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Awards

The following honors will be given in the Morning and Afternoon Award Ceremonies for each age category:

CROWD-PLEASER — This award goes to the team that best incorporates color, texture, and taste for a true crowd-pleaser.
LIVELY LOCAL — This award goes to the team that best highlights Vermont foods.
MISE EN PLACE — (“Everything in its place”) This award goes to the team that shows exemplary teamwork, order, and professionalism.

Judging Criteria

EXECUTION — Clean and presentable uniforms including hard-soled shoes, hats, aprons, and safe food handling practices.
TEAMWORK — Evenly distributed workload, team cohesiveness & communication.
TASTE — Subjective category based on judge’s expertise.
CREATIVITY — Ingenuity of the ingredients used, creative use of ingredients.
LOCAL — Recipe highlights local, seasonal products (only for the Lively Local Award).
COMPLIANCE — Meets all Jr. Iron Chef VT Guidelines and Rules.

Each year, we are fortunate to have volunteer judges from around Vermont that have a wide range of culinary and food expertise.

2025 Judges

Sarah Heusner

Sarah Heusner

Judge Room Captain

Sarah is the Food Education and Programs Manager for the Burlington School Food Project. In this ever-evolving role, Sarah helps district students develop healthy and wholesome relationships with their lunch trays. She oversees Farm-to-School initiatives for the district, working collaboratively with schools and the broader community to develop innovative food ventures. In addition, Sarah procures local ingredients for Burlington School District’s nine cafeterias, acts as steward to the district’s two large-scale gardens, and manages the Fork in the Road student-run food truck with infectious energy and inspiration.

Avery Buck

WIth nearly 2 decades of restaurant experience Chef Avery Buck has worked his way from dishwasher to Executive Chef. He is currently at the helm of May Day in Burlington's Old North End where he was nominated for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef Northeast in 2025. He is a native Vermonter who appreciates the tight knit community of Vermont's restaurants and farmers. His love for food is only surpassed by that of his dog and fiance.

Tina Picz

Tina Picz

Tina is a professional food photographer/ stylist, and Founding Director at Firefolk Arts, a gallery and community event space in Waitsfield, Vermont that amplifies the work of underrepresented artists and entrepreneurs. Tina was a Jr Iron Chef VT cooking club contributor.

Devan Monette

Devan Monette

Devan Monette is the Vermont Harvest of the Month Program Manager at Food Connects in Brattleboro. Passionate about farm-to-school education, Devan works statewide to expand school resources and strengthen farm-to-school connections. This journey began as an agricultural educator, where hands-on learning and access to nutritious, whole foods were central to his curriculum. As both a writer and an educator, Devan supports teachers, food service professionals, and farmers by providing engaging, adaptable resources that bring local foods into classrooms and cafeterias. He is dedicated to celebrating and elevating the people and programs that are building a stronger, more resilient food system in Vermont.

Jordan Barry

Jordan Barry

Jordan Barry is a food writer at Seven Days. She holds a master’s degree in food studies from New York University, where her research focused on the American craft cider industry. She also has an animal science degree from the University of Vermont. Barry grew up in Norman Rockwell's Arlington; Vermont's vibrant food scene brought her back in 2019 after a stint in Brooklyn producing podcasts for Food52, Heritage Radio Network and Modernist Cuisine.

Liesha McKinley-Barnett

Liesha McKinley-Barnett

Chef Liesha (pronounced Lee-sha) is a farm to table chef and educator from Oakland, CA. She is a Navy veteran and loves to travel. She is new to Vermont and is the Director of the African Diaspora Foodways Institute of Vermont. Her favorite meal to eat is collard greens, beans and cornbread.

Johnny Capitanelli

Johnny Capitanelli

Johnny was born and raised in New Jersey but bleeds Vermont. He loves restaurants, Vermont agriculture, and everything Taylor ham. In his free time, he loves to skateboard and read cookbooks. He is a leader in the local restaurant community and a key player in the enthusiasm and deliciousness of Frankie's.

