Continuing a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness, Northwestern Dance Marathon hosted its fifth annual Top Chef event Saturday evening. NU students and community members gathered at Now We’re Cookin’ in Evanston to watch teams prepare dishes containing lemon, this year’s secret ingredient.
The team Colton Gits and Friends, comprised of Weinberg juniors Colton Gits and Hunter Gits and Medill sophomore Amanda Gajdosik, won first place with their citrus crusted tilapia tacos. ASG President Austin Young, Dean of Students Burgwell Howard and the Wildcats' defensive lineman, School of Communication senior Niko Mafuli, made up the panel of judges which evaluated the dishes.
Even though the chefs cooked gourmet dishes, the judges didn't need discerning palates to make their decisions. Prior to the event, Young had never tried a number of the ingredients in the dishes, including avocado, clams, mayonnaise and zucchini.
“I’m like the opposite of a foodie,” Young said, joking in between judging sessions.
Students in the crowd also had the opportunity to prepare and sample creations during three Quick Fire Challenges. After correctly answering culinary trivia questions, participants whipped up items like quesadillas and ice cream sundaes. McCormick sophomore Alex Chambers won the first challenge for his coconut and banana chocolate chip pancakes.
DM emcees Ned Baker and Ashley Thompson rallied the crowd throughout the evening by commentating and introducing the chef’s dishes. The pair even gave students a preview of their dancing skills during breaks.
Sigma Chi and Alpha Phi received the $1,000 prize for bringing the most people to the event. These winnings will go towards Sigma Chi and Alpha Phi's dancer team fundraising total. Last year DM raised more than $1 million for the Children’s Heart Foundation through fundraising events like Top Chef. DM public relations co-chair and Weinberg senior Sourav Bhowmick said he was pleased with this year’s turnout.
“Top Chef has been a great event for DM every year, and this year was no exception,” said Bhowmick.