Camp Staff Iron Chef Competition!

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what the heck this is all about!

THE WINNER! SOREN AND MAYA’S THAI POMEGRANATE RICE AND TOFU OF NORMALCY

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: POMEGRANATE. YEP, SOREN AND MAYA CRUSHED THE COMPETITION. A LOVELY THAI RED CURRY WITH TOFU AND YELLOW SQUASH, WITH ADDED POMEGRANATE SEEDS. SERVED OVER RICE MADE PINK WITH POMEGRANATE JUICE AND FLUFFED WITH POM SEEDS AND LOVE. YEAH THIS WAS THE MOST EDIBLE THING OF THE NIGHT, SO A SOLID WINNER. COULD HAVE BEEN SPICIER.

2nd PLACE! Logan and Ollie’s Better-Than-Sour-Cream (NOT) Supreme Strawberry Shake:

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: NON-DAIRY SOUR CREAM (BECAUSE WE ARE CRUEL). ADD FROZEN STRAWBERRIES, SUGAR, AND BLEND THE HECK OUT OF IT. SPRINKLE WITH CINNAMON OR MAPLE CINNAMON IF YOU’RE TRYING TO STEAL MORE PITY POINTS. PUT IN A FANCY GLASS JUST BECAUSE OTHERWISE ITS SADNESS IN A GLASS. SURPRISINGLY THIS WAS PRETTY GREAT.

3rd PLACE! Secret Treasure Flan: interactive cooking experience by Mac and Ethan

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE. (REALLY??? YEP.) FLAN, FLAN, FLAN. HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG? WELL, YOU’D THINK BY PUTTING WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE IN IT. BUT SOMEHOW, SOME WAY, THESE GUYS PULLED IT OFF. THEY ADDED TAMARIND TO THE SAUCE WHICH IS ACTUALLY FAIRLY BRILLIANT BECAUSE IT’S ONE OF THE FLAVORINGS IN WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE. MASSIVE POINTS FOR THAT.

5th place: Tacky Summer Salad with POM dressed in Lies (TACKY = Tess + Jacky)

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: POMEGRANATE. WELP THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO USE GRAPE JUICE BUT PURCHASED POM WHICH WAS GRAPE JUICE PLUS POMEGRANATE JUICE AND PASSED IT OFF AS GRAPE. NOT TECHNICALLY A FOUL BUT THEY HID THE DETAILS SO… HENCE “DRESSED IN LIES.”

4TH PLACE: Nora and Alex’s Delish Licorice Dish (was SUPPOSED an appETIZER but really a dessert SO WE DEDUCTED POINTS!)

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: BLACK LICORICE. BASICALLY VEGAN FROSTING BECAUSE ONE OF US IS LACTOSE INTOLERANT AND WE AIN’T SAYIN’ WHO… BUT WE HIIIIIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU USE REAL FROSTING. CUT OPEN THE STRAWBERRIES AND STUFF WITH FROSTING. YOU CAN CHOP THE LICORICE AND SPRINKLE IT ON TOP OR MELT IT AND MAKE IT A SYRUP BUT THAT IS INSANELY GROSS SO STICK TO THE SPRINKLE OF CHOPPED BITS. (NOTE: SOREN BEGS TO DIFFER, AND BELIEVES THE SAUCE WAS BRILLIANT.)

Big loser: Sweet and Spicy Jalapeño (THEY CHEATED CAUSE THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO USE HabaneroS BUT WERE TOO SCARED OF THEM) BY Katie and Svea WHO LOST POINTS AND CAME IN LAST DUE TO HOSTILITY FROM THE STAFF.

ASSIGNED INGREDIENT: HABANEROS….OR JALEPENOS IF YOU’RE TRYING TO NOT DESTROY YOUR FREINDS’ TASTE BUDS BUT THEY DON’T EVEN APPRECIATE THAT FACT AND THEY DEDUCT LIKE 5 POINTS WHICH IS TOTALLY OVER THE LINE. BRUSSEL SPROUTS, LEMON, JALEPENOS, CRANBERRIES. ROAST LIKE YOU WOULD AND THEN DRIZZLE REDUCED BALSAMIC VINEGAR OVER IT. THEN THANK YOUR FRIENDS FOR NOT BURNING YOUR MOUTH WITH HABANEROS. (DO I SOUND BITTER???)

It all started with Doritos.

Inside a chocolate cake.

Want to know what happens on Wednesday nights after the campers go home?

For the first time ever we are going to reveal they mystery of…

The Camp Equinox Staff Iron Chef Competition!!!

(Best if read aloud with your campers over dinner:) So here’s how it goes. After clean-up, the camp staff stand in a circle. The anticipation and tension mounts. We buddy up and clump with our designated cooking partner, awaiting our fate: What will we each be assigned? Fruit roll-up in a salad? Orange Crush soda as an ingredient for the main meal?

The pressure is real.

Each pair whispers, eyeing the competition. Then slowly, menacingly, they turn to the pair next to them and pronounce their fate:

“NON-DAIRY SOUR CREAM AS THE ASSIGNED INGREDIENT IN THE BEVERAGE!!!”

“BLACK LICORICE IN THE APPETIZER!”

“WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE IN THE DESSERT!”

AAAAGH! And it’s on! The pairs flee to their cars, dash to Safeway and head home to prep what can only be a wild success, a terrifying flop, or a divisive concoction that leads to 2’s and 9’s on the voting scale later that night. The staff arrive an hour or two later at Katie and Soren’s, either dashing in at the last moment, vegan strawberry frosting in their hair, a frenzied look in their eyes… or perhaps with a cool, calm, collected mischievous grin, and something—no one knows what—hidden in a pan under tinfoil awaiting a gentle reheating.

And it begins:

“Good evening!” says a buoyant, giddy beverage duo. (They look very unsure, giggling… they’ve given up, you can tell, but are ready to share and accept their fate.) “We present for you, a non-dairy sour cream strawberry maple cinnamon smoothie!!”

The rest of the staff looks doubtful, worried, downright grossed out.

One sip.

Hmmmm….

Two sips.

Huh.

Three sips.

Actually… it’s pretty good!

And so we begin Year 3 of the Equinox Iron Chef Competition! We will bring to you, on this page, our terrifying endeavors, brilliant concoctions, and confusing attempts! Along with the winners and losers and photos that will amaze, inspire, possibly repulse, but certainly intrigue.

From our Staff family to yours!

DO try this at home!

Love, The Staff