The Llama Ledger - Bard College at Simon's Rock's Student Newspaper

Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Mayfest

Media Credit: Timothy Cama The winning team finds out they got first place in the Iron Chef competition.

Saturday, May 3 was a day full of events for students to celebrate Mayfest, whether they wanted to bounce around on inflatables or watch a famous band, cook savory food or watch their peers face off in a cooking competition.

Inflatables were set up in the Kilpatrick Athletic Center instead of the tri-dorm area due to the weather. "We decided this morning we didn't want to take a chance and make people uncomfortable or unhappy outside in the bad weather," Director of Campus Activities Valerie Fanarjian says. "I think it worked out fine, though."

Students could enjoy any of three inflatables—a jousting station, a skywalk with oversized boxing gloves and the popular bungee run, in which two participants race and try to place his or her beanie sack farther on a velcro strip than his or her opponent's while strapped to a bungee cord.

Junior Harry Marker, while waiting in line for the bungee run, said he is extremely fond of the bungee run and has been in years past. "I spent all of Mayfest on this last year," he says. "But I liked last year's better—that one had a little more 'bung' and little less 'ee.'"

Marker says he likes the other inflatables, but he is primarily a bungee run fan. "I'd say I'm a bungee run fan, through and through." But when asked if the bungee run is his favorite Mayfest activity, "I didn't say that. Rocky Horror went very well [last night], and I participated in that. A lot of people came out to see it. But the carnival is relaxing to come to after that, because it's a lot of work."

Marker says he was currently in line for his third bungee run, and the extremely long line proved the inflatable's popularity. "It's the most popular. I plan to go two or three more times. But say 30—that's good for my image."

As students explored the inflatables and ventured to the back of the athletic center to eat fried dough, the band Freezepop set up and began doing its sound check. "It was very easy to book them," Fanarjian says. "It only took one email."

At 3 p.m., Freezepop started out playing their own music, even taking a request from an audience member, but by the end of their set, they were playing more widely known songs, such as Journey's "Don't Stop Believing". Approximately 70 students showed up to cheer on the band, dance and sing along.

At 6 p.m., Iron Chef judging began in the Snack Bar, with four groups of students participating, and book store manager Sara Monsonis, admissions counselor Joe Corso, residence director Keon Diggs and student affairs assistant Gill Panchy serving as judges. Each group had to use the secret ingredient, coconut, and had to work on a budget of $30 for all other ingredients. All groups received the secret ingredient Wednesday.

The first group judged, comprised of seniors Alicia Stube and Mia Puopulo, presented coconut pumpkin panna cotta and coconut macaroon latkes, and was all vegan, disregarding gelatin, according to Stube.

Sophomores Helen Aki, Taj Walton, Anthony Stigliani and Brittany Aicher made up the second group, and they cooked an organic smoothie and bread combination.

The third group of sophomore Drew Levin and seniors Skyler Balbus, Jackie Jankowski, Jake Rudolph and Nora Sanders presented a salad with mixed greens and coconut encrusted chevre and an apricot vinaigrette, curried chicken coconut soup and ice cream in a macaroon net. The group made the ice cream with an ice cream maker.

The last group, of seniors Rob Allen, Brendan Flynn, Annakeara Stintson, Jamie Wittenberg and Tim Meyers presented a coconut tapioca pudding, with Meyers as the spokesperson.

The judges deliberated for a while, returning to announce that the tapioca pudding had received third place, the latkes and smoothie had tied for second, and the ice cream, soup and salad had received first. The first place group got a gift certificate to Baba Louie's and a set of frying pans.

Monsonis, who has judged the Iron Chef competition twice before said she loves participating in the competition. "Cooking is one of those things that doesn't happen enough on this campus. It's hard for people to be creative in the kitchen here."

Panchy, who is not a fan of coconut to begin with, said all of the participants handled the ingredient well. "I don't like the texture of shredded coconut. But here it was toasted, or, for example, included in the latkes. So many things were so good."

This was a hard year for judging, Monsonis said. "It's always hard. You know how much the people put into it. Everyone here really did put in a good effort."

Part of the reason Levin, Balbus, Jankowski, Rudolph and Sanders's group won, Panchy said, is because they made a full meal of salad, soup and dessert, and even went so far as to make the table.

Another reason, though, Monsonis said, is that they really worked with the flavor. "They were the only people who did savory and sweet. Coconut is not just sweet."

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Contact the author: aabramson@llamaledger.com

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