Firekeepers Casino and Hotel, in Battle Creek, staged the finale of its\u2019 month-long \u201cIron Sous Chef Competition\u201d by having finalists Jerry Bain and Randall Nash square off over four courses of cooking in \u201cBattle Bulb and Stem.\u201d In front of judges and a crowd of Firekeepers Casino\u2019s culinary staff in Nibi, the resort\u2019s premier restaurant, Bain and Randall were compelled, under pressure, to create dishes, including deserts, using lemongrass, shallot, white and green asparagus, fennel, chive, celery, onion, leeks, and celery.<\/p>\n
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In the end Nash, who is originally from Battle Creek, edged out Bain by serving a chilled shrimp salad; lamb chop; grilled mahi mahi on a soaked cedar plank with apple slaw; and a lemongrass sorbet. Bain countered with a chive crepe of jumbo lump crab; short rib over a leek fondue; smoked salmon with pureed tomato; and a Napoleon with orange cream and caramelized fennel.<\/p>\n
The dishes were rated in four categories – taste; use of ingredients; plating; and originality \u2013 by judges including Firekeepers president Bruce McKee and its\u2019 human resources VP Frank Tecumseh; Battle Creek County Club general manager Steve Redmond and radio\/tv host Michael Patrick Shiels.<\/p>\n
Firekeepers\u2019 audio-visual manager Dana Levine emceed the event, sprinkling in fun facts about food and culinary arts. \u201cHow many here have been to the \u2018Celery Museum\u2019 in Portage?\u201d he asked the crowd, for instance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great event for the food department. It creates a month of excitement,\u201d said McKee. During that month, the talents of a large number of Firekeepers sous chefs were judged in categories such as \u201cApple Wars\u201d and \u201cBattle Berries.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bain\u2019s wife Stephanie, mother Ruthann, and brother Jason were in attendance.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSince he was a young boy he\u2019s always been able to go in the cupboard, grab ingredients, and make something happen,\u201d Ruthann, of Harrison Township, explained. \u201cWe\u2019d talk about ordering a pizza and Jerry would say, \u2018Give me the $15 and I will get ingredients and make something.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Jason said his brother Jerry goes along on hunting trips not to hunt – but to serve as the cook. And his wife Stephanie says Jerry, after a day over the stove at work, even loves cooking at home. \u201cOur 5-year old already knows what \u2018levain\u2019 is,\u201d she joked. (It\u2019s a bread starter.)<\/p>\n
Nash, in victory, won a brand new set of knives; his name on a permanent plaque in the casino\u2019s kitchen, and a radio and TV appearance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"