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Students of every race showcased their cooking prowess Saturday, hoping to be this year's Iron Chef.

Hosted by the Student Development-Multicultural Programs and Services, the fourth-annual Iron Chef competition brought seven teams made up of between two and four people to Quigley Hall. The event was part of Asian American Heritage Month.

A cloying mixture of Vietnamese, Nubian, Latino and Asian foods permeated the kitchens as students, donning their chef hats and aprons, chopped away at vegetables and fried various meats.

There was one catch: each team had to incorporate mango in all of its dishes. Known as the "food of the gods," mango is a tropical fruit found throughout Southeast Asia known for its sweetness.

Ken Suzuki, a senior from Moline studying political science, assisted in organizing the Iron Chef competition. He said the event was highly successful last year and hoped for further success this year.

"It's a good way to highlight the plurality of our country," Suzuki said. "Food is one of the cultural things that bring people together. It shows the many facets of America."

He said he considers himself more of a taster than an actual cook, having burned numerous dishes of his own.

The cooks had about two hours to prepare their dishes for a hungry public and a handful of judges, all of whom would sample foods from each of the seven teams and declare a winner. One team failed to finish their dish before the deadline and was eliminated. After the judging, the public was invited to taste small samples from each of the teams.

William Kasel, a sophomore from Chester studying marketing, said it was difficult to finish in time, though he and his teammates succeeded in finishing their dish before the deadline. Kasel's dish, which centered on Indian and Malaysian foods, included a mushroom and beef soup and a pineapple dessert.

"It was hectic," Kasel said. "Very crazy. We started at five and though everything might not have turned out how we wanted, I think the soup was pretty good."

The judges chose the Vietnamese team as this year's Iron Chef and their dish of Banh Zeo, which is a form of Vietnamese crepes, made up of pork, shrimp, bean sprouts, onions and sprigs, all curled up in a thin egg-like wrapping which is made from flour and lettuce.

Vien Cao, a graduate student from Vietnam studying English as a second language, captained the team. She said in Vietnam, people generally eat the same foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"This is a good chance for (Vietnamese students) to do things. We all love to cook," Cao said. "Our foods are generally delicious, which is why we like to have the same dish three times a day."

Tim McGovern can be reached at

536-3311 ext. 254 or tmcgov@siu.edu.

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