The competition was heated at the 2015 Chefs’ Challenge, where three local cuisiniers prepared one-hour meals on the Buskirk-Chumley Theater stage.
Jason Damon, a sous chef at Feast Bakery Cafe, won the Golden Spatula placard.
The judging panel — Andrew Appel, the owner of “Goods for Cooks;” GFC co-founder Charlotte Zietlow and Carol Kugler of the Herald-Times — complimented Damon’s use of multiple peppers in his two dishes.
“Jason, I didn’t watch you in the prep as much, but what you came back with was incredibly good,” Kugler said.
Emcee Brad Wilhelm said the challenge draws from Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” where celebrity chefs are presented with a secret ingredient and given a limited amount of time to create a dish that features the item.
“The difference between ‘Iron Chef’ and this is that ‘Iron Chef’ is done for the glory of the trophy,” Wilhelm said. “This is done for the good of the community and the glory of the trophy.”
The annual event benefits the Monroe County Community Kitchen, which puts together nutritious meals with donated food, with ticket sales, an auction and donations from the live audience. Tickets cost $30 per person.
Baskets of the secret ingredient — red, green and yellow peppers — made the rounds as the chefs wielded knives and tenderizers.
Arlyn Llewellyn, who began and ended her cooking time first, made a hand-breaded pork tenderloin with arugula and peppers. She cooked her own ricotta cheese onstage to stuff into another pepper.
“I love peppers, they’re one of my favorite things because of their heat, but also their sweetness and the ability to play with so many textures,” said Llewellyn, the chef and owner of Function Brewing.
The three competitors drew on their experience in different Bloomington restaurants to create dishes that incorporated the peppers in different ways.
Levi Massie, executive chef of C3, combined a beef tartar, Mexican-inspired pico de gallo and roasted chicken. He infused a Mexican custard dessert with jalapeños and chocolate.
“I liked doing things under pressure,” Massie said. “An hour went by way faster than I thought it would.”
Damon finished the competition with gnocchi with goat cheese; grits with blue cheese and red pepper; and pork with apples, peppers and a chutney.
In his introductory video, Damon recalled learning to love food from eating with his family.
“I’ve really gotten to grow — from a kid who knew not much at all to the sous chef at Feast,” he said.
Wilhelm and fellow emcee Greg “Rags” Rago of Nick’s English Hut auctioned off seats on the theater stage as well as plates of Llewellyn’s and Damon’s food they whipped up after their turns ended.
“Everyone’s doing something different,” Rago said. ”(This year) is very diverse, it’s very feverish up here.”
Wilhelm updated the audience on work of the Monroe County Community Kitchen, which, according to the event programs, served more than 272,000 meals and snacks in 2014.
More than half of the people served by the Community Kitchen are children, according to the programs. Another 16.5 percent are senior citizens in Monroe County.
“It all goes to an amazing cause,” Wilhelm said.
