There are two things that really pique my interest: food and competition. Put the two together and, just like that, you end up with a once-in-a-lifetime opinion piece by yours truly.
Sweet potatoes, yams, whatever you fancy calling the honeyed orange spuds, you’re either a lover or a hater. Growing up, I was the latter. Now, I am the former and so are the chefs at Cafe Mac, who were tasked with competing in a grueling “food fight” using the terrific tubers and a legume of their choice.
The food fight, which took place on Nov. 21, featured chefs from four stations (Garlic & Basil, Warm & Soulful, Near & Far, and Simple & Certain) who battled for the title of food fight champion.
Here is my judgment.
First place: Vegan White Bean Alfredo Pasta (Garlic & Basil, Figure 1)
Let me be honest: I was scared of this dish initially. Maybe it was the word “vegan,” or perhaps one of the other words (“Alfredo”?) but going up to order this dish required a few deep breaths from this carnivorous Italian.
Apprehensive, I watched as the creamy, beany rigatoni was topped with a sprinkle of fresh chopped chives and pepitas — a fancy name for pumpkin seeds. Did I think these toppings were a little odd? Yes. Particularly the pepitas… Yet, taking a bite, I can only say I was shocked. The white bean sauce was decadent, herbaceous and seasoned to Cafe Mac perfection. And, while I do think the phrase “vegan Alfredo” is a bit of an oxymoron, the sumptuous veggie broth and partly blended white beans truly made the makeshift cream sauce of my dreams. The chives offered some pungent greenery to the dish, and dare I say the pepitas succeeded in offering the pasta some much-needed crunch.
But wait! Don’t think I forgot about the sweet potatoes. These were merely a side character to the star of the show (the pasta), paling in flavor, yet matching in ingenuity. The potatoes were cubed, then perhaps boiled, before being topped with blood orange concentrate. While they did possess a certain citrus complexity from the blood orange, the sweet potatoes were undercooked and lukewarm.
Overall: 8/10
Second place: Southwest Sweet Potato, Black Bean, Beef and Rice Skillet (Warm & Soulful, Figure 2)
Hey, what’s not to like here? With rice, seasoned beef and starchy vegetables, this dish left me going bite for bite with little room for breath. The rice was hot with strands of steaming gooey cheese throughout. Pleasant, but overall heavy and a little uninventive.
The beef was seasoned with what tasted pretty much identical to Old El Paso Taco Seasoning and the sweet potatoes were hidden to the point where I forgot they even existed. Neither of these critiques are necessarily bad things, but rather minor shortcomings in a competition I deem about creativity and local produce.
Overall: 6/10
Third place: Shrimp Paella with Glazed Yams (Near and Far, Figure 3)
First off, this will NOT be a critique of how this dish was NOT an authentic paella. That is a given — we are in a college cafeteria. Maybe it is the recent Thanksgiving spirit but, alas, I remain thankful we even have options like this at Macalester College.
I will start with the highlight of the dish: the yams. They were drowned in butter and sugar, melting in your mouth upon contact. Delicious.
The paella, however, was unfortunately quite bland. The mushy rice and largely cut peppers created an unpleasant mouth feel that did not compliment the plump shrimp as I had hoped.
Overall: 5/10 (best yam award)
Despite my personal opinions, there was an official winner of the food fight competition. The station whose chef’s dish received the most votes from hungry Scots was Warm & Soulful, with their southwestern skillet.
While I object to this outcome I appreciate the friendly competition and even more inviting food that I and countless other Scots enjoyed on this night of metaphorical food fighting.
