Sixty minutes, seven teams, three-course meals and only one winner.

In addition to measuring a various number ingredients, this was the math that the competitors in the Loyola Asian Student Organization Iron Chef Competition had to think about as they raced against the clock to impress the judges on April 2 in the St. Charles Room.

By 7 p.m. the St. Charles room transformed into a room filled with excitement, people running around, and the delicious aroma of Asian cuisine filling the air. The seven teams participating in the event were LASO, the Muslim Student Association, the Black Student Union, the Xavier University Vietnamese Association, the Tulane University Vietnamese Association, the Louisiana State University Vietnamese Association and the Vietnamese-American Young Leaders Association of New Orleans.

LASO members said that the event is hosted yearly.

“It’s tradition, we have it every year, all of the Asian organizations come together for culture and fun.” said Chris Alcazar, LASO co-president and visual arts junior.
The rules of the competition were simple. Each team had exactly one hour to prepare a three-course meal using tofu, the secret ingredient. Teams had to be sure that tofu was in every portion of the meal and place their creations in decorative manner. Afterwards judges from local restaurants, as well as Loyola’s own head chef, tasted each of the teams’ creations and judged them based on creativity of placement, how well the secret ingredient was incorporated and the taste.

LASO’s group “[To]o [Fu]nky” was made up of biology seniors Kieu Hoang, Anna Vu, Yen Nguyen and psychology senior Loan Tran. The girls put on their aprons and took out their cutting boards. Though it was not a requirement that the recipes had to remain secret, the girls chose to keep quiet.

“It’s a secret, we want the audience to be surprised. We are trying a different type of cooking.” said Hoang.

Defending champions from the Black Student Union were not as secretive in talking about their hopes for the competition.

“I’m pretty confident. I want to give the best presentation possible, I want it to be perfect, I am perfectionist,” said Michael Jackson, BSU member and music industries sophomore.

The teams worked chopping all types of vegetables, mixing ingredients and making sure their creations were aesthetic. Yet minutes turned into seconds and soon the teams had to race their cuisine to the judges’ table.

After sampling a total of 21 dishes, the judges had to make the decision of who would be the next Iron Chef. After a short pause the judges announced that the group “[To] o [Fu]nky” were the winners of the Iron Chef Competition. With a loud applause and cheers from the audience the group ran to receive their Iron Chef trophy.

Angie Hernandez can be reached at [email protected].