The crowd of 350 people waited in anticipation. LBCC's quantity instructor chef Scottie Hurley blew the horn, time was up...Who would win this year’s Chefs' Show-Off?
The Chefs' Show-Off was the brain child of Hurley, Chris Peterson, and MaryAnn Nusrala. Their vision is to have yearly cook-offs using only local growers' products to raise money for the non-profit Food Literacy Program.
This year the competition was stiff; the four chefs who were chosen had 90 minutes to create an entree with excellent taste, texture and presentation to please all five judges.
Every chef had an LBCC culinary student as their assistant. They were required to cook from scratch and choose from the banquet table of fresh ingredients donated by local businesses. Single-ingredient items such as sugar, oil and salt were allowed but no frozen or compound ingredients.
It was then up to each competitor to use their imaginations and tap into their culinary skills.
The judges were seated in a separate room. The entrees were placed strategically in front of each one along with pens and pamphlets for critiquing. One by one each chef stepped in front of the judges and introduced themselves explaining their masterpieces. Their speech was awkward and shy. One could tell that speaking in front of people was not their best attribute.
A wall of large glass windows behind the judges supported the faces of a crowd of bystanders patiently awaiting the judges’ decision.
In the main hall 33 vendors and organizations gave out food and wine samples. There were raffles and an auction. The crowd whistled and got excited when chef Hurley was auctioned off. The lucky bidder won five hours of his cooking services for $300. Pediatrician Jim Nusrala of Corvallis was the winner of the judgeship auction and received a spot at the judges table.
Meanwhile the chefs mingled with the waiting crowd. A sense of nervousness showed on each of their faces. They spoke of the difficulty of the last hour.
"The pressure wasn't bad. I own a restaurant, and am used to being rushed. What was more difficult was the pressure of coming out from behind the kitchen and having to converse with the crowd," said chef Michael Waliser of the Saffron Salmon in Newport.
“I decided to make raviolis, which is more difficult of a dish, the flour made it take longer,” said chef Jason Devrouax of Clemenza’s in Albany.
Chef Nathan McClure from OSU Catering had a difficult time with the stinging nettles. Stinging nettle has a flavor similar to spinach when cooked. “I have never worked with the herb, so I didn’t realize that the needles could cause a burning sensation and when I picked it up, I was like …what the heck?”
McClure experienced a few pricks to his fingers before his assistant Ben Landreth warned him to use latex gloves when handling the herb.
Chef Chad Pope of Cappies Brewhouse in Albany said, “I had my base, but finding the other ingredients was my toughest time. I am not familiar with the LBCC kitchen.”
Before Pope said anything else, emcee James Cassidy of OSU’s Soil Science Department stepped on stage and handed the microphone to Hurley.
"The judges have made a decision. The winner of this year Chefs' Show-Off is Michael Waliser of the Saffron Salmon. Michael will also receive a $100 to go toward his favorite charity," said Hurley.
Whistles and cheers came from the crowd. Waliser smiled and stepped up to the stage. His entree of braised lamb chops with beet microgreen salad had delighted the palates of the judges.
"I would like to say thank you for this opportunity, it was a great experience. I would also like to give my money to one of my favorite charities, the Humane Society, for those who do not have a voice," said Waliser.
Chefs' Show-Off Sponsers: Oregon Tilth, Stahl Bush Island Farms, Mennonite Village, Cascade Pacific, Nichols Garden Nursery (Albany), Local Ocean Seafoods (Newport), EcNow Tech (Corvallis), Willamette Seed & Grain (Tangent).
Co-Sponsered by Ten Rivers Food Web http://tenriversfoodweb.org/home/
and LBCC Culinary Arts http://www.linnbenton.edu/go/culinary-arts
Food Literacy Program http://tenriversfoodweb.org/home/?page_id=748
Judges
John Jarschke, LBCC Culinary Arts
Scott Shufelt, FireWorks Restaurant, Corvallis
Charlie Branford, Local Ocean Seafoods, Newport
Andrew Wadlow, Mennonite Village, Albany
James Nusrala M.D., Corvallis Clinic, Corvallis
Food Fair vendors and organizations: Adaptive Seeds, Bald Hill Farm, Calapooia Food Alliance/Willamette Local Foods, Corvallis Environmental Center’s SAGE program, Corvallis/Albany Farmers’ Markets, Corvallis Local Foods, Creperie du Lys, Corvallis Sustainability Coalition’s Food Action Team, EcNow Tech, FireWorks Restaurant, Feast Alternative, Food Hub, Homestead Organics, Island Wild Seafoods, Jan Roberts-Dominguez, Honeybee Sweet Shop, Leaping Lamb Farm, Mennonite Village, The Mushroomery, Nature’s Fountain Farm, Nearly Normal’s, Nichols Garden Nursery, Open Oak Farm, Slow Food Corvallis, Springbank Farm, Stahlbush Island Farms, Sunset Lane Farm, Sweet Home Farms, Territorial Road Orchard, Ten Rivers Food Web/That’s My Farmer, Walker Farms (Siletz), Willamette Seed & Grain, Wilt Farms
