In the countdown to this year’s Taste of Peñasco and Iron Chef Competition set for Feb. 11 in Plaza del Camarón, the culinary arts department of the local UTPP (Technological University of Puerto Peñasco) recently sharpened up their knives and took over the kitchen of Emiliano’s at the Sonoran Sun with their own “mini Iron Chef” to see which victorious team will be representing UTPP on the big day. That’s right, one of the Iron Chef Competitors will be a team from the UTPP!
UTPP instructor and local catering entrepreneur Jerry Cañez invited some of his students to the “mini” Iron Chef competition; they showed up with their A-game dressed in their finest chef garb. The teams included the shy yet stalwart pair of Blanca Cuadras and Gabriela Mata, the “we-have-serious-knife-skills” duet of Roberto Lizarraga and Ivan Castillo, the confident and determined male/female twosome of Norza Perez and Edson Juarez, and the intense concentration of the fourth duo Irving Sosa and Armando Carmona.
Without knowing what the “secret ingredient” would be until the last agonizing second, the teams had 15 minutes to prepare a salad, 30 minutes for a main dish, and 15 for a dessert. The secret ingredient was then revealed….grapefruit! Shuffling to and fro around the kitchen, the teams took on their first task and 15 minutes later (though it felt like 5) the salad dishes were whisked out the door to the four-man judging panel eagerly awaiting in the restaurant. No sooner were the salads gone, after 30 minutes of preparation the main dishes made their way to the table – and were quickly deconstructed, reconstructed, and critiqued – followed by the colorful desserts.
The panel, made up of local Chef Rene Acosta, UTPP culinary arts instructor Jorge Espinoza, and restaurant administrators Francisco Nava and Miguel de Alberti (with at least 50 years or more of management experience between the two of them), were more than serious about their responsibility of judging the teams on presentation, taste, and creativity in use of the secret ingredient. Acosta, who currently works at Don Julio’s, has been part of opening about 15 or more restaurants in Rocky Point including Ocean View, Lluvia del Mar, and La Familia at the Reef. Espinoza was part of the first culinary class that graduated from UTH (Technical University of Hermosillo) and currently teaches at UTPP. Nava, originally from Guerrero though having lived principally in Mexico City, has worked in the restaurant world nearly his entire life and has taken on responsibilities of preparing new menus, tastings, and overall administration. De Alberti, current manager of Emiliano’s at the Sonoran Sun, has worked at or helped administrate restaurants from Sonora to Acapulco, including three well known spots in Cuernavaca, Morelos (Misión del Sol, Las Mañanitas, and Vivaldi). With that line up of culinary experience, I was glad to just be able to sample the dishes and not have to judge them.
Each dish was brought out by assistants so the judges could not see which team had prepared what. There were slices, dices, and bits of grapefruit decorating each plate and incorporated into sauces. The judges were tough – really tough – and took time to jot down constructive critiques to give the culinary students while also meticulously breaking down and discussing each element of every single dish. Again, in addition to not having to be a judge I’m glad I was not tasked with “cheffing it up” in the kitchen.
It would appear that in addition to the grapefruit, the real “secret ingredient” in this competition ended up being the race against time and yes, there were cases in which I’m not sure even the grapefruit made it onto the plate. 
The judges didn’t hold back in their comments to the participants, sharing that this was also part of a real-life test to imagine what it may be like to work in a busy restaurant with lots of dishes to get out quickly. They all highlighted the importance of organization in becoming a chef and congratulated all of the aspiring chefs for having stepped into this mini Iron Chef experience.
Emerging from the aromas spilling out of the kitchen throughout the competition, the 2 woman team of Blanca Cuadras and Gabriela Mata came out with the highest point score and will be the UTPP team taking on skilled city chefs in the Feb. 11th Iron Chef Competition at the Taste of Peñasco. Good luck ladies!!!
It is worth noting the UTPP culinary arts students are planning a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner to be held at the new Quinta Ventura event facility, tickets are still available and must be purchased ahead of time. The dinner will include a main dish, dessert, and a complimentary glass of wine. Additional drinks available for purchase. Tickets are $200 pesos each and space is limited, for more information contact Jerry Cañez at jerrycanez@hotmail.com or by phone (English/Spanish) cell: 638-115-0983 Funds from the event will be used for a gala dinner the students will put on for their parents prior to graduation.
Concurso de Cocina entre estudiantes de la UTPP
En preparación para el gran concurso de Iron Chef que será parte de los eventos alrededor del “Taste of Peñasco” (Sabor de Peñasco) que se llevará a cabo el 11 de febrero en la Plaza del Camarón, unos estudiantes para chefs de la Universidad Tecnológica de Puerto Peñasco (UTPP) realizaron su propio concurso para ver cual grupo de entre ellos enfrentará valientemente a otros chefs talentosos de la localidad. ¡Asi es, habrá un equipo de chefs de la UTPP en el concurso de Iron Chef!
Jerry Cañez, instructor en la UTPP y empresario culinario, organizó el evento entre los estudiantes lo cual incluyo la participación del equipo tímido pero peligroso formado por Blanca Cuadras y Gabriela Mata, el dúo ágil con los cuchillos Roberto Lizarraga e Ivan Castillo, el equipo de hombre y mujer y mucha confianza Norza Perez y Edson Juarez, y la concentración intensa de Irving Sosa y Armando Carmona. Así mismo, Cañez había invitado a cuatro jueces conocedores en el ámbito culinario a participar: Rene Acosta (Chef del Restaurante Don Julio), Miguel de Alberti (Gerente del Restaurante Emiliano’s), Jorge Espinoza (Chef de UTPP), y Francisco Nava (Gerente de Alimentos y bebidas).
Reunidos en la cocina del Restaurant Emiliano’s en el desarrollo Sonoran Sun, los equipos tuvieron 15 minutos para preparar una ensalada, 30 minutos para el platillo fuerte, y otros 15 para el postre…y solo unos minutos antes de empezar les fue revelado el ingrediente secreto en este caso…toronja. El ingrediente secreto tenía que ser parte de cada plato mientras los jueces calificaron los equipos en tres categorías: presentación, sabor, y uso del ingrediente secreto. Aunque tuve el placer de probar los platillos, qué alivio! no tuve la responsabilidad ni de prepararlos ni de juzgarlos.
Lo que si fue cierto es que el otro ingrediente secreto del concurso fue el tiempo limitado, aunque los jueces determinaron que esto fue precisamente una prueba a fuego de la vida real cuando a veces se tiene que preparar una variedad de platos al mismo tiempo en un restaurante. Los jueces tomaron sus papeles muy en serio y al final del concurso impartieron sus observaciones y experiencia con los estudiantes al proporcionarles comentarios de crítica constructiva.
Al final, entre el humo y los aromas que salían de la cocina, el equipo de Blanca Cuadras y Gabriela Mata resultaron ser las ganadoras!! ¡Felicidades! Ahora a enfrentar los otros chefs en la Plaza del Camarón el 11 de febrero – el concurso empieza a las 11 a.m. en punto!
Cabe mencionar que el departamento de gastronomía de la UTPP planea una cena romántica para celebrar el Día de Amor y de la Amistad, que se llevará a cabo en las instalaciones de Quinta Ventura precisamente el 14 de febrero. Los boletos cuestan $200 pesos cada uno e incluyen dos tiempos (plato fuerte y postre) y una copa de vino. Para mayores informes, favor de comunicarse con Geraldo (Jerry) Cañez jerrycanez@hotmail.com o cel: 638-115-0983. Los fondos del evento se destinarán a una cena de gala que prepararán los estudiantes de la UTPP para sus padres poco antes de graduarse.