First Annual Throw-Down in O-Town
…A Rabbit Cook-Off!
Event Recap
Wow! What a night! Although the voting crowd and the two competing Chefs, Dee Erickson & Nathan Sheatzley were laughing, joking, and having a great time, there was still tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.
The two Chef Teams consisted of Dee Erickson and his Sous Chef Chad Olson for team TWODOG and Chef Nathan Sheatzley and Sous Chef Yavor Yankulov for team jasoh!. Sharing kitchen space between two chef teams was remarkably fun, although the quarters were tight. Both Chefs prepped, cooked, and delegated with smiles on their faces, albeit the continuous verbal jabs between the two Chefs kept the competitive atmosphere at a healthy heated level.
Dee Erickson delivered rabbit “two-ways.” On his plate was a beautiful rabbit roulade containing spinach and mushrooms, finished in a pan and topped with a delectable natural jus. Also on the plate was an Alsatian rabbit terrine, braised in his own TWODOG Chardonnay and served with cold, deli-like accoutrements. Although, the roulade may have been the overall favorite item of the night, there were mixed reviews on the terrine… Dee’s suggested beverage pairing was his TWODOG Red Zinfandel.
Chef Nathan Sheatzley decided to one-up his challenger by preparing his rabbit “three-ways.” Chef Nathan combined braised rabbit, chicken fried rabbit, and crispy fried rabbit skins on the plate to show off his creative abilities with the meat. The braising liquid included Tawnie Port, red wine, and Captain Bastards Oatmeal Stout. The braised rabbit was paired with a fricassee of white beans, candied almonds, bacon lardon. The chicken fried rabbit was paired with creamed leeks and lemon zest. The sauce drizzled on the plate was a port demiglaze. Chef Nathan’s suggested beverage pairing was a Port in the Storm, consisting of 3 oz. Tawnie Port and a pint of Oatmeal Stout.
The scorecards included the following categories:
Taste
Plating
Originality
Utilization of the Rabbit
Each Category was rated 1 to 5 points, with 5 being the highest score. The public guest vote accounted for 50% of the total score. There were two expert judges on the panel, food writer Aimee Nicholson of the Standard Examiner and food writer Austen Diamond of the City Weekly. These two judges weighed in extremely heavily with the other 50% of the total score. They were expected to be completely objective with their voting.
Dee Erickson had a hearty cheering section, and after all the scores were tallied, it was noted that he had won the popular vote, with the exclusion of the judges vote. With the inclusion of the judges vote, but without the heavy judges mulitplier, Chef Nathan Sheatzley won by only ONE point, with his score being 212 out of 260 and Dee Erickson’s score being 211 out of 260. Chef Nathan was the clear winner in the categories of Tasting, Plating, and Originality, and the two Chefs had an exact tie for Utilization of the Rabbit.
After all scoring was tallied and the judges 50% weight was added, the Grand Champion of Rabbit was Chef Nathan Sheatzley.
Chef Nathan got crowned with Bunny Ears and received a handsome medal for his victory. Dee Erickson was
presented with a crown, naming him “Mr. Popular” for winning the popular vote.
Both Chefs shook hands I we think we overheard grumblings about “next year”… we at Jasoh cannot wait for our next Throw-Down. Will it there another rabbit cook-off next year? Or perhaps our Chef will be challenged by another local Chef to cook some other unique type of meat or cuisine… Whatever it may, stay tuned and know that Chef Nathan is ready to defend his Championship!!!
Special thanks to Vaughn McFarlane for adding his music to the evening!
