Chefs at Immanuel retirement homes compete in cookoff

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Chefs from Immanuel, an organization with 18 retirement communities in Omaha, Lincoln and Iowa, competed and showcased their skills on Friday to a panel of judges.

The competition was held in Lincoln at the Sysco test kitchen.

Each chef was paired with another chef from a different Immanuel location.

Their task was to create a crab cake appetizer and an entree of their choice.

This is the first year of the competition, and it’s something Immanuel CEO Eric Gurley would like to see every year.

“We do it to sharpen their skills and foster creativity because people in the food sciences are really food artists,” Gurley said. “You have to cultivate that in order to continue to get engagement. It is amazing to see what they bring to the table on behalf of those that we serve.”

The competition was formatted like the TV show “Chopped” and was being filmed by a professional crew to make a show of it for the residents as well as to create promotional videos.