In February, three U of T students got a chance to let their foodie flags fly: they took part in the annual Inter-University Student Iron Chef Competition, hosted at U of T for the first time. U of T executive chef James Piggott coached students Felipe Branco, Brettany Colette and Jordan Su in preparation for the high-pressure cook-off against teams from McGill University, University of Ottawa and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
On competition day, each team was given two-and-a-half hours to create an appetizer and a main course, incorporating ingredients that had only been revealed to them the night before. The U of T team’s main dish, an Indian-styled ramen, fell a bit short on flavour, according to the judging panel – but their gravlax (a cured salmon) drew unanimous praise, earning them the best appetizer prize.
Overall, the U of T chefs placed a close second behind UMass Amherst, the defending champions. “I’m very proud of my team,” says Colette. “They’ve taught me a lot, and I’m grateful for the experience.”
Watch: The Iron Chef 2017 finale
Recent Posts
Clearing the Air
U of T wants to drastically cut carbon emissions by 2050. It’s enlisting on-campus ingenuity for help
The Extremism Machine
Online disinformation poses a danger to society. Researchers at U of T’s Citizen Lab are tracking it – and trying to figure out how to stop it
Charting Hip Hop’s Course
Professor Mark V. Campbell grew up during the early years of rap music. Now, he is helping preserve Canadian hip-hop culture for future generations