By Marienne Thomas Ogle
Photo by Ron Burkett
The four competitors entering the kitchen for the 2015 Iron City Chef won’t be professional Birmingham chefs – they’ll be local first responders who can whip up a mean firehouse meal.
The Firehouse Edition is the theme of the seventh annual fundraiser, which will feature representatives of the fire departments of Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills, said Kent Howard, Vestavia Hills Rotarian and event chairman.
The event, which attracts a sellout crowd of about 300 every year, will be July 18 at 6 p.m. at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute.
“For the last six years, this signature event has had the Iron City format, bringing in four Birmingham area chefs to cook a meal that is judged by those in attendance,” Howard said. “But club members started talking last year about mixing it up and we decided to reach out to surrounding fire departments because, after all, they’re known for their great meals.”
Competitors include Homewood’s Alexander Glover, Mountain Brook’s Lee Currie, Hoover’s Edward Pegues and Vestavia’s Trey VanHooser, each with more than a decade of firefighting experience. Battling blazes or answering a medical emergency call may be no problem, but each of the competitors admit they’re “intimidated” by the upcoming challenge.
The 2015 beneficiaries of the Iron City Chef Firehouse Edition are Jefferson State Community College, Vestavia Hills math and debate program and the Rotary’s local and international programs including End Polio Now. The Vestavia Hills Rotary has held a signature event for the past 25 years, raising more than $675,000.
Iron City Chef cook off guests will begin the evening with a reception of fruit, cheese and a wine tasting provided by Western Supermarkets. Then guests will sample the firehouse competitors’ creations and vote to decide the top two competitors who will enter a glass-enclosed kitchen for a 30 minute final cook off using mystery ingredients. Judges deciding the overall winner from that contest will be area culinary professionals.
Joseph Mitchell, program director of the Culinary and Hospitality Institute at Jefferson State, has worked with the Iron City Chef cook off for seven years, serving as a liaison with the Rotary Club to help organize the chefs, prepare the facility and pair some of his students with the participants to assist as sous chefs.
“We provide a team of students for each competitor and the sous chef working with the overall winner receives a $1,000 scholarship for his student account,” Mitchell said. “It is a win-win opportunity for everyone involved.”
Mitchell said he’s gone to a lot of food events and receives numerous calls about putting on special events, but the Iron City Chef is one of his favorites.
“There’s just so much energy,” he said. “It’s fun, exciting, there’s food, the news crews ¬ it’s just a very special occasion put on by a very special group.”
Iron City Chef Firehouse Edition tickets are $55 per person with corporate tables available for $400 and $800.
For more information, go to rotarytoast.org.
