The aroma of garlic, Chinese peppers, limes and soy sauce filtered through the air, along with feelings of tension and excitement.
Chefs rushed to chop onions, sprinkle spices and stir stainless steel pans engulfed by blue flames. Dramatic orchestral music blared through speakers as the timer on the screen slowly counted down to zero.
The chefs moved their hands away from their plates, looking in desperation at their colorful masterpieces. Only one of them would walk away victorious.
But this wasn’t an episode on a network cooking channel. This moment happened in the dining hall of Bob’s Place.
The University of Idaho hosted its seventh annual Iron Chef Cooking Competition Wednesday night. Campus Dietitian Marissa Rudley organized the event, partnering with Vandal Dining and the Resident Hall Association. Rudley said she was inspired by the “theatrical flair” of cooking shows to create an event that would promote healthy cooking among UI students.
“I’m really an advocate for students cooking and getting creative in the kitchen,” Rudley said. “So I wanted to bring a little of the theatrical flair, but also just passion for cooking to students at the University of Idaho.”
Each year, the competition begins with a student contest, where two teams of two volunteer chefs have 25 minutes to create a dish using a secret ingredient. A panel of three student judges score the dishes based on taste, appearance, creativity and use of the secret ingredient. This year, the secret ingredient was locally-grown, fully-cooked lentils — a common crop on the Palouse.
Laura Ehman, a first-time judge this year, said the competition inspired her get more creative in her own kitchen.
“It’s a little difficult when you are given the ingredients right then and there, told about a secret ingredient and then have to think through a process of what you want to do to make a well-done dish,” Ehman said. “But I think (the contestants) did very well with it.”
The student competition was followed by the highly anticipated chef-to-chef competition, where first-time chefs challenge past winners. These chefs are all professional cooks who work at Bob’s.
This year, reigning champion Dimon Johnson fought to defend her title against her friend and co-worker Janek Rogalski. Johnson won the competition four semesters in a row, and said she has been cooking for over 17 years, for students at UI and troops in the military. She described her cooking as home-style comfort food, and cooks for the Simple Servings station at Bob’s.
Rogalski, her competitor, said he grew up cooking. He said his cooking is largely inspired by his father, who was always in the kitchen preparing potatoes and roast for his large family.
The two chefs only had 20 minutes to prepare a vegetarian meal, using the leftovers from the student competition and three exotic ingredients — blackened limes, fermented garlic and Asian peppers. Blackened limes are often used in Vietnamese cuisine, and are boiled and slightly fermented to create the iconic black hue.
Both chefs added a significant Asian influence on the dishes, but Johnson decided to put a spin on American lentil stew. Rogalski fully embraced the Asian flavors with a rice noodle dish embellished with tofu, leeks and red bell pepper, dressed with a soy and blackened lime sauce.
It was a close call, but Rogalski won. He said he was shocked, considering his unfamiliarity with the secret ingredients.
“My favorite is Thai food, anything hot, so I saw the peppers and went, ‘Oh yeah,’” Rogalski said. “I didn’t know about the blackened garlic. It looked like mud.”
Johnson said she enjoyed her experience, despite losing her title.
“It is what it is,” Dimon said. “I enjoy competing, regardless of whether I win or lose.”
The two chefs said they wouldn’t let their rivalry destroy their friendship, considering they work and joke around together every day at Bob’s.
Rudley said she hopes the competition will continue to be a tradition at UI, so that students will mark it on their calendars and let it inspire them to live healthy lives.
“I hope that students could take the concept of this iron chef event and use it to get busy in the kitchen with fun ingredients,” Rudley said. “It shows students that they can cook with whatever they have on hand. I mean, isn’t that how all best meals are made?”
Taryn Hadfield can be reached at [email protected]