Jordan Ware

Jordan was born and raised in Vermont and after some travels to Montana and California he realized pretty quickly Vermont was his forever home. He has been in the Vermont restaurant scene for a long time and now is the owner of Frankie's restaurant with his business partner Cindi Kozak.

Jona Rakoto Razafy

Jona Rakoto Razafy

Jona moved to Vermont from Madagascar, inspired by his love for snowboarding. He serves as a mentor for the Chill Foundation and is deeply passionate about skateboarding. Jona has built a strong reputation in the Burlington skate community and works as a coach at Talent Skatepark. Additionally, he is a cook at Bleu Northeast Kitchen.

Jim Birmingham

Jim Birmingham

Head Judge

Chef Jim Birmingham is the Food Service Director for the Montpelier Roxbury Public Schools and is an American Culinary Federation Certified Executive Chef. Chef Jim has been the Jr Iron Chef VT Judging Captain since 2015. ”I think that it is a valuable event that teaches lifelong lessons in nutrition, culinary arts and teamwork. It is always a treat to see the level of engagement that the competitors bring along with their excitement for healthy, fresh local ingredients."

Lucy Weber

Lucy Weber

Lucy is a farmer at Pitchfork Farm and a cook at The Majestic. Lucy first rose to fame as Vermont’s two time spelling bee champion. A lifelong Taurus, they now enjoy a quiet life of vegetable farming, cooking, and playing with their cat, Thistle.

Maximilian Kissel

Maximilian Kissel

Maximillian is a soccer player for the University of Vermont. He was the hero in the national championship, scoring the winning goal in overtime. His accolades include being a National Champion (2024), NCAA Tournament Offensive Most Outstanding Player (2024), and a member of the NCAA All-Tournament Team (2024). He was also named to the America East All-Conference Second Team (2024). Maximillian hails from Wiesbaden, Germany, where he played high school soccer at Schultz Delitzsch Schule. Before transferring to UVM after two seasons at the University of Bridgeport, he was named to the All-America First Team (2023) and was selected as an All-Region Second Team member by United Soccer Coaches. Additionally, he was honored as a member of the CACC All-Academic Team (2023) and received the CACC Rookie of the Year award in 2022. His favorite movie is "The Dark Knight," and his favorite athlete is Marco Reus. He chose UVM for its excellent academics and the outstanding men's soccer team, which he believes is one of the best in the country.

Dr. Deb Kennedy

Dr. Deb Kennedy

Dr Deb has been teaching children and their parents how to eat delicious healthy food for most of her career with her Build Healthy Kids program. She understands food from various angles as a chef, nutritionist, researcher and writer. Her books – Picky Eating Solution, Food Parenting and Beat Sugar Addiction Now for Kids – lay out a step by step plan to make small changes towards health that lead up to big results. She was the lead author on From Clinic to Kitchen a Culinary Medicine Textbook series with experts from around the world where she focuses on teaching cooking skills that lead to craveable healthy food. From that work she launched the Food Coach Academy. "Enough with telling people what they can and can't eat, let's teach them to make delicious food one bite at a time. It is these choices that will change the health of each individual and our planet."

Cindi Kozak

Cindi Kozak

Cindi Kozak is a longtime industry professional and owner of Frankie's restaurant in downtown Burlington. She’s a poetry enthusiast, lover of travel and experiencing new cultures and cuisines.

Cat Viglienzoni

Cat Viglienzoni

Cat is an afternoon/evening news anchor at WCAX-TV. She's been with Channel 3 for 13.5 years. When she's not on the air, you can find her baking delicious desserts (which she frequently pawns off on coworkers), reading, learning Spanish, dancing, adventuring with her husband and daughter, and spoiling their three cats -- Inky, Smudge, and Yam.

