A fierce battle is being waged at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant. At stake? The honor of being named the best hourly chef in all of Iron Hill’s 11 locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
Here’s how it works: Each location hosts a mini culinary competition, with hourly chefs creating one dish—any dish they’d like—in just one hour. Contestants have full Iron Hill pantry access and can also bring in outside ingredients/supplies of their own. Everything must be prepared from scratch; no precooked ingredients are permitted. The winner at each location heads next to a regional challenge; those winners in turn move on to the finals. The winner gets some pretty sweet prizes, but for these hard-working men and women, it’s more about the bragging rights.
Last week I was honored to taste-test and judge chef-testants at the Iron Hill Chestnut Hill competition. Under the watchful eye of Head Chef Jared Cannon, six competitors cooked their hearts out, engaged in some friendly trash talk and presented me and my fellow judges with a diverse array of creative dishes. “In these slower winter months, a competition like this is great for morale,” explained Jared. “It engages those who want to participate and encourages them to be creative and keep their skills honed.”
Joining me as judges were Suzanne Woods, Mid-Atlantic Market Manager for Allagash Brewing Company, and Chris LaPierre, Head Brewer at Iron Hill Chestnut Hill. We received score cards on which we rated each dish, on a scale of 1–10, in three categories: taste, appearance and creativity. To maintain the anonymity of the chefs, Jared brought each dish to our judging table and gave a brief explanation of its ingredients. After tasting all of the dishes, we were able to meet the chefs individually to ask questions.
The tasting began with green chili shrimp, artfully presented in a martini glass and accompanied by tortilla chips. This colorful balance of flash-cooked shrimp, cucumber, avocado, cilantro and purple onion kicked off the competition with big, balanced—but definitely not overpowering—flavors. Next up was sazon chicken, a perfectly cooked thigh with deliciously crispy skin atop a gorgeous red Spanish-style stew rich with adobo, pimentón and a surprising ingredient, yucca. The competition was off to a magnificent start.
The third dish, Iron Hill surf & turf, appealed to our palates by incorporating two different Iron Hill beers (Russian Imperial Stout and Rising Sun) into sauces for both a grilled filet and chipotle-agave shrimp, which flanked a hearty mound of potatoes. Three thumbs up for the creative use of beer! Following on its heels came scallop two ways, a dish that arrived like a harbinger of spring. To one side, a pool of fresh, bright pea puree provided the base for a perfectly seared jumbo scallop. The other half of this creatively presented plate was an ambitious scallop mousseline accented by a single Parmesan tuile.
Our taste buds got a kick with the next entry, a spicy pork bun. Pulled roasted pork with a ton of heat was piled high with pickled cucumber-carrot slaw, drizzled with mango-coconut puree and packed into a pizza dough bun, a wonderful vehicle for this juicy, flavorful dish. Rounding out the competition was the substantial White Iron Wit orange-ginger glazed pork loin. The second dish of the competition making use of beer—in this case one of the new Iron Hill house brews—was a meal unto itself, featuring seared, oven-finished pork loin; creamy white cheddar and red pepper smashed potatoes; and crispy roasted brussels sprouts.
Our hunger satiated (and then some!), the judges and I began the difficult deliberation process. In the end, creativity, flavor and inspiration won the day, and we named our top three. First place went to Bob Lemma for his scallop two ways, an exceptionally creative, modern dish that shined by showcasing seasonal ingredients and advanced culinary technique. The second place winner was Emiglio Morales, whose green chili shrimp boasted perfectly balanced flavors, with each ingredient shining in its own right while still contributing to a wonderfully well-rounded dish. Completing our top three was Robert Lewandowski’s sazon chicken, a soulful plate prepared in memory of his grandmother, whose culinary gifts have clearly been passed on to a new generation.
The next time you’re dining at Iron Hill Chestnut Hill, be sure to give a round of applause to the talented team in the kitchen. And stay tuned to see how Bob fares in the next round of competition!
Iron Hill Chestnut Hill is located at 8400 Germantown Ave. in Philadelphia; phone: (215) 948-5600.
Photo credits: Michele Kornegay
