“I’m just impressed that you made wonton wrappers,” commented Judge #1.

“The two of us cook everything from scratch,” began Judge #2, with Judge #3 adding “I would have never made wontons from scratch. That is beyond my skill level.”

These were some of the comments about the very first entry in the Iron Chef Challenge, held last week at Fairfield High School.

The competition is the brain child of Family & Consumer Sciences teacher, Laura Craddick (left). Students from her three Culinary Arts classes are participating with a different recipe each week.

Judging appetizer week were Fairfield Mayor Kenneth Hughes, Nicole Hughes, owner of Momma Cakes, and Donna Tyus, President of the Fairfield History Club.

Themes for the next several weeks include Valentine’s, Desserts, and for the finale: Mardi Gras.

Each class is divided into three teams.

They must submit their recipes for prior approval. Cost of the ingredients and a nutritional analysis is required for each entry.

“Everything is from scratch,” says Craddick, including all the sauces. She even requires the students to make their own ketchup or ranch dressing.

For those teams creating appetizers with wontons or tortillas, Craddick simply included the recipe, rather than adding it to the shopping list.

As seen on television, the Iron Chef Challenge features a secret ingredient which must be incorporated into each team’s recipe.

Appetizer week featured avocados as the secret ingredient.

One team impressed the judges with avocado butter as a second dipping sauce for their appetizer.

“The flavor is out of this world,” remarked Mayor Hughes about the entire dish.

The entries were judged on four components: appearance, taste, degree of difficulty, and incorporation of the mystery ingredient.

This week’s judges provided important advice when critiquing the entries.

In one case, a suggestion to smear a dipping sauce across the plate to improve overall appearance of a dish led to a discussion about limiting food waste and costs, as this technique uses less amount than serving in a cup; and about improving service, as one plate is easier to navigate than a plate, cup and bowl.

Although all the teams will continue to participate, only the top two from each class will continue in the cooking portion of next week’s Iron Chef Challenge.

This week’s winners include:

–3rd Period

First Place – 50 Shades of Food (Ashanti Hampton, Ariana Thurman, Jaylin Hughes, Bailey Mills, and Jada Clark)

Second Place – Jalepeno Business (Eric Lyles, Deandre Rosales, Abigail Coleman, and Ricardo Balderas)

Also participating was Chilly Dilly’s (Kalyn Ethridge, Demi Lambright, Keldon Conner, Chloe Carter, and Ethan McNew)

–4th Period:

First Place – Simmer Down (Cristal Rosales, Piper Niswagner, Tori Sikes, Dasia Hilburn, and Cabrina Jefferson)

Second Place – Team Slatt (Shaliya Walker, Kaitlyn Potts, Samantha Reyes, and Jesus Ramirez)

lso participating was La Coux (Ruben Madera, Miracle Raheem, Robert Perry, and Chase Arriage)

–5th Period:

First Place – Bee Delicious (Edwin Espinosa, Kiara McDonald, Hana Kawanishi, and Autumn Neaville)

Second Place – Cuisines of Paradise (Richard Charlson, Aynslie Whiteside, Bryona Harris, and Gerlicai Manning.

Also participating was Munchie Mafia (Isela Rodriguez, Shannon Langley, Denise Ramos, and Margie Savage)

Stay tuned for next week’s winners.

(Photos by Karen Leidy)