#DeliciousCompetition: It was a night of firsts at the Ryan Arts Center in McKees Rocks. No ticketed event has ever sold out there before, and with 125 guests in attendance, the place with brimming with excitement as Pittsburgh teens and local chefs battled it out on the stage to win the title of Steel Chef. Chef Bill Fuller emceed the event, quizzing the audience on culinary trivia while chefs Claudy Pierre, Norresset Nareedokmai, Keyla Nogueira Cook, Jess Rattanni, Kevin Sousa and Tom DeGori coached all the teens to win at least one of the award categories. The secret, must-use ingredients were goat cheese, rib-eye steaks and savory Jenny Lee Swirl Bread. The winning dish, by the Blue team led by chef DiGori and chef Noreedokmai, received only one remark from the “mean judge,” Focus On Renewal Sto-Rox diabetic cooking instructor, Mark Snyder, who simply said, “sublime,” upon tasting it. The beautifully plated dish was an “interracial and inclusive meal,” remarked judge Liana Maneese, founder and owner of the Good Peoples Group and a Brazilian cooking instructor. Zero Waste Pittsburgh helped compost and recycle everything from the event. Stay tuned for next year: It’s going to get bigger and better, and the teens are talking about filming a web series about it too.

#GetFocused: Focus On Renewal Sto-Rox is a neighborhood development organization that works to strengthen communities through co-powerment from cradle to career. The mentorship- and job skills-themed program is built on the momentum of FOR’s newly launched and wildly popular, much needed after-school teen programming in their Ryan Arts Center. They start off by making their own after-school snacks with rescued food from 412 Food Rescue and the Environmental Charter School, helping to tackle food insecurity in the community.

First Published: March 19, 2018, 9:30 a.m.