Brainfood Grill Off 2012

By Brainfood Staffer Maeve Rafferty...

I believe we all crave to play, to work together, and maybe make a mess; maybe we’re all looking for a chance to get up out of our chairs and stuffy offices and create something, anything, brand new.

And if that something happens to be for a good cause? Even better. Our busy lives can make it difficult to find such outlets for creative expression, though the Brainfood Grill Off offers a space to do just that.

I remember hearing the logistics for the evening numerous times and feeling overly excited for the event, but also, I couldn't help from wondering: how such a thing could really happen?

You mean, teams are paired with a really talented local chef, who despite his or her expertise, can't really assist with the dish? And these dishes are made in one hour, with no recipe or prior knowledge of the ingredients provided, and then they’re judged? AND just to keep everyone on their toes, we throw a mystery protein in the mix too?

      

I wondered how anyone could handle such pressure, and how our little non-profit could pull off something so grand. It became quite clear, as the students, chefs, volunteers, and attendees filtered in and the chopping, grilling, and stirring began, that such a thing could in fact happen. While our staff played a large role, we really have the entire Brainfood community to thank for such success.

I felt like a little kid in a candy store as Ridgewell Caterers displayed their beautiful hors d’oeuvres and walked around with delicacies to sample, each item tasting even better than it looked. Sprinkles Cupcakes arranged a tower of mini cupcakes, or rather, mini works of art to enjoy. My only regret from the evening was failing to grab a red velvet cupcake at the beginning. It was quite silly of me to expect such desserts to last all night.

As I walked around the cooking stations, I immediately felt as if I was in a football team’s locker room before the big game, hearing coaches give their pep talks.  Though in this case, the field was a grill, and your jersey an apron.  The chefs empowered their players with the same exploding enthusiasm and their positive energy was contagious. 

Our youth carried themselves with a sense of confidence and maturity I wish I had at that age, and once they buttoned their chef coats, a transformation took place. It was apparent that they were no longer students, but teachers, and fundamental assets to the team. While I have only been with Brainfood a few weeks now, I was beyond proud to watch our young chefs share their skills and techniques with their fellow teammates.

My favorite moment was seeing each team, a blend of cooking connoisseurs and beginners, with mere seconds to spare, sweat dripping from their brows, assembling their creations on a plate. Each person beamed with pride as their food made its way to the judge’s mouth, and it was enough to make your heart melt (and stomach growl). It was in those beaming moments, when the hour was up and all their hard work came down to one bite, that I wished: couldn't everyone win first place?  I suppose this is why I was not asked to be a judge.

When a plate of fish tacos passed me by, the presentation alone was enough for me to get in line and try a taste. I savored each bite and really wanted to wish the team congratulations upon hearing that they had won, although, as what often tends to happen at Brainfood events, my mouth was full. 

I may have leaped for joy when I could see fresh vegetables and herbs from our Brainfood Youth Garden make their way into recipes, the same garden I had gotten my hands dirty in, just a few days before.  Suddenly the connection between the ground and our food, which often feels so far, seemed incredibly close. 

I felt overwhelmingly grateful to be part of an organization that attracted so many wonderful people and for one that put the “fun” back into fundraising.  Cheesy I know, but so true!  It was an event I will always remember and I look forward to celebrating many more Grill-off events with Brainfood in the future.  Thanks so much again to all of you who came and celebrated the joy of cooking with us. 

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image. Ignore spaces and be careful about upper and lower case.