Scott crowned Iron Chef
Rare Grill House chef impresses judges at annual downtown market cook-off
For a chef who likes to highlight one local ingredient in a dish, combining more than 20 at time was a challenge.
Tyler Scott took that challenge, however, and nailed it.
He’s the chef at Rare Grill House. He’s also this year’s Iron Chef.
Scott was one of four local chefs to compete Wednesday in the Iron Chef Market Cook-Off Challenge at the Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market.
The 26-year-old has been at Rare for four years and is a graduate of Kenner Collegiate.
Chefs Bonnie Kubica of BE Catering, Belinda Willis from Primal Cuts and Kevin McKenna of South Pond Farms in Bethany were also on the roster.
Each chef was given a basket filled with the same ingredients, all donated from producers at the market. Items ranged from zucchini to melon and peameal bacon to chocolate.
The chefs also got $10 worth of Nourish Market Dollars to purchase a special ingredient from any vendor.
They were then given 90 minutes to create a dish – right there in the Louis Street parking lot – that would wow the panel of judges.
Scott used his cash to get horseradish. And that ingredient may just be what helped him win. He used it in his chicken dish, stuffing the poultry with chocolate, cheese Participating chefs including returning champion Bonnie Kubica from BE Catering, Kev McKenna of South Pond Farms, Belinda Willis from Primal Cuts and winner Tyler Scott from Rare Grill House in the fifth annual Iron Chef Market Cook-Off Challenge on Wednesday at the Peterborough Downtown Farmers' Market. Participating local chefs had 1 1/2 hours to prepare their gourmet seasonal dishes on-site for the judges to sample and rate. See more photographs from the event in the online gallery at www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com. and horseradish.
That’s what won over judge Catherine Hanrahan and Pete Dalliday of Fresh 100.5.
“He stuffed chocolate and cheese in a chicken,” Hanrahan said.
The morning radio host admitted she’s no culinary expert, so she goes with what she knows.
“You eat with your eyes and you eat with your mouth,” said Hanrahan, adding ultimately she choses what’s most delicious.
That’s how fellow judge Toula Pappas, 12, came to her decision, too.
“If it tastes good and if it looks good,” said Toula of how she narrows it down.
The pre-teen sampled alongside her dad, Coun. Dean Pappas. They’ve been judging the contest together since the competition started five years ago.
Hanrahan said she thinks it’s great that they have a young person in our judge’s panel every year.
“A lot of the time, we might be tempted to say ‘it’s fine food, it’s fancy food, it’s not accessible’ – but these were all delicious things and you don’t have to have a big, complicated pallet – this was really delicious food for everyone,” Hanrahan said.
The Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market runs every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., from May until Oct. 25.