The smell of exotic spices filled Northside Dining Hall Friday night while four groups cooked traditional recipes in the first annual Student Iron Chef competition.

Co-sponsored by the Residence Hall Association (RHA), Dining Services and the Office of International Programs, Iron Chef was planned by Culinary Cougs to help unite the different cultures represented at WSU.

Culinary Cougs is a club where students learn the basics of cooking, providing opportunities to improve life and wellbeing.

“Proceeds go to charity, students learn to cook, and we get this interaction between groups who don’t generally get together,” said Corey King, adviser for Culinary Cougs, “Everybody wins.”

Admittance required either four canned goods or $10 to be contributed to the Pullman Community Action Center Food Bank.

Student groups included the Korean Student Association (KSA), Association for Bangladeshi Students and Scholars (ABSS), Middle Eastern Student Association (MESA), and Culinary Cougs.

King said a professional chef was paired with each team to teach different techniques, provide support and maintain a healthy cooking environment.

After providing a plate complete with a starter, entrée and dessert, a panel of judges and each attendee vote for the best food. They judged each plate on the presentation, creativity and taste.

Each person was given a ticket for each meal and a small bell to drop in the container representing their favorite.

Chef Arlie Reeves helped MESA create a lentil vegetable soup, which was announced to the hungry crowd as “the best soup you will ever taste.”

“We wanted to make something unique and traditional, with a Middle Eastern twist,” Reeves said.

She said three of their team members were from Middle Eastern countries and provided recipes from their families for ensured authenticity.

Chef Tanzila Islam skewered spiced beef onto wooden skewers for the Bangladeshi team. She said she and her teammates were used to cooking for each other in their homes. But this group of around 150 people was a new experience.

“We wanted a challenge and this competition sounded fun,” Islam said.

Chef Nhi Tran, residential education director at Regents Hall, said Dining Services, Food Services of America and local producers from Whitman County provided the ingredients.

She said RHA provides programs to help students in residence halls make the most of their meals on campus, facilitated by residence advisors in the various halls. Iron Chef is an extension of these programs.

“International Programs has always wanted to do Iron Chef,” Tran said. “We definitely want to continue this event for international education.”

The KSA won the competition with 34 votes, followed by the ABSS with 32, Culinary Cougs with 30, and MESA with 28. More than $350 was donated to the Pullman Community Action Center.