Landry’s Iron Chef competition, hosted October 24-25 at the Galveston Convention Center, invited four school districts to bring a select number of students to view and compete in their Junior Iron Chef competition. Eleven Clear Springs students and their culinary teacher, Chef Kathleen Roussel, attended the event.

Sponsored by Landry’s Inc. and its owner, Mr. Tilman Fertitta, his company strives to foster a new generation of culinary leaders. This parent company represents a wide expanse of popular local restaurants–Saltgrass Steak House, Landry’s Seafood, Aquarium Restaurants, Bubba Gump, Joe’s Crab Shack, Fish Tales, Grotto, Rainforest Café, and Red Sushi. Landry’s seems to dominate the local culinary economy, their success building from a small local restaurant in Katy, Texas, and growing into an empire of hospitality and good food.

Students were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look behind the curtain of the culinary world. The Junior Competition allowed the students to see what actually goes into running a successful culinary business.

“It allowed them to see different aspects of a restaurant, such as marketing and menu creation,” Chef Roussel said.

The future chefs spoke with high ranking Landry’s officials and chefs from a wide variety of restaurants, and were able to view select rounds within the competition.

“Going into the kitchen, I noticed the fast pace the chefs were working at. Yet I also noticed the passion, seeing how much the chefs loved to cook,” Matthew Estrada (11) said. “I dream of opening a restaurant of my own one day, and getting to go behind the scenes has shown me just how possible my dream is.”

The competition also provided the students with hands-on experience. The Junior competition was set up in a similar fashion to the Iron Chef Competition. Students were given a set of mystery ingredients, and were then required to create a menu item from scratch. Two of the many students attending were selected from each district, and were given the opportunity to bring their dishes to life.

“I enjoyed supporting those cooking in the competition, just as we would support one another in a normal kitchen,” Jazz’ mon Anderson (11) said. “It’s a good feeling, to serve or eat a meal you made.”

The event showed just how complex the Culinary world can be, and how running a restaurant takes more than an ability to cook. It showed that a creative and quick-paced mind is needed to create and innovate within the industry.

“The event gave a real world feel to what we’re learning in class, and it showed how culinary can be used in formal careers,” Colt Shultz (11) said. “It’s a good life skill to have, as many careers are centered around cooking.”