Vegan Iron Chef Competition in Ohio to be held Sunday

I couldn’t be more excited! FINALLY something in MY area :)  The 2nd Annual Vegan Iron Chef Competition will be held this Sunday at Kent State University (Ohio, ya’ll) .  I’m super, super, super stoked and TOTALLY going and with FREE admission I expect that all my area vegans will be present to represent!

Right, so here’s the deets as provided by Standing Rock Cultural Arts:

Competition will once again kick off The “Who’s Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival. The purpose of the competition is to educate the public about the health benefits of a vegan diet, both personal and ecological.

Students from Kent State University and The University of Akron will prepare vegan dishes that highlight special dietary needs as well as provide an alternative to a meat based diet. The foods they create will be samples for the audience to taste. Appetizers, Salads and Desserts can all be featured. Several Purveyors will be invited to set up and offer samples of their vegan goods.

The Main Competition will be a 4 hour event, 2-6pm, with an Emcee and Speakers, 8 pro chefs, 6 teams of Student Chefs, a garde mange display, and 8 judges ( 4 each for students and pros).

– Student Chefs will create a Pasta Dish for Audience to Sample. Vegiterranean will provide pizza samples. Molly Aubuchon will provide samples as well.

– The Competing Chefs will be required to make An Entree using vegan ingredients.

– Gardein, a vegan meat substitute, will be featured. Scot to provide Gardein. A root vegetable will also be featured.

– Jeff St. Clair of WKSU has agreed to Emcee the event again.

– University of Akron and Kent State University competition will begin at 2pm.

-6 Teams of Students. 45 minutes to cook for Students. 2 Teams start at a time, 15 minutes apart.

-Separate judging for students and pros.

-Pro Chefs will begin at 3pm. 1 hour to cook and present 12 plates: 4 for the judges, 8 for the table of 8. 2 Teams at a time, 15 minutes apart.

THE CHEFS:

Chef Alford, Professor Emeritus of University of Akron, Mr. Tofu, Molly Aubuchon, A Vegiterranean Chef, Tim Costello from KSU, Tom Rindfleisch from Organic Energy in Chagrin Falls, and Ben Bebenroth of Spice of Life Catering and Sheila Rombach, macrobiotic chef, have agreed to participate as pro chefs.

CRITERIA FOR JUDGING:

Judging will be based on

1. Flavor
2. Presentation
3. Use of Locally Grown and/or Organic Food
4. Originality

Chefs will provide judges with any necessary details when they serve the meals.

THE JUDGES:

Gary Lockwood of Standing Rock Cultural Arts and Jackie Parsons of Kent State University Dining Services have agreed to be judges. Other Judges include Kathy Hammonds, yoga instructor and urban gardener, and one judge TBA.

THE PRIZES:

For prizes, Spice of Life Catering has agreed to offer another Farm to Plate Dinner for 2, as well as a Dinner for 4 package from The Vegiterranean.

FEATURED SPEAKER:

Julie Wandling Costell, a Health Minister who is opening a new Vegan Café in Akron, Ms. Julie’s Kitchen.

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Competition is 2-6PM @ Kent State University, Student Center. 2nd Floor Dining Location.

Additional information can be found at http://WhosYourMama.org