Copper Chef IV draws big crowd, first Lipscomb loss
Janel Shoun |
Nine mystery ingredients and four dishes later, Belmont University’s Chef Kevin Dorr earned his first win over three-time champ Chef Michael Sullivan of Lipscomb.
“You can’t win them all,” lamented Sullivan after the event, an hour-long contest where both chefs cook as many dishes as they can in an hour’s time.
“Maybe my loss means the team will win! I’m thinking that will be a good trade,” he said.
The Lipscomb Bisons are set to play the Belmont Bruins Friday at 6:30 p.m., in the ninth match-up since the two teams entered the NCAA. Lipscomb has won only three of the games, including this January’s win at Belmont’s Curb Center.
But before the Bisons hit the hardwood floor, Sullivan and his assistant chefs Myra Figueroa and Phil Ellenburg, Lipscomb’s general counsel, hit the kitchen floor during lunch, preparing four dishes using all nine of the mystery ingredients.
The chef at the University of Tennessee at Martin came up with the diverse mystery ingredients: quail, rabbit, dates, Yoo-hoo, Smartees, banana baby food, tofu, wonton wrappers and egg noodles.
Sullivan and his staff created: quail in a banana curry sauce with tofu and egg noodles; a chile relleno with rabbit meat; and a sopaipilla with ice cream flavored by chocolate Yoo-hoo, Smartees, dates and garnished with a wonton.
Dorr’s menu included Shitake mushroom broth with tofu, over Romano cheese grits, garnished with a potato chip and tomato relish; a spring salad with apples, pralines, bacon and wontons; and chocolate cake (made from Yoo-hoo), with whipped topping flavored with Smartees and banana-berry sauce and chocolate-covered egg noodles.
“It’s good to get this monkey off my back,” said winner Dorr, after he accepted his trophy, a chunk of Belmont Boulevard with a whisk attached. “This year it was my turn!”
Three judges from Lipscomb and three from Belmont judged the food. Lipscomb and Belmont’s cheerleaders and mascots were on hand to cheer on the chefs, and students enjoyed live-action video of the cooking commotion and food trivia and prizes during the event.