Chopped contestants (left to right) Kristen Sturm, Julian Clay, Shelley Brophy and Brad Maule, along with emcee Scott Runnels, present their final plates to the judges and eagerly await the announcement of the Chopped champion. Lee Loveless Photography

Last week I was part of a panel of judges for the Chopped East Texas event presented by the hospitality administration program at Stephen F. Austin University, held at The Fredonia Hotel in Nacogdoches.

The event was organized, planned and executed by the students and served as a semester long project that focused on logistics, fund-raising, marketing, ticket sales and food/beverage.

It basically a large-scale live version of the popular Food Network show, “Chopped.” The student-run version of the show was the main attraction for the 400 people who attended the event, but there were also hors d’ oeuvres, a live and silent auction and event sponsors that helped the students raise over $12,000.

Four cook teams were chosen to compete in the competition, which challenges them to cook three rounds of dishes using mystery basket ingredients. Each round a team is chopped and the remaining teams continue to the next course of food until only one team is left standing.

Competitors included Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation Vice President, Michelle Smith and husband, Craig Smith, The Barn Bar & Grill owners, Aaron and Emily Montes, SFA senior hospitality students, Julian Clay and Kristen Sturm, and Shelley’s Bakery owner, Shelley Brophy teamed with SFA graduate, lecturer and former “General Hospital” actor, Brad Maule.

The mystery baskets offered the competitors some interesting challenges. In the appetizer round they had to use queso fresco cheese, spinach flatbread, grape jelly and smokehouse almonds. A pantry of other ingredients was available to use, but each of the mystery basket ingredients had to be utilized in a creative way and the dish completed in 20 minutes.

When presenting their dishes to the judges they were judged on creativity, flavor and presentation. Three of the teams made quesadillas, and the team of Shelley and Brad made a wrap with a spicy sauce made from grape jelly and srirachi sauce. That plate stood out in all three judging categories.

The team of Michelle and Craig Smith were eliminated and the three remaining teams moved on to the entr￩e round. Portobello mushrooms, purple cabbage, pineapple, barbecue sauce and blue cheese were in the mystery basket.

The student team turned in an open-faced meatball sandwich with a cabbage salad topped with blue cheese dressing on the side. The meatball had great flavor and demonstrated a good balance of the sweet, acidic and tangy mystery basket ingredients that in other dishes were a little overpowering.

The students and the team of Brad Maule and Shelley Brophy moved on to the dessert round and the showdown for Chopped champion. In the dessert round the mystery basket contained purple and green M&Ms, peanut butter, eggs, salt & vinegar chips, bacon and blueberry Greek yogurt.

This did not sound like a good combination and knowing I would have to taste the results my stomach did a little flip when I saw the list of ingredients.

While the competitors were frantically cooking the judges cracked a few jokes about Brad Maule taking hospital food to a new level and that he had superior knife skills because he played a surgeon on “General Hospital.”

But he told me before the competition that he was just going to follow orders from his teammate, Shelley, because she was the expert in the kitchen.

“I put bacon fat and sugar into everything, so I’ll just do whatever she tells me,” Maule joked.

Little did he know the bacon fat would work to his advantage in the dessert round.

The students’ nerves were tested by the watchful eye of SFA chef instructor Todd Barrios and his comments about proper cooking technique and a sanitary workspace.

Details were still important even in a makeshift kitchen with strict time restraints. After all, they are both graduating soon and pursuing a career in hospitality and food service.

The judges faced a hard decision after tasting the two desserts, but ultimately it came down to creative execution of the mystery ingredients. The student team was chopped and the team of Brad and Shelley were named “Chopped” champions.

“Brad and I are both SFA graduates so being associated with this event has been a tremendous pleasure,” Ms. Brophy said. “We met as students and are now good friends.”

“It’s not about winning for me. It’s about winning for Nacogdoches. I’ve retired here and I like downtown here, I love it. I want people to come here and enjoy themselves,” Maule said.

Ms. Brophy owns Shelley’s Bakery Caf￩ located at 112 North Church Street in Nacogdoches.

“It’s a neat place located downtown on the brick streets. We serve grilled paninis and a lot of very creative and pretty plates.” Ms. Brophy said. “Opening this has been like a play-cation for me. I just love it. It gives me the chance to stay in Nacogdoches and be with family and friends.”