Pasta dishes show talent

The culinary arts department hosted an Iron Chef Cook-Off that opened the semeter at the Three Seasons Restaurant on Thursday, using pasta as the main ingredient.

Entry to the event was a cover charge of $5. The proceeds will help raise funds for the department along with paying for the expenses to create the cook-off.

The event began with the introduction of the five different teams who each made different pasta-inspired dishes.

Culinary arts Chairperson Nader Sharkes said, “This is a traditional event for our department. It happens at the beginning of each semester to motivate students to get going (with the semester).”

Student-athlete William Robinson said, “The cupcake lasagna was by far the best dish here and it reminded me of home, North Carolina. It was just extremely good.”

Patrons were asked to place their tickets into the jars next to the dishes that they liked the most.  Toward the end of the event, Sharkes asked the participating teams to bring their jars to the judging table and LAVA Division Dean Susan Lee calculated all of the votes earned for each group.

The grand prize, won by the group LWK, was an opportunity to tour the CBS studios of its affiliate in the Bay Area, Channel 5, in addition to some culinary items.

“I feel awesome that my team members coordinated the group and put everything together as planned,” LWK leader Brittany Lane said.

“I think this is a great way to set the tone for the semester with some competition to get students going.”