The Everplans Chopped-Inspired Competition Was A Delicious Success

On a warm Thursday in May, the Everplans team positioned their laptops precariously in their kitchen and embarked on the first ever Everplans Chopped Competition. Here were the ground rules:

All participants were required to make at least 1 dish (but they can also make more) — could be sweet, could be savory, could be both. Participants could use anything they desired BUT MUST INCLUDE at least 5 of the following ingredients:

• Ginger
• Scallions/Chives/or Shallots
• Cinnamon
• Honey
• Tahini
• Yogurt
• Blackberries
• Chipotle
• Canned Pumpkin
• Tofu/Chicken/Red Meat
• Chickpeas
• Canned Tuna
• Eggplant
• Rhubarb
• Pepperoni

Once the clock struck 10:30AM EST, which we can all agree is the perfect time to prepare a massive feast, the chefs were off and cooking. There was laughter and there was trash talking, but in the end it was a no-holds barred kitchen cage match with each determined to prove their succulent superiority.

Each contestant was scored on a scale from 1-5 in a number of categories, with a chance to win bonus points for going above and beyond.

The votes have been counted and here are the flavor blasted results.

Most Creative Dish(es)

The Winner: Casey (Curry pumpkin soup with grilled shrimp; pumpkin ravioli; grilled eggplant with honey, yogurt, tahini, and roasted chickpeas)

First Runner-Up: Harris

Second Runners-Up: Yariv and Zeina

Best Presentation

The Winner: Zeina (Kebab with blackberry sauce)

First Runner-Up: Casey

Second Runners-Up: Bernie and Yariv

The Best Use Of Color

The Winner: Harris (Coffee and chipotle rubbed grass fed steak with a blackberry and balsamic glaze; Roasted pumpkin and tahini puree; Chiptole rubbed potato on the side; Blackberry margarita)

First Runner-Up: Casey

Second Runners-Up: Adam and Yariv

Fanciest Dish

The Winner: Harris (freshly made tahini matcha ice cream)

First Runner-Up: Yariv

Second Runner-Up: Zeina

Best Use Of Ingredients

The Winner: Casey

First Runner-Up: Harris

Second Runner-Up: Yariv

Most Difficult To Make

The Winner: Bernie (Roasted Eggplant; Tahini and honey chicken; Noodle dish)

First Runner-Up: Harris

Second Runner-Up: Yariv

Most Hard To Find Additional Ingredient

The Winner: Yariv (Caponatina appetizer; honey glazed chicken; parfait featuring candied rose petals for desert)

First Runners-Up: Warren and Zeina

Second Runner-Up: Harris

The Seemingly Healthiest

The Winner: Warren (Hummus; Baba Ganoush; Blackberries in homemade yogurt with honey and cinnamon)

First Runner-Up: Adam

Second Runner-Up: Abby

Likelihood Of This Meal Becoming A Regular Thing You’d Make

The Winner: Abby (Pasta with tuna and olive oil basil lemon garlic chives; Roasted eggplants with hot honey infused with chipotle peppers and chili)

First Runner-Up: Kay

Second Runner-Up: Warren

Most Likely To Find On A Restaurant Menu

The Winner: Harris (sensing a trend here?)

First Runners-Up: Warren and Zeina

Second Runner-Up: Abby and Bernie

Most Interesting Surprise Or Mishap While Cooking

The Winner: Adam, who almost forgot to put the eggplant in his eggplant dish (Eggplant/chickpea tagine/ratatouille; Pan fried tofu with tahini/chipotle/honey sauce; Ginger/garlic couscous)

First Runner-Up: Sarah

Second Runner-Up: Bernie

Gene Would Eat It

Note: Gene is a notoriously non-adventurous eater, which made this the most prestigious and possibly most important category of the entire competition. (Gene also wrote this recap.)

The Winner: Sarah (Pepperoni Bread with Sweet Yogurt Dipping Sauce; Tahini Blackberry Yogurt Cake)

First Runner-Up: Abby

Second Runners-Up: Kay

Bernie Would Eat It

Note: When it comes to food, Bernie (pictured above) is the exact opposite of Gene.

The Winner: Harris (we ran out of Harris food photos so this is Abby's outstanding rhubuarb crisp with blackberry, starwberries, peaches, and ginger pie)

First Runner-Up: Abby

Second Runners-Up: Bernie, Casey, and Zeina

Most Calm Under Pressure

The Winner: Kay

(Oven Baked Chicken with Fried Rice; Greek Yogurt and honey desert)

First Runner-Up: Warren

Second Runner-Up: Casey

Best Instagram Photos

The Winner: Zeina

First Runners-Up: Bernie and Casey

Second Runner-Up: Adam

Most Bonus Points Awarded For Each Additional Ingredient Used After The Required 5

Top Scorers: Adam and Yariv (pictured above) tied with 6

Most Bonus Points For Each Dish Made (5 points per dish)

The Top Disher: Harris with 5 dishes (two more than the nearest competitor… we think you see where this is going...)

And With The Most Overall Points, The Everplans Chopped Competition Best In Show Goes To…

Harris!

Harris seized the moment. From his full chef gear, cornucopia of ambitious creations, and fierce dedication to the craft, this was a well earned victory.

First Runner-Up: Zeina

Second Runner Up: Casey

Honorable Mentions: Abby and Yariv

The entire team deserves a standing ovation. Even though Harris won in points it was an unbridled success. Plus, we can already hear the gears turning in each participant’s head for the next competition when they can attempt to knock Harris off the throne.

Special thanks to Atanda and Yoko for hosting the event (they were a blast) and Abby and Casey for making the entire thing happen.

Farewell, until we eat again...