Yummy cooking smells were coming from the vicinity of the Memorial tower earlier this week on the St. John’s campus as contestants competed for the title of Disaster Chef.
That is not to say their food was a disaster.
They were preparing dishes that could be prepared in an emergency using non-perishable food items and a camp stove.
This week is National Emergency Preparedness Week.
“To raise awareness in a fun and engaging way, Memorial hosted this cooking contest known as the Disaster Chef Challenge,” explained Holly Tobin, the manager of emergency planning and business continuity at Memorial. “Faculty, staff and students at Memorial were challenged by us at Memorial’s Protective Services department to create recipes for a main course meal using only non-perishable foods and a propane stove.”
These food items would be part of a well-stocked 72-hour home emergency kit that everyone is encouraged to have in case of emergencies and prolonged power outages.
Three recipe finallists were selected based on the merit and promise of their recipes and they prepared their meals for three judges on Wednesday, May 7.
The judges included Derrick Dean, executive chef with Lighthouse Hospitality; Joe Browne, director of protective services at Memorial; and Dr. Angie Clarke, associate vice-president (Marine Institute) academic and student affairs.
First up was Nada Abdelhalim, a graduate student and international student co-ordinator from the Marine Institute, who prepared a bean medley in creamy coconut and tomato base with vermicelli basmati rice garnished with mixed nuts.
Courtney Eddy, the assistant general merchandise buyer from the Book Store on the St. John’s campus, prepared spicy tuna cakes over savory mash with jalapeno corn relish.
Winner Melissa MacLean, a graduate student and senior planning analyst with the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning on the St. John’s campus, prepared the winning dish titled the Sticky Situation No Power Bowl.
“We had 45 minutes from start to finish to cook and plate our dishes,” said the newly crowned disaster chef champion Ms. MacLean. “We had the camp stove, dealt with 40 kilometre an hour winds, limited utensils, paper plates and disposable cutlery, but we were all able to make our recipes in the time given.”
The three participants received an emergency radio and a chef knife.
For creating the winning recipe, Ms. MacLean also received a Memorial experience package, including family passes to Johnson Geo Centre and the Botanical Garden, a planetarium show at Marine Institute, a one month fitness membership to The Works, a Memorial 100th anniversary t-shirt from the bookstore and Jumping Bean Centennial Blend whole bean coffee with a Memorial University mug.
If you haven’t prepared an emergency preparedness kit, please take time to consider doing so. If your unit would like to learn more about emergency preparedness and business continuity, please connect with Ms. Tobin.
