- Courtney Davenport, sous chef at the Shelby won the Iron Chef competition at the Great Allentown Fair
- His twist on Christmas pudding wowed the panel of four judges
- Davenport, who also won the competition last year, squared off with Kalahari Resorts and Conventions executive chef Stacy Calles
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The audience gasped at the loud clanking of the hammer as chefs Courtney Davenport and Stacy Calles used sharp tools to open coconuts in a makeshift kitchen.
The duo squared off at Saturday's Iron Chef competition, part of the Great Allentown Fair's culinary series.
In the end, it was Davenport's Christmas pudding that brought joy to the palettes of the four judges.
"This was one absolutely tough. You guys did incredible and are two absolutely phenomenal chefs," said Scott Ferry, a culinary arts instructor at Bethlehem Area Vocational School.
Davenport, a sous chef at The Shelby on North Krocks Road, also won the contest in 2022.
Vienna sausages, lemonade
The culinary cook-off, in its 17th year, pits local chefs up against each other in hopes of winning the grand prize trophy, plus $200 in gift cards and, of course, bragging rights.
The 45-minute showdown is modeled after the TV show, "Chopped," and each contestant is supplied with a mystery basket that contains the ingredients designed to throw the chefs off their game.
On the last day of the series, Davenport and Calles, executive chef at Kalahari Resorts and Conventions in the Poconos, were given a whole coconut, a glass of fair lemonade, Vienna sausages, stuffed manicotti wrapped in bacon, another side of bacon, duck breast, smoked mussels, blueberry fontina cheese and Christmas pudding.
The audience, in addition to the chef's family and friends, were seated in wooden chairs, capturing the moment with their phones.
The dicing and slicing of cheese, meat, and vegetables, the frying of meats, and the boiling of pasta mixed together created a strong aroma that was noticed by passersby.
On-the-spot jitters
"We do a lot of networking when we come to these things. I've worked with a lot of these guys so it's good networking and it's good for us to come back and catch up with each other."<br/>Stacy Calles, executive chef Kalahari Resorts and Conventions
Davenport said he was nervous when he first opened the basket and spotted the coconut.
Making matters worse was when the top of Calles' hammer broke.
"I decided to use the back of my knife to open it," he said. "Once I was able to get the coconut open, everything else was fine. I used duck in my restaurant all the time and all the different ingredients I'm pretty familiar with."
On the first bite, his Christmas pudding tasted like prunes, so he sprinkled in some holiday magic.
"I knew exactly what direction I wanted to go with," Davenport said. "I squared it off and I seared it on this flattop, so it was nice and crispy and the coconut that I cracked open, I induced with some cream and lemonade and added some of the cheese sauce."
Networking, catching up with friends
Calles, who was the executive chef at the former Sands Casino, now Wind Creek Bethlehem, when it opened in 2009, was in good spirits despite the loss.
"We had a good time, it was fun," she said. "We do a lot of networking when we come to these things. I've worked with a lot of these guys so it's good networking and it's good for us to come back and catch up with each other."
In the first rounds, which started on Thursday, Calles beat local chefs, Jeffrey Wagaman of Brick Tavern Inn, Anthony Distefano of Bear Creek Mountain, John Abela of Composed Catering, Zackary Michael Busch of Madeline's, Harrison Lemus of La Cocino Del Abuelo, and Hailey Curcio of Institute of Culinary Education.
It was nice to mingle, but even nicer to experiment with the zany mixture of foods.
"They gave us the most random stuff. Yesterday, I had Slim Jim's in my basket. One of the groups had beef jerky and ramen noodles," Calles said. "It was all great. I'll definitely come back.
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