Little Silver teachers Tim Russoniello and Kim Christman took school fundraising to a new level on Nov. 18 when they competed against a “top chef” to raise funds for education.
The duo faced off against executive chef Joe Racioppi in the Silver Chef Throw Down held at McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright.
“We’re going to win. Chef Joe has no chance,” boasted Russoniello before the 8 p.m. cook-off got under way, but the brave front quickly dissipated to nervousness. “I hope we don’t mess up.”
The 30-minute cook-off challenged the participants to create fun and easy dishes using Thanksgiving leftovers.
The Little Silver teachers made turkey burger sliders with stuffing inside.
“I like to cook. We have a big family. I always cook for the holidays along with my sister,” said Christman, a language arts teacher for the sixth and eighth grades at Markham Place School.
Russoniello, a physical education teacher at Point Road School, did not claim chef experience, saying in his house his wife is the cook and he is the preferred dishwasher. His grilling abilities, however, are where he feels most confident.
Racioppi, executive chef at McLoone’s Pier House restaurant in Long Branch, made corn cakes with peppers, onions, and fresh corn with sour cream and chili on the side. He also made a turkey soup.
Prior to working at McLoone’s for the past seven months, he operated his own kitchen, Racioppi’s, in Red Bank, for 15 years.
Even with his experience, he said that in his first throw down he didn’t want any pressure to overshadow the fun night of raising money.
“We wanted to keep the cooking as simple as possible,” he said.
Most of the ingredients were prepared ahead of time before the chefs squared off in a competition that featured plenty of laughs on both sides.
Samples of the dishes created were served on trays for tasting around the crowded room. After a brief pause to gather a general consensus, emcees Farley Boyle and Chris Smith announced that the people had called the competition a tie. With more than 270 people in attendance, live music and endless trays of food samples, the teachers admitted their nerves were acting up but said they were excited for the fun opportunity to raise money for their schools.
The event benefited the Education Foundation of Little Silver (EFLS) and raised funds for new technology for the Point Road and Markham Place schools.
New laptops, tablet computers, microphone systems, cameras and SMART Boards are some of the items classrooms need.
The EFLS is responsible for funding 80 percent of technology investments in Little Silver schools. In 2010, the EFLS alone purchased 40 pieces of new equipment worth more than $25,000.
“I think the people of Little Silver are always so generous, and this is so we can get some new technology. It’s always such a happy surprise how generous they are,” said Christman.
“I just think it’s nice to see the parents and teachers in a different place other than school, and it brings everyone together.” Former students who are now seniors at Red Bank Regional High School assisted Christman and Russoniello during the competition.
Abby Burton, Natalie Damien and Charley Olman are members of the culinary club at RBR, which caters local events, donates food to local food banks and even grows herbs and vegetables in the school’s organic garden.
Wearing white aprons and with rolled-up sleeves, the students volunteered to prepare the foods and help the teachers during the throw down.
“It’s just beautiful because they’re all grown up and getting ready for college, and you just remember them when they were that much younger. It’s just a really nice thing to see,” said Christman.
The EFLS fundraiser also featured a silent auction with donations from local businesses. Other items like cookbooks and tickets to Medieval Times and “The Phantom of the Opera” were prizes during a trivia session.
Keynote speaker Manoj Narang, founder and CEO of Tradeworx Inc., an electronics and trading technology firm in Red Bank, has four daughters in the Little Silver school system.
He shared his knowledge about math education and the importance of equipping students with proper technology in the classrooms.
“We need to empower students to have the confidence and skills to be agents of innovation,” he said.
Narang noted that lack of incentive is a primary reason that education in the United States is falling behind education in the developing world.
“Students in the developing world have to be inventive in order to escape poverty. In the U.S., we don’t have that motivation. We need to get kids interested in technology again,” he said.
Many popular gadgets like iPhones and tablets, in addition to the technology necessary to power search engines like Google, require math, Narang said.
“Math is so well hidden that nobody realizes this fact.”