasted chicken with butter and thyme accompanied by green pea puree with thyme, garlic herb oil and lemon juice; fried chicken on french toast with applesauce and whipped cream; and chicken stuffed with cheese and pine nuts on handmade fettuccine.

Branco, a first-year M.B.A. student at U of T’s Rotman School of Management, was in charge of carving the chicken for the curry.

He said he had some experience in that area after interning at a restaurant in Panzano, near Florence, Italy, where he learned how to make “old school” Italian dishes like bistecca fiorentina and Francesina stew (beef shank cooked in red wine, onions and tomato sauce).

Felipe Branco, an M.B.A. student at Rotman, prepares a chicken for a curry while his team partner Brettany Colette looks on (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

7:00 p.m.

“55 minutes teams, 55 minutes! Feel the pressure, feel the burn,” Piggott said.

As students picked up the pace to finish in time, the chefs strolled up and down the aisles appraising their skills.

They were evaluating whether students could hold a knife properly, cooking terminology the students were using and whether they stuck to simple ingredients or took risks.

Ailin Xi, a biochemistry and nutrional sciences student, is splattered with green pea and pepper puree during the Iron Chef competition trial (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

The judges also considered how well the students gelled together.

“You’re always going to have people who stand out more as leaders,” Lokker told U of T News. “And you don’t need three of those on the same team. That’s a huge problem.”

7:30 p.m.

By this point, some teams were getting ready to plate their dishes while others had yet to put their food in the oven.

With 15 minutes to go, the chefs left the kitchen to give the teams some breathing room.

Branco, Su and their teammate Colette prepared to lay out the chicken curry, thinking carefully about the position of each element of their plate and what one student called the “sauce-to-rice ratio.”

They chose only the prettiest pieces of chicken for the dish and garnished them with tweezers.

Another team raised fried chicken on french toast to a new level of elegance.

U of T students vying for spots on the university's Iron Chef team put the finishing touches on fried chicken, french toast, applesauce and whipped cream (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

8:00 p.m.

One by one, the teams brought their creations out to the cafeteria where chefs Lokker and Piggott were waiting.

“Honestly this is really good gnocchi, and I’m not a fan of gnocchi,” said Piggott, tasting the roast chicken, green pea puree, gnocchi combo.

Lokker seemed impressed with another team's fettucini made from scratch.

“This is exactly the way fresh pasta should taste,” he told them.

The chefs conferred while the students cleaned up their stations. “It’s getting harder now,” Lokker said to his colleague as they deliberated.

Stuffed chicken with fettuccine. The chefs behind this dish didn't make the cut for the U of T Iron Chef team this year (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Just after 8 p.m.

A few minutes after sampling the last dish, the chefs called the students back out to the New College cafeteria dining room.

When Piggott announced the winners – the makers of the coconut curry – Colette sprung up from her chair and high-fived her teammates.

The students who were chosen to be part of U of T's Iron Chef team celebrated after the announcement was made (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

With the air of an athlete who had just progressed to the playoffs, Su, the human geography student, said he was happy to have made it this far but refrained from gloating.

“My main purpose here was just to have fun,” he said.

The students who hadn’t made the roster smiled and applauded.

“It was so much fun. They provided us the whole kitchen, which was amazing,” said Burce Isik, who studies genetics, biotechnology, and molecular biology. “I’m in fourth year. If I’d known about this before, I would’ve applied in my second year, third year.”

Three of the four winning students will compete at the Iron Chef cook-off the weekend of Feb. 25th. The fourth student is an understudy but guaranteed a spot on next year’s team. The backup will be decided at the team’s first practice session with their coach, Piggott.

Burce Isik who studies genetics, biotechnology, and molecular biology, makes gnocchi (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Calling all student chefs: U of T preps for the Iron Chef cook-off against Yale, McGill and other universities

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 17:07:49 +0000

Calling all student chefs: U of T preps for the Iron Chef cook-off against Yale, McGill and other universities

geoff.vendeville Fri, 01/06/2017 - 12:07

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Last year, a University of Toronto team prepared an appetizer of seared salmon, among other delicacies, at the inter-university Iron Chef competition. U of T is hosting the contest this year (all photos courtesy of Susan Duncan)

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The University of Toronto is hosting an inter-university Iron Chef cook-off next month, and it’s looking for four talented student chefs to step up to the plate.

