Jaindl Prinicipal, Teacher In Sushi Contest at KOME Restaurant

It’s not exactly the Food Network’s popular “Chopped,” show, but as much as $10,000 could eventually be on the line starting Tuesday night when Jaindl Elementary School principal Diana Schantz and fifth-grade teacher Damian Goodman present an original turkey sushi to hungry diners at KOME restaurant in Center Valley.

The event pits Jaindl’s team of Schantz and Goodman against a pair of educators representing Patrons will vote on which school’s sushi dish tastes best during the event from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m tomorrow evening.

The winner receives 15 percent of the evening’s receipts and advances to a final showdown against three other local schools in late April.

Schantz said educators submitted essays stating why they should be chosen to compete in the restaurant’s competition. Once selected, Schantz and Goodman needed to create a sushi dish concept with the help of KOME chef Shuji Hiyakawa.

“We really were surprised and thrilled that we were chosen. (The turkey) is our mascot, the school’s name is Jaindl, so we wanted to keep within our roots and use a turkey product. We’re using cooking turkey as part of the sushi,” Schantz said.

Schantz and Goodman – with the help of Hiyakawa -- created a Grand Champion Roll, featuring roasted turkey in a sesame sauce, cucumber, avacado, cranberry puree and crumbled pumpkin chips.

KOME chefs will prepare that dish and the competing sushi dish from Miller Heights during tomorrow night’s dinner. The winning school takes home 15 percent of the night’s receipts and returns in April to compete against three other schools that will compete in three similar head-to-head sushi challenges during March.

Shantz noted that last year, a team of surgeons won a similar contest at KOME and the 15 percent share of the receipts for two nights totaled approximately $10,000.

“We haven’t told much to the kids. The staff has made turkey costumes they’re going to wear and the parents are making reservations,” Schantz said.

The Grand Champion Roll could turn out as a very profitable endeavor during a time school budgets are tight.