Holy Cross Students Compete Iron Chef-style in Cooking Challenge

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Student Government Association (SGA) and dining services at the College of the Holy Cross will host the College’s first annual Kimball Kreations event, a cooking competition modeled after Food Network’s hit Iron Chef, on Wednesday, April 9 at 5:30 p.m. in Kimball Dining Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Join the Holy Cross community for its own Iron Chef-style cooking competition, where the care-free atmosphere of the main dining hall will be filled with the intensity of “Kitchen Stadium.” Six students will have 30 minutes to use ingredients found in Kimball Dining Hall to create the best dish possible. The dishes will then be put in front of the judges to determine a winner. The catch — they will be competing during the campus dinner rush.

Judges include Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College; Frank Vellaccio, senior vice president of the College; Barbara Houle, food editor at the Telegram & Gazette; and Jim Nicas '72, owner of the Castle Restaurant in Leicester, Mass. and well known food and wine expert. The commentator for the event will be Art Korandanis, director of auxiliary services.

“We have put together a great competition to feature some of the best chefs on campus — the students,” says Emily Thigpen ’10, SGA student services director and the organizer of the event.

The judges will be scoring in five categories: presentation, creativity, ingredient compatibility, timing, and flavor, taste, & texture. Each category is worth 10 points for a total of 50.  The winner will receive $250 Crusader dollars, money that can only be used on campus.

“Students are often looking for something to eat in Kimball that is not on the menu. So, we put together a select group of students to help illustrate how accessible Kimball really is,” explains Thigpen. “The chefs’ recipes are examples of how many different things students can actually create in the dining hall.”

Kevin Leggio '11, an SGA freshman intern of student services, thought of making a student recipe book using ingredients always available in Kimball says Linda Nardella, director of Holy Cross dining services. “The competition will eventually culminate into the development of this recipe book.”

Meet the competitors

The competition began last month when students submitted entry forms, describing what dish they would cook. Only six of the students were chosen.

Brian M. Miller ’09, will be serving up a “sloppy” roast beef sandwich with sauce.  “Cooking for me is about creativity and the constant urge to try to improve on old recipes and to create something that everyone can enjoy.”

Julianne Lisa Kulevich ’08 is sure her BBQ pulled chicken sandwich with sides of potato salad and a tri-colored vegetable medley will please the judges. “My maternal grandmother was a home economics teacher, and my paternal grandmother was an expert when it came to preparing Polish cuisine.  Both, unfortunately, died before I was born, but cooking allows me to feel a connection to them.  For my grandmothers, cooking good food was a way to bring friends and family together, and for me it’s a way to embody and share that same love and spirit.”

Francis Chester Walek ’09 will be making his chickyin and yang hamburger. “My latest cooking challenge was with my Polish relatives at the annual Christmas pierogi day. Cooking 144 pierogis in just a few hours taught me a lot about the importance of cooking enough food without sacrificing any of the home-cooked quality.”

Quick-and-easy healthy pita pizza, sounds like 30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray, but it is what Rachael Dorothy Stephens ’10, thinks will win her the competition. “Since I was little, my family and I have lived in the kitchen. We bring together my father’s traditional Italian recipes with my mother’s personal favorites. We try to make each recipe as healthy as possible.”

Erin Kathleen Clougherty ’10 says her tex-mex style pasta is sure to be a crowd favorite. “As a long time viewer of the Food Network, and as a Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorder (NEED) peer educator, not only have I been exposed to many styles of cooking, but I am conscious of healthy choices.” She intends on demonstrating to the Kimball Dining Hall-criticizers of Holy Cross that all the ingredients for a great meal are available. You just need to be creative.

Jessica Suzanne Jackson ’09 is sure to satisfy any rumbling stomach with her stir-fry nachos. “With almost three years of experience under my belt, I have come to love to experiment and try to make creative spins on whatever Kimball has to offer. I hope that my recipe will appeal to other students looking for something ‘new’ to eat.”