The 5th Annual Cast Iron Cook-Off was held at the Charleston Marriott the on Friday, January 15 and Saturday,

January 16th. The event is sponsored by the Collaborative for 21st Century Appalachia, a nonprofit organization designed to connect West Virginia farmers with top chefs in the region and encourage them to use West Virginia products in their restaurants.

The 2010 Cast Iron Cook-Off consisted of eleven teams of ten people who prepared exquisite four-course meals using locally produced ingredients all to be judged by a discriminating panel of culinary celebrities. Participants included teams representing: Café Cimino, The White Water Grill, Berry Hills Country Club, The Greenbrier, Bridge Road Bistro, The Hillbrook Inn, Smokey’s on the Gorge, Stonewall Resort, Pierpont Culinary Academy, Estate Planning, and Provence Market.

Ten student volunteers from Glenville State College joined forces with father and son chefs Tim and Eli Urbanic of the award winning Café Cimino Country Inn of Sutton, West Virginia, to form the Café Cimino team. GSC team members included sophomore Sean Harris of Flemington, West Virginia, senior Andy Ferraro of Avondale, Pennsylvania, junior Joshua Tallman of Elkins, West

Virginia, sophomore James Coleman of Talcott, West Virginia, sophomore Brandi Phillips of Daniels , West Virginia, senior Carrie Harpold of Clarksburg, West Virginia, senior Kindra Davis-Kidd of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and junior Alyssa Fehrenbach of Elkins, West Virginia. GSC Dean of Student Affairs Jerry Burkhammer acted as the students’ chaperone for the weekend. The students were sponsored by Jerry Behney of Quality Products, suppliers of dorm furnishings. Teams attended a reception on Friday evening where they were presented an authentic Cast Iron Cook-Off chef’s coat, chef’s cap, and apron. On Saturday morning, each team prepared their menu for the judges during a staggered one-hour time slot. A reception and dinner were held on Saturday evening when the awards were presented for the Cast Iron Cook-Off.

The Café Cimino team menu include: West Virginia Artic Char Chowder with Wild Mushrooms as the first course; Potato Pancakes with Root Vegetable Sautéed Friesee, Aged Goat Cheese Chevre, and Shiitake Crisps for the second course; West Virginia Brown Quail Breast braised with Kentucky Bourbon and Chorizo Sausage served with a side of Goat Cheese Polenta and Honey Glazed Carrots for the main course; and Buttered Hickory Nut Ice Cream finished with West Virginia Maple Syrup for dessert.

The Café Cimino/GSC team won the Award for ‘Best Use of Cast Iron’ and Honorable Mention for ‘Most Creative Single Course Presentation’ for their Buttered Hickory Nut Ice Cream. The Greenbrier was selected as the Grand Champion for the 5th Annual Cast Iron Cook-Off.

This was the second year in a row that GSC students have teamed up with Café Cimino for the Cast Iron Cook-Off.