By Rachel Bryson-Brockmann
You’ve probably heard of “Iron Chef” ~ the unconventional Japanese (although there is now an American counterpart) TV show where world-renowned chefs compete against the in-house “Iron Chefs” to see who can concoct the most over-the-top, delicious dishes that include one special theme ingredient. Clark University is holding its own version of the eccentric show, entitled “Clark Food Fest: Cook for Hunger.” The same premise still holds, except this time there is no flamboyant “Chairman Kaga,” and the event, which will be held during the week of April 14 at Clark University’s dining hall and then again in September, is actually a fundraiser to help end hunger in the Worcester area.

The event was conceived and organized by Clark’s non-profit entrepreneurial student organization Initial Advantage. So far for the April kick-off event, the group has rallied three local restaurants ~ Zipango Sushi Bar and Grille, BABA Restaurant and Sushi Bar, and Rovezzi’s, along with possibly Tribeca and Mezcal Tequila Cantina. Each restaurant will choose a night to come to Clark’s cafeteria. The chefs from each restaurant will be notified of the theme ingredient before the competition and they’ll incorporate it into one of their signature dishes. The chefs will be cooking in one section of the cafeteria and will be using the cafeteria’s equipment. As far as providing the food for the restaurants, the cafeteria will special order the necessary ingredients and other specialty items. The students will then get to vote on which restaurant prepared the most delicious dish.

But this first “episode” is just a prequel to the over-the-top food fest that will take place in September under tents on the spacious green in front of Clark. Each chef will be armed with all the kitchen hardware to concoct whatever he or she pleases. In the main event, the chefs will prepare their signature dish on-the-spot in a dramatic fashion, followed by a tasting by the panel of judges and ~ finally ~ the naming of the winner. The small entrance fee will give you a Livestrong-type bracelet aimed to combat hunger; it will also allow you to sample any of the food prepared by the chefs. The proceeds are going directly to the Worcester County Food Bank. But the event is not only helping to stamp out local hunger, it’s also raising awareness about different cultures. “The event will include different on-campus cultural groups that will either set up tables with their own food or do a performance,” said Amanda Pearlstein, a junior at Clark and one of the main organizers of the event. And these cultural groups are not hard to find ~ with internationals accounting for eight percent of its student body, Clark is a diverse university that represents many countries all over the world.

Worcester County Food Bank distributes 4.5 million pounds of food to 71,000 individuals in Worcester County each year. “Clark Food Fest: Cook for Hunger” will be an enjoyable, simple, tasty way to help out the community!

Interested in more information? Contact Amanda Pearlstein at apearlstein@clarku.edu.