The liquid in the vegetable stir fry started boiling uncontrollably and the oven-baked chicken wasn’t heating through. Worried looks shot across the faces of three team members taking part in the final round of the first Washington State 4-H Iron Chef competition. Quick thinking and patience saved the two courses and it was onto more slicing, sautéing and figuring out what would most impress the judges during the two-hour event Sept. 24 at the Puyallup Fair.

“We were under a lot stress especially during the last 10 minutes when we had to cut the chicken and plate it,” said 18-year-old Gabby Sechrist of Enumclaw. “We got a little frantic but we all talked and agreed about how to make the dishes and worked on them together.”

Sechrist, along with her brother, Chris, and teammate Christy Friend from Edgewood, wowed the judges with their chicken salsa entrée, colorful vegetables and fruit compote.

The trio captured top honors, while a second-place team from Clark County kept a steady pace while preparing their menu of chicken pot pie, roasted acorn squash and fruit parfait. Teams were allowed to bring ingredients from home but were also required to use a “secret” ingredient of either chicken or turkey they received that day.

Teams from Grays Harbor County competed in two previous Iron Chef rounds earlier inthe day.

Judge Julie Guyton, a nutrition educator, was impressed with the ambition the chefs brought to the competition.

“The teams presented thoughtfully composed, artful and tasty dishes,” Guyton said. “When time is your enemy, often grace and safety fly out the window. The chefs adhered to food safety standards under extreme pressure and persevered with calm determination.”

Teams were comprised of senior 4-H members who participated in a 4-H foods activity at the state fair in the past three years. Cooperation and discovering each other’s skills proved advantageous during the event.

“Christy was a lot better at peeling,” said Gabby Sechrist. “Chris was best with knives and I had a lot of fun cooking.”