MU Iron Chef wins Program of the Year

Veterans battle newcomers for tastiest treats at competition.

By Krissy Tripp

Published Feb. 27, 2009

Bingham Hall was the scene of a culinary showdown Thursday night as the Residence Halls Association and Campus Dining Services adapted the Food Network's Iron Chef to fit MU.

RHA External Chairman Roger Cheng explained they wanted more participation and teamwork than the original show entails, so instead of chef against chef; they've made the competition team against team. Each team works with a chef from CDS.

The Iron Chef competition won the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls 2008 Program of the Year Award.

National Communications Coordinator Lauren Thomas said bids for program of the year are proposed three to four weeks before the conference. If the bid is approved, the program is presented for 15 minutes, and followed up with a 15-minute question and answer session.

"It was nerve-wracking because I was the only one presenting in front of at least 200 people," RHA Vice President Nate Ballance said.

Thomas explained after voting, all schools involved discuss the programs' strengths and weaknesses. It's a chance to discuss new ideas and possible improvements.

One change they've made is incorporating a guest judge. The audience was told to check under their chairs, where one member of the audience would find a note marking them as a judge. Sophomore Sudie McCaslin was sitting in the right seat.

"I'm a community adviser at Lathrop Hall and RHA has been very supportive, so I wanted to do something to support them," McCaslin said.

This year's secret ingredient was rice. The defending champions Tiger Thyme said they came back to defend the title they won last year in Battle Citrus, but they lost to freshman team the Cosmo Cramers. The winning team consisted of Ayla Kremen, Maggie Holleman and Marc Polizzi as well as Plaza 900 Sous-Chef Brian Lambiotte. Kremen is a former member of The Maneater staff.

"They looked really good," Holleman said about beating Tiger Thyme. "Everything they made was really pretty and looked delicious. I feel really accomplished."

Cheng said RHA and CDS collaborated well to host the Iron Chef event.

CDS Director Julaine Kiehn said the biggest benefit she sees is the chance for students and chefs to interact because both bring a lot of creativity to the table.

"Food is a common element that brings everyone together," Kiehn said

The celebrity judges this year included McCaslin, RHA adviser James Heim, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs and Student Life Director Mark Lucas.

Scroggs, who has judged for years, said she comes back every year because she loves it not only for the good food, but also watching the participants cook.

"I'm amazed by the creativity of our students and of our chefs," Scroggs said, "This isn't just your average university food. It's an art form."