On November 13, 2018, FEED Berkeley hosted its second “Chopped” Cook-Off in light of Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week. The cook-off challenged groups of 3-5 students to create healthy, sustainable meals using affordable ingredients. Participating groups included the Global Environment Theme House (GETH), Epsilon Eta, the Basic Needs Security Committee, the Food Pantry, and FEED.
The Rules
Following the format of the TV show with some minor changes, the cook-off consisted of two rounds: entree and dessert. Teams had 45 minutes to complete their dishes and needed to incorporate the secret ingredients given. This semester’s theme was Friendsgiving with an emphasis on using local ingredients. Unlike the show, however, no teams would be eliminated.
The panel of judges included two members of FEED, a representative of the Food Pantry, and a representative of the Berkeley Student Food Collective. When evaluating the dishes, judges not only would consider the taste, presentation, and use of secret ingredients but the cultural culinary inspirations and sustainable use of ingredients, e.g. how much waste was made.
The Entree Round
After the brief introduction about the event, the teams restlessly huddled around the basket of secret ingredients to see what was inside. For the entree round, competitors had to use cabbage and okra in their dishes. Once the basket was opened, the competitors scrambled to grab the available ingredients and rushed to their stations.
Epsilon Eta prepared an Asian-inspired stir-fried noodle dish topped with fried okra and cabbage. GETH cooked up an okra jambalaya served with a sunny side up egg and cabbage cole slaw. BNS served an okra fried rice mixed with cabbage. FEED presented a vegetable medley salad served on cabbage with fried okra chips. Lastly, the Food Pantry created an Asian American-inspired cabbage wrap stuffed with okra and corn, with a sweet potato frite on the side.
The Dessert Round
Once the judges had tasted all the dishes, the teams returned to their stations for the dessert round. The dessert basket included persimmons, cactus pears, and Puffins cereal. However, there was another challenge: none of the ingredients were restocked. In other words, the amount of sugar you had at the start of the competition was what you had left for the dessert round.
First up, the Food Pantry made a Puffins mochi with a cactus pear reduction and persimmons caramelized in brown sugar. FEED baked oatmeal Puffins cups topped with reduced almond milk cream and caramelized cactus pears and persimmons. BNS served a fruit oatmeal with a boiled cactus pear, persimmon, and apple tea on the side. GETH made a rice pudding with persimmon and toasted puffins and meringue cloud. Lastly, Epsilon Eta made a cactus pear reduction with balsamic vinegar.
The Verdict
After tasting both the entrees and the desserts, the judges came to their decision. For the entree round, balancing the ingredients and seasoning was the major roadblock for each team. For the dessert round, all teams, except GETH, forgot to strain the cactus pear seeds. With these notes aside, the judges announced Best Entree, Best Dessert, and the winner.
Best Entree went to FEED for their vegetable medley and fried okra chips—the okra chips and the pumpkin puree dipping sauce winning the judges over. Best Dessert went to GETH for their rice pudding, since the pudding and meringue “cloud” were packed with flavor. Last but not least, Epsilon Eta took first place for the second time in a row for their creativity in both rounds.
Once the judges declared the winners, the event concluded. As someone who participated in the cook-off, I didn’t realize that with a few basic ingredients you could make something tasty, affordable, and sustainable at the same time. We may be busy college students running on a budget, but with a little creativity, a dollar can turn into a flavorful and nutritious meal.