Sisters chefs shine in state competition

The rest of Oregon now knows what many folks in Sisters have known for quite a while: Jen's Garden is one of the very best restaurants in Oregon.

Chefs TR McCrystal and Caryl Hosler proved that point in The Bite of Oregon competition in Portland last weekend. Their competitors were other Iron Chef winners from across Oregon, including Chef Daniel Mondok, who was defending his title as Iron Chef of Oregon 2005 and 2006.

Even with all the pressure to win, TR chose to keep the atmosphere light for himself and Caryl. He carried Remy from "Ratatouille" in his chef's coat pocket throughout the competition. The spirit of fun may have helped, but it was the culinary creations that earned the restaurant a second-place finish in the prestigious competition.

"It's a great opportunity to gain exposure for Sisters and Jen's Garden," said McCrystal. "We had some of our Portland clientele cheering us on. The competition was still pretty friendly; the funny part was that all the backstage crew was rooting for us."

The big question of the weekend was whether one of the new competitors would be able to unseat Mondok. Jen's Garden almost did, missing the title in the final round by a few points.

"We only lost by five points," said Hosler. "Mondok's dish got 129, and ours got 124."

McCrystal and Hosler were competing in a sea of people who came to Portland for a weekend full of good food and music benefiting the Special Olympics. The SYSCO Oregon Chef's Stage was in Waterfront Park. Each chef was given an identical kitchen, tools and pantry. Each chef had 30 minutes to plan, prepare and plate an entrée for three judges including Food Network's Guy Fieri. The secret ingredient was disclosed, and the cooking began.

Jen's Garden's first round took place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. They competed against Newman's at 988, a Cannon Beach restaurant that won the Iron Chef Tillamook. The secret ingredient was the fish, Tilapia. Jen's Garden won that round with dishes like Israeli couscous with cinnamon and cayenne and Fennell Slaw to advance to the next cook-off on Saturday at 3 p.m.

They competed against Chef Matthew Mulder from Bluefish Bistro of Bend. The secret ingredient was Sirloin Backstrap. McCrystal and Hosler prepared Seared Medallions of Sirloin on a pomegranate demi glaze with potato butternut squash quenelles and a deconstructed peach salsa. They won again and headed into the final round against the reigning champion, Portland Chef Daniel Mondok from Olea.

Even in the final round with Mondok, TR chose to keep his dishes original each time.

"We could have just done what we did that made us win before, but as a chef I like to keep things new; it makes things interesting and challenging for me," he said.

With thousands of people watching, Jen's Garden began their final race for the championship. Tired out from the two earlier victories, they weighed in against their rested competitor.

"Daniel Mondok and his assistant were very well-prepared for the competition, and they only had to do one competition; we had to do three," said Hosler. "He's also very good at what he does."

In the end Jen's Garden garnered many kudos from the audience, judges and chefs.

"I'm not glad to see a Portland restaurant win this competition. This was a huge event, and it will be good for local restaurants. We were also glad to get the opportunity to help raise money for the Special Olympics," said McCrystal.

Coming in second was good for Jen's Garden, too. With such a close finish, it showed the quality that can be found on the east side of the Cascades, a fact more and more people are learning as they venture outside of Portland to Sisters.