Pottstown >> Sweet and savory were flavors on the menu for “Grumpy’s Chopped Challenge” with the Pottstown High School culinary arts program on Monday afternoon.
The local cooking competition was very similar to the reality TV showed Chopped. High School student chefs had 45 minutes to make a sandwich dish then 30 minutes to create a cupcake. Students were required to use mystery ingredients that were revealed in a box right before the competition began.
The theme for this year’s contest was “Heart Healthy” meaning the sandwich had to be less than 400 calories and the cupcake had to be less than 300 calories. The Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation sponsored the event.
Sheila and Eugene Dugan, owners of Grumpy’s restaurant on High Street, came up with the idea for the chopped challenge three years ago.
“It is a really great skill. It’s a great way to give back to the community and give back to the kids,” Sheila said.
She has four children that attend high school and thought bringing the challenge to students would help build their confidence.
Eugene, aka Grumpy, said after students finish the competition and relax, they are proud of the dishes they create.
He said this year’s contest was the best yet because it was more challenging and a baking category was added. Students competed for a chance to get their sandwich dish on the Grumpy’s menu and their cupcake creation on the menu of Beverly’s Pastry Shop, which is located on High Street.
Once the timer started, 11 students ran to the kitchen and started mixing, frying and baking. It’s was certainly hot in the kitchen. Not just because of all the cooking, but the space used for the competition was crowded with contestants, school district staff and the media.
Judges were encouraged to watch students prepare dishes to see how they worked with one another under pressure. The four judges were Pottstown School District Superintendant Jeff Sparagana, Kristen Sirbak of Beverly’s Pasty Shop, Grumpy himself and Michilea Patterson of The Mercury’s Fit for Life initiative.
The judging was completely blind and plates were identified by a letter not student names. Dishes were rated on taste, presentation, creativity and use of all mystery ingredients. Students had to make a sandwich with orange marmalade, peanut granola bar and salmon. The cupcake had to be made with chocolate cake mix, goat cheese, red pepper jelly and lemon grass.
Culinary arts instructor Jackie Mathias said this year’s competition was definitely a challenge for students. She said students hadn’t cooked with salmon before Monday’s competition.
“So that was a challenge right off the back, a fish that we had never worked with before,” she said.
She said it was another “curve ball” when it was revealed the sandwiches had to be made with no bread. The young chefs had to be creative by making wraps out of lettuce or using tortillas.
Eugene said the heart healthy aspect of the challenge caused students to be more aware of what they put in the food they create.
“It’s making them think about what they’re eating,” he said.
There were six sandwiches that were judged and the winning dish belonged to junior Kyle Weller, who created a salmon wrap with a vinaigrette and crunchy peanut topping. He seemed pleasantly surprised when he was announced the winner. He said he is an avid cook at home.
Judges had three decadent cupcakes to choose for the baking category. Junior Kayla Wise and senior Brianna Gribble won the judges over with their pepper jelly filled chocolate cupcake topped with a goat cheese frosting.
“I was really proud of our cupcake,” Gribble said.
Sirbak, owner of Beverly’s Pastry Shop, said using the pepper jelly as a filling was “phenomenal.” She said the cupcake was so delicious that she was going to try make it at home.
“I thought today was great…They are really creative and I can’t wait until next year.”
The winners of the chopped challenge went home with some big prizes with more to come. The students received boxes with several cooking utensils. The winners will also receive a cash prize of $50. Of course the biggest honor is having their dish on the menu of a restaurant. Starting May 6, Weller’s winning salmon wrap will be available for purchase at Grump’s every Wednesday. The winning cupcake will be on sell at Beverly’s Pastry Shop. A portion of the sales will go back to the culinary arts program. Sheila said $400 have already been donated to the program through previous chopped challenges.
To learn more about Grumpy’s restaurant visit the website at www.grumpyssandwiches.com and for more about Beverly’s Pastry shop visit www.beverlyspastryshop.com.
The Mercury is engaged in a long-term effort, Fit for Life, designed to promote healthy living. In addition to articles in the newspaper and on our website, Fit for Life features a blog with recipes, health tips, resources, tips on getting fit without breaking the bank, maps and other tools all available free online. Visit the website at pottsmercfit4life.wordpress.com, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MercFit4Life and follow our efforts on Twitter @MercFit4Life.
