Iron Chef Competition Launches Family PLUS Cookbook; Promotes Family Dinners and Communication
"So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez Cuisine!"
Those famous words uttered weekly by the chairman on the U.S. version of the television program "Iron Chef" have a new meaning for families participating in Boys & Girls Club of America’s (BGCA) Iron Chef Competition. As part of a four city tour, the April event in Atlanta included the participation from three Atlanta families who were paired with members of Atlanta news media to create an appetizing, tasty, beautifully-plated meal from the organization's
newly released Family PLUS cookbook, "Just Add Family: Delicious Recipes for the Entire Family."
"Just Add Family," the brainchild of BGCA and Kimberly-Clark Corporation, combines more than 100 family favorite recipes from Boys & Girls Club members with guidelines for creating fun dinnertime activities as well as helpful tips for spending quality family time together. The cookbook is available to everyone at the BGCA Family PLUS Web site at familyplus.bgca.org.
Cheered on by more than 30 members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, the Bolton Family (Jackie, LeRoy and Jakkia), along with media participant Holly Firfer, host of "Atlanta & Company" on television station WXIA, won this regional event using ingredients from Atlanta Club member Jessica C.'s family recipe, Anything Goes Homemade Soup.
News media representative Holly Firfer and the Bolton Family show off their winning presentation of Anything Goes Homemade Soup.
"The Iron Chef competition was extremely successful in promoting family togetherness as well as demonstrating the Family PLUS tenet of giving families the resources and guidance for spending more quality time together," said Jose Cruz, BGCA Family PLUS director. "It was so successful both with our members, and with raising awareness for Family PLUS, we decided to
hold four more regional competitions this year to spread the word." 
In June, local Twin Cities Boys & Girls Club kids, parents and media personalities competed in the second event, the Midwest region Boys & Girls Clubs Iron Chef competition at the Cooks of Crocus Hill in St. Paul, Minn. Three Twin Cities families, along with local media members, participated in the exciting cook-off.
Friends and family cheered the teams on as they prepared and cooked their dishes in only 45 minutes. The Jaco family (Takida and Janaysia), along with media participant Art Barron from KSTP-TV’s Channel 5, using the team name “Fantastic Food Creators”, won the event using a set list of ingredients from the Anything Goes Homemade Soup recipe.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove hosted the Pacific Region Iron Chef competition in Garden Grove, Calif., on August 6. The Archer Family (Hede, Robert, Mowpheth and Hannah) won over the judges with delicious New Orleans style cuisine. The unanimous decision for the Archer Family was made by a panel of capable judges, including food critic Cynthia Furey, executive chef Doug Coleman, culinary professor Mike Backouris and executive chef Kevin Fabritz.
Additional 2008 competitions are being held in Albany, N.Y., and Dallas.
Recipes, locations and teams will be customized in each individual region, with all of the regional winning families competing for the National BGCA Iron Chef title on Nov. 19 in Atlanta.
"Each year, we look for different and new ways to support and strengthen families across America," said Tom Falk, Chairman and CEO of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, and a member of the national Board of Governors of Boys and Girls Clubs of America. "The Family PLUS Cookbook and Iron Chef competition give us the opportunity to open lines of communication within families over dinner and sustain the tradition of spending time together around the kitchen table."
Kimberly-Clark has supported BGCA for more than 20 years. The Family PLUS (Parents Leading, Uniting, Serving) program was launched in 2005 when Kimberly-Clark committed $7 million towards family support. Family PLUS focuses on five key components affecting families: Kinship Care, Father Involvement, Economic Opportunity, Outreach Strategies and Family Advocacy Network (FAN Club).
