Bayonne’s bravest not only know when to flex their muscles during firefighting, they also have an expertise they showcase in a kitchen.
Long shifts in the firehouse lead to a number of hungry firefighters, and someone needed to please those palates. Cooking up a great meal for a large group goes hand in hand with being on the job.
Last year, a Bayonne crew vanquished the cooking contingents of 14 other New Jersey fire departments to win top honors at the Ultimate Fire Department Cook-off, and this year, the team is seeking to defend its title.
The competition is part of the larger Cooked and Uncorked Food and Wine Festival at the Pines Manor catering hall in Edison, where participants can experience the tastes and flavors of more than 40 of New Jersey’s finer restaurants, caterers, and bakeries.
The Bayonne team consists of Pete Aiello, Jim Lonnay, Brian McMonagle, and Dave Sisk.
Their 2014 dish was the crème de la crème of the fire cook-off competition, and propelled Bayonne’s fire squad into the hierarchy of New Jersey fire department culinary circles. They prepared a peppercorn encrusted beef tenderloin topped with a cabernet and gorgonzola demiglaze. It was accompanied by “jacked” cream of corn, made with jalapeno and bacon, and topped with sautéed shrimp.
On Monday, Feb. 23, they go back to the Pines Manor to once again pull out their pots, pans, and ladles and knives, and say, “on guard.”
This year there will be more competition; about 25 teams in all. They include squads from the fire departments of Belleville, Carteret, Cranford, Hillside, Elizabeth, Linden, Maplewood, Millburn, Nutley, Plainfield, Rahway, Roselle, South Orange, and Union.
McMonagle and Sisk do most of the cooking. Aiello is the “front man,” serving the food and using his “gift of gab” to woo the judges. Lonnay is a cook and “utility player.”
The day of actual cooking caps off three days of hard work. Day one consists of shopping for the right meats and other high-quality ingredients. Day two involves the all-important prep work. Day three is the traveling, set up, and cooking for the 300-plus people they will serve, including judges, other firefighters, and public attendees.
The group will cook nonstop for five hours.
“All of it makes it a challenge to pull off an event of this size,” McMonagle said.
This year’s Bayonne entry will likely be a mushroom and asparagus risotto with pork tenderloins and pan-seared scallops, according to Sisk. The dish’s sauce, still being decided, may be a Marsala wine reduction or pineapple habanera glaze.
Why do they work so hard on the event? Bragging rights.
“We intend to keep the trophy all next year as well,” McMonagle said.
But beyond the urge to outdo their statewide brethren, there’s the more practical reason: helping others. The event benefits The Burn Center at Saint Barnabas in Livingston, one of the New Jersey hospitals most known for helping burn victims.
Many of the firefighters from these New Jersey departments have been treated at St. Barnabas. Even more know someone who’s been treated there.
Cook-off sponsors
The cook-off’s main sponsors are St. Barnabas and the NJ State Firefighter’s Mutual Benevolent Association.
Local event sponsors include Bayonne Community Bank and ShopRite.
The Bayonne firefighters represent not only their department, but the Local 11 firefighters’ and Local 211 fire officers’ unions.
Event details
The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Pines Manor, 2085 Route 27 in Edison. Tickets are $55 in advance and $65 at the door. Order tickets by visiting www.cookedanduncorked.com, or by calling Kara Orlando at (973) 322-4331 or the state FMBA office in Rahway at (732) 499-9250.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.To comment on this story online visit www.hudsonreporter.com.