Titanium
Chef Challenge
DEFCON 15 Photos and Results
this year's theme ingredient... fowl birds
The following teams signed up for the contest this year...
|
Team
Smoke
|
Team
Tall Boy
|
Team
Spice Weasels
|
Team
Team Plus Plus
|
Team
WOPR
|
|
VanSmaq
and crew |
Sputicus
Matt Dave B |
Babak
JVR Kari |
psytek
et. al.? |
fallout
sputicus #2 manos |
Team Smoke did an amazing job, as always. In addition to laying down a remarkable meal of grilled meat and mozzarella/tomato sides they had their full-power meat smoker in operation all day long, preparing loads and loads of tender, flavorful birds for anyone who wanted to try them. Keep in mind that not only did they not use any smoked meats in their final submission (since they had been preparing those birds earlier in the day, outside of the time window for the contest) but VanSmaq actually left Sunset Park and fought his way all the way back to the Riv in mid-day traffic just to be present for the announcement of the theme ingredient... he then turned right around and slagged his way back to the park. Is that laudable commitment to the spirit of the rules or what!?
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Team Tall Boy was the only other scored contender this year. sputicus, along with his two partners matt & dave, created a terrific Thai-themed meal with lots of wonderful heat. And what a beautiful presentation!
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The Spice Weasels were late in arriving to the park... but even though they were unable to offer up an official result, they still took the time to cook all of their dishes and present them to the crowd for public consumption and enjoyment. What class acts.
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Team Team Plus Plus and Team WOPR were not able to arrive at the park in time to compete (psytek was on a delayed flight and fallout did not have a ride of his own) but we thank them for their interest. I do believe that they may have made it to the ToxicBBQ later on, however... so at least they got to see everyone and hang out with people enjoying one of DEFCON's best events.
I want to thank all of my judges whose collective opinions were invaluable to the contest. Due to the high value of the prize and the fact that i'm close with many of the team members, this year i recused myself from the scoring process. Thank you Joia, SkyDog, Banasidhe, fool, meee, DaKahuna, and MBI for stepping up to the task of tasting and rating all of the fine offerings presented here!
Scores...
|
Team
Smoke
|
joia
|
skydog
|
banasidhe
|
fool
|
meee
|
dakahuna
|
mbi
|
averages
|
|
dish
#1 taste
|
9
|
7
|
7
|
9
|
10
|
8
|
9
|
8.43
|
|
dish
#1 plating
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
7
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
8.57
|
|
dish
#1 creativity
|
9
|
7
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
6
|
9
|
7.86
|
|
dish
#2 taste
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
10
|
9
|
10
|
8
|
9.14
|
|
dish
#2 plating
|
10
|
9
|
9
|
5
|
10
|
9
|
10
|
8.86
|
|
dish
#2 creativity
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
9
|
9
|
6
|
10
|
8.71
|
|
side
dish taste
|
10
|
8
|
10
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
7
|
7.86
|
|
side
dish plating
|
7
|
7
|
10
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
8.00
|
|
side
dish creativity
|
9
|
8
|
8
|
9
|
7
|
7
|
6
|
7.71
|
|
drink
flavor
|
7
|
7
|
8
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
|
7.17
|
|
drink
appearance
|
7
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
2
|
6
|
|
5.33
|
|
drink
creativity
|
7
|
9
|
4
|
6
|
8
|
6
|
|
6.67
|
|
overall
harmony
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
3
|
8
|
10
|
|
8.00
|
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overall
total...
|
102.31
|
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|
Team
Tall Boy
|
joia
|
skydog
|
banasidhe
|
fool
|
meee
|
dakahuna
|
mbi
|
averages
|
|
dish
#1 taste
|
9
|
8
|
3
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
7.29
|
|
dish
#1 plating
|
10
|
9
|
4
|
7
|
5
|
8
|
8
|
7.29
|
|
dish
#1 creativity
|
9
|
9
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
9
|
8
|
7.57
|
|
dish
#2 taste
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
7
|
7.57
|
|
dish
#2 plating
|
9
|
8
|
4
|
8
|
6
|
8
|
8
|
7.29
|
|
dish
#2 creativity
|
10
|
8
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
8
|
7
|
7.29
|
|
side
dish taste
|
10
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
6.71
|
|
side
dish plating
|
9
|
7
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
6.43
|
|
side
dish creativity
|
9
|
6
|
4
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
8
|
6.43
|
|
drink
flavor
|
8
|
6
|
8
|
10
|
2
|
9
|
10
|
7.57
|
|
drink
appearance
|
10
|
6
|
9
|
10
|
6
|
9
|
9
|
8.43
|
|
drink
creativity
|
9
|
7
|
8
|
10
|
0
|
9
|
8
|
7.29
|
|
overall
harmony
|
10
|
8
|
7
|
|
3
|
8½
|
9
|
7.58
|
|
overall
total...
|
94.73
|
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While team Tall Boy's scores were certainly quite impressive (and, indeed, their drink was rated as more flavorful, creative, and better looking than the one offered by Team Smoke) they were bested by Team Smoke, who ultimately took home a brand new Nintendo Wii.
The hardest-to-find game console of the year, and it's theirs just for cooking some food one afternoon! Where else are you going to get a prize like that? Come on out and try your hand at this, people... i'll hopefully see you at the ToxicBBQ next year!
