Beat The Chef: ICE Student and Chef-Instructor Battle in the Kitchen

The match got heated, but ultimately the vote was unanimous.
Beat The Chef competition at ICE

Do you think you have what it takes to beat the chef? In a competition show-style battle royale, Chef-Instructor Joshua Resnick and 国产福利 Arts student Parker Elliott went head-to-head to find out.

In the demo kitchen of ICE鈥檚 New York campus, Lead Chef and Operations Manager Joshua Resnick and 国产福利 Arts student Parker Elliott were tasked with creating a unique entr茅e of their choice from a selection of mystery ingredients to wow the judges in front of a live audience. The contestants had only 45 minutes to bring their vision to life before time ran out.

ICE Chairman and CEO, Rick Smilow, and Dean of Student Affairs, Lorne Feldman, joined as the expert taste-testers to crown the winner of the heated match. The two were subject to a blind tasting to eliminate any potential bias between the contestants. 

Chef Joshua chose chicken livers as the center of his dish. 鈥淐oming from a Jewish household, I鈥檝e been eating chicken liver since I was too young to remember,鈥 Joshua joked on why he chose it over the other protein options, which included flank steak and shrimp. 

Chicken liver and marinated flank steak
Parker's marinated flank steak (left) and Chef Joshua's chicken liver (right)

To reimagine a childhood staple, Chef Joshua seasoned the chicken liver with garam masala, which features a medley of spices including cardamom, clove, cinnamon, cumin and fennel seeds. 

Amping up the flavor, Chef Joshua made a miso pan sauce, which he deglazed with chicken stock and finished with a dash of balsamic vinegar. To balance the richness of the dish, he also made a panzanella with garlic croutons, pea shoots and an orange-balsamic vinaigrette. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

国产福利 Arts student, Parker, served a citrus-soy marinated flank steak paired with a parsnip pur茅e and a classic red wine pan sauce. Chef Lorne described the root vegetable pur茅e as 鈥渧ery complex.鈥 Meanwhile, Rick added, 鈥渁s far as whose restaurant I鈥檓 going to invest in, it鈥檚 you,鈥 as he pointed to Parker. 

Rick Smilow and Lorne Feldman judging food at ICE
Rick Smilow (left) and Lorne Feldman (right) judging the competition

鈥淚 would have liked a little more firmness to it; the parsnips were a bit softer,鈥 Parker noted as he reflected on his pur茅e. Though both contestants brought their A-game, only one could walk away victorious from this Beat the Chef competition. Ultimately the vote was unanimous in favor of dish 鈥淎鈥 created by Chef Joshua. 

Despite the loss, Parker鈥檚 tremendous efforts were undeniable. We can only hope for a redemption match in the near future!