Iron Chef Competition Heats Up

Intrigue! Suspicion! Surprise! Good food! This year's Iron Chef Williamsport competition is the talk of the town, with the twists and turns and bad breaks.

The competition season started like any other year. The presumptive challenger was identified: Lycoming Center Presbyterian Church. The challenge was issued - and accepted. To all the world, it looked like Williamsport was in for a lively Iron Chef match-up.

St. Mark's 2012 team of Elkin, Jones and Weber was ready for another solid performance in 2013. But then - strange happenings!

Weber was out early with a curious affliction that left him lame. The doctors pondered a way to patch him up for the big day - but alas, he was taken out by surgery scheduled a mere 2 days before the cook-off.

Then, in a further blow to the team's efforts to repeat last year's victory, Chef Jones lost the use of an essential limb in an unfortunate encounter with a solid object, that yielded less than the limb. Casted and helpless, with 2 weeks before the competition, Jones was left with no alternative but to withdraw.

The call went out - who will leap in to the abyss to close the gap left by this series of unfortunate events.

And the call was answered! Chef Todd Smith and Chef Kathy Eshelman entered the fray as viable and enthusiastic competitors. The team has hope again! Bring on Pr. Jerry Fourroux and the rest of his team!

Of course, through thick and thin, no matter who cooks or who wins the hearts and stomachs of the judges - the big winner is Family Promise of Lycoming County.

So, please plan to attend the competition, set for 5:00 P.M., Sunday, March 17, 2013, in Fellowship Hall, at St. Mark’s.

A tasty meal of bisque, sliced tenderloin of beef with Cabernet sauce, southern style green beans, and smashed sour cream & chive potatoes, with a chocolate indulgence for dessert, will be served.

Once the meal has been served, the cooking challenge begins. St. Mark’s team, headed by Pastor Kenneth Elkin, face off against the Lycoming Center team, led by Pr. Jerry Fourroux. In order for all those present to view the event, the contest will be projected on the large screen on stage. (It will also be streamed live on the web at http://www.ustream.tv/socialstream/643626?v=6&siteMode=1 for those unable to attend.)

75% of the $25 ticket cost will go directly to Family Promise of Lycoming County. This is very exciting, as Family Promise has now been up and running for four years! Thirteen congregations have hosted over 50 families to date and many volunteers help at the day center! Over 600 volunteers, county-wide, are giving their time to this ministry! Your funding goes to supply and maintain the day center, pay for insurance, fuel the van, and compensate our director of the program!

If you cannot attend (or even if you can!), you can become a patron of this event in support of Family Promise of Lycoming County. We will place patrons in the a la carte listing ($1 - $49), the cordon bleu listing ($50 - $99), the haute cuisine listing ($100 and more), and the restaurateur listing ($180 and more) of our program. Please contact St. Mark's regarding your donation.

Please join St. Mark’s as they defend the title, Iron Chef Williamsport, in this fifth annual competition. Whether you're cheering for them, for Lycoming Center or for Family Promise—they’d love to see you there!

Iron Chef Williamsport has two aims: to raise money and friends for the Family Promise program and to bring folks together for mutual enjoyment and community-building in friendly competition.