Every now and again, I will have these “Oh My God I Love My Job!” a-ha moments, and I had an extended one of those last night at the first annual Tacoma Symphony of Taste Culinary Competition.

What the event boiled (or more appropriately, sautéed) down to was a cooking competition between collegiate rivals, a sort of  “Who will be America’s Next Top Chef” goes Technical College with Clover Park Technical College taking on Bates.

Dr Dick Bowe, a Tacoma opthamologist whom I first became acquainted with at my daughter’s etiquette classes, won the event at a Tacoma Symphony Orchestra auction.

Held at the amazingly cool kitchen of Bargreen Ellingson and emceed by BE’s corporate Chef Bob Mauer, the evening started with champagne, provided by the Pour at Four, along with the rest of the wines we enjoyed through the course of the evening.

Our first courses set the tone for the evening, with Team CPTC serving up a Beef Tenderloin Tartare, Scallop Marco Polo, and Duck Vittore trio (the combo of duck plus kumquat made my heart sing!) pitted against Team Bates’ Glazed Shrimp and Scallop with Stuffed Artichoke chive cream.  By the time I ate the latter plate, the shrimp was cold and I wasn’t entirely certain how to eat it (the shrimp were skewered on a piece of lemongrass, while the chive cream was dished up in an artichoke heartâ€" a nice touch!)

Round two, course two was soup â€" Team CPTC again showed innovation with their Thai Ginger and Lemongrass soup; there was a spicy heat to the soup that made it zing, pop, and refresh my palate, while the Bates Roasted Corn and Red Pepper Bisque Dungeness Crab soup had an addictive, creamy decadence to it. Both the first courses were matched with a light and fresh Argentinian Sauvignon Blanc.

The next course, served singly, was the entrée by CPTC was a Beef Filet with Purple Potato and Parsnip Gratinee, Swiss Chard and red pepper coulis that pleased my palate in ways I couldn’t even dreamâ€"there was watercress, bleu cheese, and all kinds of tenderness to the filet; paired with the Pinot Noir it was like food heaven.

By the time I had entrée number two, BTC’s Pork Roast Tenderloin, Anna Potatoes, and carrots and zucchini, I was getting to the point of palate bliss that makes exact analysis of flavors challenging; those around the table with me, students of Bates’ Production Class and their teacher Al Hunton seemed to reach a new level of gastronomic bliss, responding vocally favorably to the salt that I took in as “go to bloat, go directly to bloat.”

When the Annabella Cabernet Sauvignon was poured, and the desserts came out, I hit a new level of bliss: though the BTC Lemon Mousse had a fresh, light palate cleansing quality that was a refreshing end to the meal, the better match for the wine was the chocolate truffle cake drizzled with cinnamon syrup.  Though I appreciated the nod to the Asian fusion in many of the dishes CPTC put out, reinforced by the serving of Crème Brulee in a Chinese soup spoon, I was less impressed by the over-burned taste and loose texture of that dish.

In the end, it was Bates who won the overall battle, with taster’s comments ranging from “I don’t eat raw meat, sorry!” to, “I won’t eat tartare.” 

And in the end, as CPTC team members Michael Stockin, Tevonn Mitchell, Jaron Witsoe, Jhorge Abueg, and Gary Rim shook hands with the victorious team members Andrew Stinson, Gilbert White, Angie Brueckner, Tony Lim, and Chaz Mills, I couldn’t help but admire all the individuals for their grace and creative finesse under pressure. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler