3rd Annual Latin Cook-Off Offers Truly Spicy Competition
Emma Gladney
Issue date: 11/9/09 Section: Features
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But it was most certainly the scent that escaped the opening door of the lecture hall that caught everyone's attention. Students unaware of what was going on were suddenly tempted to defect from student group commitments, pending Strategy paper group meetings, and mock interviews in favor of an adventurous trip into their classmate's culinary heritages.
Those that followed their nowses were indeed rewarded. Colorful national flags and table cloths did little to disguise the old Executive Residence class rooms, but as the decorations denoted, the food was guaranteed to transport us as far as Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile. The food disappeared quickly as judges, competitors, club members, and those curious enough to poke their head in the door grabbed plates and moved from station to station where they were introduced to the chefs and their delicious creations.
Presentations were dynamic and cheeky and the food mouth watering. Oswaldo Maxwell, Kimberley Dillon and Roxann Belle delivered the cheekiest dish, filling shotglasses with chicken and green olive enchiladas with a surprising hint of chocolate and cinnamon. Darren Morris took us in a completely different direction with a healthy and delicious serving of vegan Andean bean stew with winter squash and red quinoa which delighted the mouth with miniature explosions like a bag of pop rocks. As Prof. Ahn noted "This would be a great way to make children eat veggies." Pop rocks will do that. The most notable Wolverine-theme for the night was undoubtedly Edgar Rivera Garza and Candice Pridjian's shameless [and brilliant] display of "maize and blue" through their chilaquiles verdes, likely the Mexican origin of nachos.
Biting into Patricia and Daniel Munoz's perfectly cooked Chilean empanadas delivered a salty, olivy flavor in a light and fluffy pocket of dough, balanced beautifully with sopipillas pebres and a tomato salsa. Priscilla Flores, Wanda Vides and Chrstine Rovello produced a phenomenal slow-cooked chicken adorned with plantains - sweet, savory goodness in a pot.
Dishes were judged on three criteria: taste, presentation, and creativity. The judges took their time deliberating and were seen going back for seconds (and thirds, no doubt). With empty pots, cleared platters, and high hopes, the contestants turned to the Gourmet Club and HLBSA board members for their results. It turned out to be the most competitive Latin Cook Off ever. The overall quality of dishes was superb, with the top-4 entries separated by only half a point.
However, in this competition, it was Peruvian cuisine that reigned supreme, pointing a spotlight on what will likely be the next ethnic food to hit America by storm. Runners up Claudia Medieta and Andrea and Sergio de Cardenas took home a $30 gift card to Café Habana with their traditional Peruvian specialty, an appetizer of potato dressed in a fantastic cream sauce and a main course of Lomo Saltado y Papas Fritos. Completing the Peruvian sweep was Carlos Carranza and Agusto Alarco's Aji De Gallina, which eked out the first place win and the $50 gift card to Café Habana. "I just spent nearly six oh-so-tasty weeks in Peru and was immediately transported back once my teeth sunk into the Peruvian goodness on my plate," said Peruvian food lover Harel Shapira, "it was just as good as I remembered."
The bright and complex flavors were a delicious and vivid reminder that Latin food is as varied in its composition as the cultures of Central and South America. For this San Franciscan, the entire event was a cure for the food-driven homesickness that had plagued me since I left The Bay. And while we had to announce a winner to satisfy our gunning nature, no one in attendance would argue that there weren't any losers - except, of course, those who ate at the Siegle Café instead.
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