Press release of December 14, 2011

Spartan "Iron Chefs" show off their skills

The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) department held their 1st Annual Spartan Iron Chefs competition on December 1, 2011. Three teams of students who had taken at least one foods course participated.

The student chefs submitted their lab plan and vegetarian recipes beforehand. They were required to use fresh ingredients and at least one locally grown ingredient. 

At the competition the students had one hour in the high school foods lab to prepare and plate their entry on camera, while their efforts were broadcast into an adjoining room where family, friends, teachers and judges were watching.

The chefs then presented their dish to the panel of three guest judges, Superintendent Jim Schultz, and two professional chefs: Nicky Boehm - BH-BL Food Service Director, and Paul Persico - Head Chef at the Charlton Tavern. The judges used a detailed rubric to evaluate each dish. The dishes were evaluated on 10 aspects of taste, presentation, and culinary technique.

The competition was funded with grants from the BH-BL Education Foundation, Stewarts Holiday Match, and Shoprite of Niskayuna.

The delicious winning entry included a portobello mushroom stuffed with a fresh tomato ragout, plus a vegetable terrine and goat cheese croquettes.

"This was a super event to be part of," says Boehm. "Everything was excellent -- all the planning and the enthusiasm of students and staff. It was fabulous to watch the students having enough confidence to do all of this on camera, as a team, in front of their friends, family and teachers."

For their masterpieces, the student chefs were awarded the names of Spartan Iron Chefs, Spartan Executive Chefs, and Spartan Sous Chefs. The winning team was Alissa Avery, Katie Hoffman and Bill Koerber.

The FACS department is already making plans to repeat the event next year.

2011 Spartan Iron Chefs with judges Jim Schultz, Nicky Boehm and Paul Persico

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