Two Durango chefs shopped, chopped, sauteed and grilled at Saturday’s sixth annual Iron Horse Chef cooking competition, a friendly, 90-minute cook-off that showcased their culinary skills along with the abundance of local foods available at the Durango Farmers Market.
More than 100 onlookers oohed and aahed as Chef Sean Clark of El Moro Spirits and Tavern edged out Chef Safari Ngumbao of Mahogany Grille in the semifinal round.
Both men offered three- to four-course menus featuring delicacies such as shishito pepper gazpacho and lavender-crusted goat cheese in warm beet salad with cardamom and honey syrup. Local lamb entrees were served with couscous or risotto. Fresh herbs and garnishes were abundant. Chilled desserts were made with locally produced dairy products, berries and honey.
The chefs, with the assistance of students from Durango High School’s ProStart culinary program, cooked under tented canopies in full view of spectators crowding around the miniature kitchens.
Gas grills, food processors, cutting boards and saute pans shared temporary space with pantry staples of flour, sugar, citrus, seasonings, vinegars and olive oil. Each team brought its own utensils, plates and coolers packed with whatever could not be purchased in a timed shopping spree at the Farmers Market.
“It’s hard to do this when you’re out of your space,” chef contestant Clark said of the makeshift outdoor kitchen.
As if reviewing a packing list for a camping trip, each chef quietly consulted detailed notes and timelines while the crowd milled about on the north end of the market, waiting for the competition to begin. Knives were already sharpened and heated grills fired up and ready to go long before the 9 a.m. start.
Volunteers from Growing Partners of Southwest Colorado and Colorado State University Extension’s master gardener program kept the momentum going until judges finally sat down to enjoy two vastly different menus.
Former Iron Horse Chef winner Ryan Lowe of the Ore House, one of four volunteer judges at this year’s event, described Safari’s three fragrant courses as “tropical nouveau,” noting the menu’s ethnic influence. Safari’s sauced lamb meatballs contrasted with a delicately scented mint couscous. A jack-fruit-based citrus cocktail offered a refreshing cool-down as temperatures began a steep climb under a cloudless mid-morning sky.
Lowe described Clark’s winning menu as “rustic farm-to-table, a simple execution of a wide range of products.” His lamb chops with mint chimichurri sauce were served with a nine-minute risotto created in a pressure cooker. Sauteed, julienned carrots, zucchini and shiitake mushrooms were part of a menu that was “clean and vibrant,” Lowe said.
The traditional chimichurri sauce combined mint with parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar and fresh lemon juice.
Clark said the contest is all about being resourceful with what’s available and rolling with the punches in a non-controlled cooking environment.
“It’s doing what you can do as fast as you can do it,” he said.
Iron Horse Chef judge Tish Nelson also noted that both chefs cooked very well under pressure. “It was pretty amazing, but it was like comparing apples to oranges,” she said.
Nelson’s name was randomly drawn from a lottery pool of Farmers Market shoppers who applied to fill one of four judge’s seats. Nelson joined Lowe, lamb producer Malisha Sutherlin and Erin Jolley, the Southwest Colorado coordinator for Cooking Matters, which teaches families to prepare healthy, affordable meals.
Nelson said Clark’s lamb chops with mint chimichurri was her favorite entree. Equally impressive was Safari’s tasty, deep-fried avocado stuffed with a creamy blend of goat feta, black pepper and strawberries, Nelson said.
“The presentation was just superb,” Nelson said.
Lowe called the event a success because it demonstrated what it takes to pull food together under pressure, while offering the crowd some great food preparation ideas to try at home.
“The crowd got to see how integrated the food system in Durango has become,” Lowe said of the wide range of food products that are available locally this time of year.
To be successful, competitors must come already prepared with a tentative menu based on ingredients that typically are abundant in mid-July, but the featured protein was not revealed until minutes before the contest began. Lowe said it can be difficult for chefs to resist the temptation to fluctuate from their planned menus, once they see what the market offers on the actual day of the event.
“It helps if you have clarity of mind and you’re able to limit what you’ll allow yourself to change,” Lowe said.
Clark will meet up with defending champion 2012 Iron Horse Chef winner Warren Smith of Manna Soup Kitchen on Aug. 17 for the final round to determine who takes home the traveling trophy, a personalized Iron Horse Chef competition jacket and other prizes donated by several Durango businesses.
kbrucolianesi@durangoherald.com
