The time is up, the votes are in and Mocha Cabana has won the competition for the highest support of local producers in Lethbridge.
The annual Iron Chef competition celebrated community roots using ingredients almost entirely sourced out of southern Alberta.
Created to mimic the popular television show, the chefs at Mocha Cabana competed for the best overall dishes in appetizers, soup, entrees and desserts.
The teams had specific ingredients to be incorporated into each recipe to spice up the competition such as quinoa in their desserts.
The community was invited to enjoy a night of food and wine while also judging their favorite of the eight courses.
Angel Harper, co-owner of the restaurant said the event is a great opportunity to showcase the ways Mocha Cabana invests in the community.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We have been partnered with the [Lethbridge] College program for many years, and we have lots of apprentices from the college…We have over 20 farmers and producers from Alberta, a lot of them in southern Alberta, everything is local.”
From the vegetables to the eggs and the meat, Mocha Cabana has gained a fan base that is as passionate about their community efforts as the company itself.
Lisa Mitchel, third time attendee of the Iron Chef competition, and a frequent customer of the establishment said the originality of the restaurant keeps her coming back.
“I like the diversity in the food and I love the effort that the business and the staff make to support locally-sourced producers. It isn’t like that anywhere else.”
Customers, management and staff alike, all agree the café is an environment curated to create more opportunities for the city and surrounding communities.
Mocha Cabana said that as long as they are under the same management, they will continue to support the institutions and producers in the city as well as host the Iron Chef competition.
Future events can be found on the Mocha Cabana website or Facebook page.
