Video: Students dish out creativity in Iron Chef competition

For some students, the menu in Commons is just a starting point.

They mix and match items from the various food stations, and what emerges could be anything from bruschetta to a strawberry tart, or almost anything with pesto on it.

“Students are fantastic chefs in their own right,” says Dining Services director Cheryl Lacey. “It’s amazing the things they come up with.”

Showcasing that creative culinary spirit, Bates hosted a version of Iron Chef on May 5, in which seven students created dishes from their own recipes, the “theme ingredient” being food available in Commons that evening.


Video by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College

The event was hosted by Dining Services and the student advisory group CHEWS — the Commons Healthy Eating and Wellness Society — whose motto is “Be Bold, Be Creative, Be a Healthy Bobcat!”

The dishes:

  • (First Prize) Pita Pizza by Ben McCormack ’14 of New Castle, N.H.
  • (Second Prize) Pita with Spiced Shredded Beef and Homemade Yogurt Sauce by Michael Arsnow ’14 of Lynnfield, Mass.
  • (Third Prize) Lexy’s Strawberry Tart by Abby Weinreb ’14 of West Hartford, Conn.
  • Toasted Rosemary Borealis Turkey Sandwich by Lila Chalabi ’15 of New York City
  • Chicken Pasta Primavera by Gideon Ikpekaogu ’17 of Lagos, Nigeria
  • Chicken Pesto Pizza by Jeremy Mack ’16 of Brooklyn, N.H.