Students gathered at the front of the Union Friday waiting anxiously for Late Night LSU to begin. About 20 minutes before 10 p.m., music began blasting from the top floor.
The main event of Late Night LSU, the “Iron Chef” cooking competition, was not to begin until 10:30 p.m., so students busied themselves with various activities available at the gathering.
PlayStation games such as Madden NFL 2003 kept some students busy. Students busily painted picture frames where they usually eat lunch as they awaited the cooking showdown. Some students could not wait and rushed off with their frames to the top floor without painting them.
Commentators Jonathan Harb and Omar Parbhoo, computer engineering juniors, kicked off the “Iron Chef” competition by introducing the two teams.
The student Iron Chef team consisted of John Cole, an animal and dairy sciences graduate student; Blaine Duhe, a mass communication senior, and Rhonda Crosswhite, a microbiology junior. The team members arrived early with their secret ingredients.
The contest supplied all the ingredients necessary, but these three students were not taking any chances when about to battle a professional team from the Faculty Club.
“We’re going to embarrass them,” Duhe said before the challengers showed up. Cole agreed they would do their best to beat the faculty team.
By Rachel Miller When their competitors — John Jackson, Patrick Wills and Will Huber, executive chefs at the Faculty Club — finally arrived, the tension in the room was fierce.
“They must be joking,” Wills said in response to the student team’s comments.
Cole, head of the student team, was the winner of the “Pineapple Battle” at his church’s version of the Iron Chef.
Jackson, head of the Faculty Club team, was recruited by the Culinary Institute of America and is the 2001 South Central Regional chef of the year. Jackson has cooked for Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville in Key West and under Louisiana chef John Folse.
The two teams had one hour to prepare at least three dishes after the commentators revealed the secret ingredient — okra.
As the chefs set off to cook, the commentators introduced judges Jay Buller, an economics junior; Analia Lemus, a business marketing freshman; and Judy Myhand, a food and nutrition teacher.
“I know food,” Myhand said.
The faculty team quickly decided to use chicken, while Cole decided to use catfish in one of the dishes.
“I was wondering why the secret ingredient couldn’t be filet mignon or shrimp,” Buller said.
Laura Marks, an American studies junior, said the faculty’s food looked more professional, but the student’s dishes were more traditional. Although the faculty’s food looked great, the student’s food was more appetizing, she said.
Jennifer McConnell, also an American studies junior, enjoyed the show and was awaiting the verdict of the contest.
“The dishes look amazing,” said Jennifer Barre, a business administration freshman.
      The faculty team was the first to finish cooking, while five minutes remained for the student team to finish up. They were determined to use every last minute available to make their dishes the best.
The judges tasted the student’s dishes first. Buller was the first to try the dish and said it tasted “truly exotic.”
Lemus focused on the sauce and said it was “perfection,” while Myhand was simply “pleased” with the okra.
The judges then went on to sample the faculty team’s “professional” dishes.
Myhand said the okra seemed to be more of an afterthought in the dishes, but enjoyed the food nonetheless.
Both teams appeared nervous as votes were tallied.
The judges proclaimed the Faculty Club team the Iron Chef. The student team congratulated Jackson and the other chefs after their win.
Wills said he and the other chefs were impressed with the students’ dishes. He said next time there is another Iron Chef competition on campus they will be ready to defend their title.
“We were robbed,” said student team members, who made it to the Iron Chef competition after getting through an application process.
Although they lost the contest, they said they would do it again because they had fun.
“We want redemption,” Duhe said.