"We're looking for students for whom cooking is a hobby, a passion and their love," said Anne Macdonald, the university's director of ancillary services.

Read the online application

Like the Iron Chef competitions on TV – in Japan and America – the contestants will receive a mystery box of ingredients, which they must use to prepare a dish and impress the judges – all within a two-hour time limit.

Not only that, they will have to make 10 portions of each course for the judges to sample and another 50 portions for students to taste. The teams will be judged on criteria like cleanliness, teamwork and, of course, the food itself.

For the first time, U of T will have the home-kitchen advantage. Although the details of the event are still being ironed out, the contest will be held in February, Macdonald said.

Students who would like to participate can be part time or full time at U of T. They need to be available for regular practice sessions of one evening per week for six to eight weeks prior to the competition, and they need to be available on Feb. 24, 25 and 26.

Candidates also need to have a working knowledge of basic cooking techniques. The deadline to apply has been extended to Jan. 13.

In the run-up to the competition, the U of T contestants will get training sessions with Chef Jaco Lokker, U of T's director of culinary operations and executive chef.

Read the Maclean's story about Chef Jaco reinventing food served on campus

Chef Jaco Lokker, U of T's director of culinary operations and executive chef, poses with U of T's team at the Iron Chef competition at the University of Ottawa last year

Before coming to U of T, Lokker worked in the kitchens of the King Edward Hotel, the Islington Golf Club and the Boulevard Club.

The winner of many culinary awards, Lokker also has live competition experience: he has twice travelled to the World Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany, earning second place in 2000 and two gold medals in 2002.

Read a Q&A with Chef Jaco in The Globe and Mail

“It’s not just a job for him. He really, really is passionate about food,” said Macdonald. “Spending a few weeks hanging out with him in the kitchen is an experience of a lifetime.

“Students will not only learn how to hold a knife but a great appreciation for ingredients and how to put them together."

In the training sessions, students will learn everything from knife skills to how to properly poach a fish.

The pressure is on U of T, which has never won before and has the additional responsibility of hosting.

Although the students will prepare with Lokker, once the competition begins, each team is on its own. The contenders this year are the University of Massachussetts Amherst, the University of Ottawa, Yale University and McGill University, which was a gold medal winner in the past.

"They all have great chefs so it's stiff competition," Macdonald said.

The teams are usually required to prepare an appetizer, main course and dessert. Last year, U of T's student chefs prepared an appetizer of seared salmon with apple citrus slaw and vanilla beurre blanc sauce, garnished with crispy leeks.

U of T's appetizer last year in the inter-university Iron Chef competition: seared salmon on an apple citrus slaw

Their main dish was a roasted lamb loin with a couscous and chickpea fritter with raw zucchini twirls.

Although they produced an enticing menu last year, U of T may have to try even harder this time to finish first and claim bragging rights.

Iron Chef

A bittersweet moment: U of T finishes close second in Iron Chef cook-off

Final Iron Chef practice: 'This is a gold medal plate'

Catch up on U of T Iron Chef news, video and updates

Watch the cook-off live on Saturday

Read about Chef Lokker and U of T food services in Maclean's

Iron Chef: Meet the competition

Catch up on Iron Chef with videos, recaps and watch the event live

Read about the U of T team

Iron Chef, day 1: Team prepares for food fight against other universities

Read more about the Iron Chef team trials in U of T News

Read more about the competition

Day 1 report card

Student chefs face off to secure spot on U of T's Iron Chef team

5:30 p.m.

Read more about Chef James Piggott

6:00 p.m.

Read about Chef Jaco Lokker in Maclean's

6:30 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Just after 8 p.m.

Read more about the competition

Calling all student chefs: U of T preps for the Iron Chef cook-off against Yale, McGill and other universities

Read the online application

Read the Maclean's story about Chef Jaco reinventing food served on campus

Read a Q&A with Chef Jaco in The Globe and Mail

See a Q&A with the students who participated in the 2016 inter-university Iron Chef competition