Henley Wins KCSD Iron Chef
Student teams from across Klamath County competed in a full-day culinary showdown featuring local mentor chefs, donated meats and a community tasting event.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — The Henley Hornets are this year’s KCSD Iron Chef champions after taking first place in the second annual Iron Chef: Battle of the Schools at Linman Hall at the Klamath County Fairgrounds.
The event, held May 1, brought together student teams from Bonanza, Lost River, Mazama, Henley and the Klamath County Transition Program for a full-scale culinary competition designed to highlight student skill, creativity and teamwork.
Organized by Kekoa Ledgerwood, Klamath County School District’s Farm to School educator and procurement specialist, the competition began at 8 a.m. as barbecue stations fired up outside and teams began preparing complete menus. Students were challenged to create an appetizer featuring pork tenderloin, an entrée built around beef short ribs, two side dishes and a dessert. The meats used in the competition were donated by Diamond S Meats.
Henley’s winning team included Candice Milwrick-Talamantes, Hailey Paschal, Alexis Bateman, Cayden Schweiger and Jasmin Ochoa. The team worked with mentor chef Shane Taipin of North Shore Hawaiian Plate Lunch and educator coach Megan Coppo to bring home the KCSD Iron Chef trophy.
A student competitor prepares a dish during the second annual KCSD Iron Chef: Battle of the Schools at Linman Hall at the Klamath County Fairgrounds. Image provided by KCSD.
Dishes were judged on taste, presentation and originality by a panel of local judges, including Sarah Kellom of AgWest Farm Credit, Josh Ledgerwood of Howard’s Meat Center, Kyle Anderson of Diamond S Meats and Toni Kellom, a retired educator and administrator.
Best of Show honors went to Henley and Bonanza in a tie for appetizer, Henley for entrée, Bonanza for side dish and the Klamath County Transition Program for dessert.
Final standings placed Henley in first, Bonanza in second, Mazama in third and Lost River in fourth. Teams from Bonanza, Lost River, Mazama and Henley competed across all categories, while the Klamath County Transition Program competed in the dessert round and took home top honors in that category.
For the first time, the competition also included an evening tasting event open to the community. Teams sold full dinner tickets for family and friends, while community members were invited to sample student-created dishes before awards were announced at 6 p.m.
The event was supported by several local mentor chefs, including Ian Smith of RV Que Food Truck in Bonanza, Shane Taipin of North Shore Hawaiian Plate Lunch in Klamath Falls, Ty Kliewer of Skyline Brewery and Heidi Gaither, former director of Klamath County Developmental Disabilities Services.
Lost River won the inaugural KCSD Iron Chef competition last year. This year, the trophy moves to Henley after a day centered on food, competition, student learning and community support.
Cover image: The winning Henley team celebrates with its coach and judges after claiming the KCSD Iron Chef trophy at the second annual Iron Chef: Battle of the Schools. (Image provided by KCSD)
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