‘S Club 7’ wins UND’s first Student ‘Iron Chef’ cooking competition
The cooking contest wasn't on national television and lacked the world's top chefs, but the results of UND's first-ever "Student Iron Chef Competition" impressed Greg Gefroh – the University's executive chef – enough that he thinks it will become an annual event.
The competition, sponsored by UND Night Life, began with eight student teams on March 30. Last Saturday, three teams competed for the top honor at the Loading Dock in Memorial Union. In the end, "S Club 7" was awarded first place for its tropical chicken dish with a raspberry sauce, curried rice and grilled fruit.
"I thought it was great," Gefroh said of the food prepared for the competition. "The students did a wonderful job. It's nice to see what kind of culinary skills we have on campus."
Students on the winning team are UND students Ali Naegeli, David Bain and Zach Eisenbeis. Finishing second was the team known as "Cereal Killers." The team called "Marketplace Musketeers" came in third.
Each team had a chef mentor from UND Dining Services. Gefroh, who met with the three finalist teams to critique their menus, said he was impressed with the changes each team made to improve the meal it prepared.
Based on the popular Food Network TV show "Iron Chef," UND's competition featured student teams who volunteered to participate. Working with their chef mentors, they created an entrée. For the final competition, the main ingredients were boneless skinless chicken breast, 50 percent reduced sodium Zatarain rice blend and a vegetable of their choice.
Saturday's campus and community judges were Gefroh, Food and Facilities Chair Kay Hager and Director of Campus Safety and Security Jason Uhlir. Teams were allotted two hours to prepare their dishes and present them to the judges.
Night Life takes place every non-holiday weekend throughout the academic year. Events include comedians, movies, video games, free food, live music, crafts, photo booths, dances, pool tournaments and more. Events take place in the Memorial Union each weekend. On Friday nights the Wellness Center stays open until 11 p.m., to host additional events.
Night Life strives to create fun, late-night events for students to attend during usual times of high-risk alcohol consumption. The events provide space for students to hang out and socialize in an alcohol-free environment.
Contact:
Greg Gefroh, UND executive chef, at 701.777.2044 or greg.gefroh@und.edu
Dustin Frize at 701.777.2702, or dustin.frize@my.und.edu
David L. Dodds, Media Relations/Writer & Editor, Office of University Relations, 701.777.5529| david.dodds@email.und.edu