Mo Doukhi

Mo Doukhi

Mo is a Palestinian chef from Lebanon who has been working in kitchens since he was nine years old, helping out in his mother’s restaurant. By the age of eleven, he was running the entire operation. He later moved to the Netherlands for high school, where he took advantage of summer breaks to work in various kitchens across multiple countries. Mo gained experience at a Middle Eastern restaurant in London and at fine dining establishments in both France and Spain. Currently, he is the chef at the Vermont Comedy Club and Happy Place Cafe, where he has successfully recreated some of his family recipes to add to the menu. The Vermont Comedy Club is also where Mo enjoys pursuing his hobby of stand-up comedy.

Allison Gibson

Allison Gibson

Allison started washing dishes at a restaurant in central New York at the age of 14 and the rest is history. After working at several restaurants over the years, she and her Chef-Business Partner Cara Tobin opened Honey Road, an Eastern Mediterranean mezze restaurant in Burlington in July of 2017. She and Cara followed up with a brunch restaurant, The Grey Jay, in December of 2022. Allison semifinalist list for Outstanding Restaurateur, a nationwide category When not working, she can be found with her dog Pearl.

Senator Rocket

Senator Rocket is the founder of Eat Vermont, a digital media brand and mobile app that spotlights local food and agriculture across Vermont. He's an alumnus of The Putney School '10, Middlebury College '14, and Vermont Law School ‘24. Rocket is a media consultant and passionate storyteller. His mission is to build bridges that strengthen the local community and bring people together. The Eat Vermont mobile app is a powerful community tool that connects people to local food and agriculture across the Green Mountain State. Available on both Apple and Android, the Eat Vermont mobile app empowers users to search the menus of all restaurants, build customized Day Trips, and embark on curated Food Trails around the state.

Jamie Miller

Jamie is a graduate of NECI with several years of experience in the world of food. Ranging from Chef to Cheesemaker to Entrepreneur. Jamie currently produces a line of organic taco seasonings under the brand name Bard & Bellom. Jamie lives in Shelburne with his wife, two kids, and dog.

Tillie Walden

Tillie Walden

Tillie Walden is a cartoonist and illustrator from Austin, Texas. She is the creator of a number of graphic novels including the LA Times Book Prize winning memoir Spinning and Hugo nominated webcomic On a Sunbeam. She is the fifth Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont and a graduate of the Center for Cartoon Studies, where she now teaches.

Harmony Edosomwan

Harmony Edosomwan

Harmony Edosomwan, founder of Harmony’s Kitchen, Vermont’s first Afrofusion soul food catering company, is a Bronx native and University of Vermont graduate who has called Vermont home for eight years. As Miss Chittenden County, she fosters connection and joy through soul food. From hosting cooking classes to catering events, her passion for excellence and community shines. Edosomwan dreams of scaling Harmony’s Kitchen to a globally recognized brand, empowering her community along the way.

Ryder Manske

Ryder Manske

Ryder grew up in Burlington, Vermont, and graduated from Burlington High School class of 2022, where he also completed his culinary technology studies. The summer after high school, he moved to Hamilton, Montana, to join the Ember Restaurant Group, working under Chef Brandon Dearden. Through his experience with Ember, Ryder became the face of the restaurant on social media and learned marketing strategies that helped elevate both the restaurant's brand and his personal brand.

Matt Canning

Matt Canning

Matt is a native of South Burlington, VT and although not a lifelong Vermonter, he is a lifelong hospitality enthusiast. Matt started his career at Westport Hospitality by opening Hotel Vermont in 2013. Over the past eleven years he has worked alongside the team as Front Office Manager, F&B Manager, Assistant General Manager, and now serving as General Manager. Matt has a degree from The University of Colorado and experience working for The Big Red F Restaurant Group in Boulder, CO and Ritz Carlton Lake Tahoe, CA. He holds a certificate of Financial Management from Cornell Hospitality Program. His excitement for local food and beverage have helped shape the hospitality scene in Vermont most notably through his work in beer tourism, agriculture, and restaurant development. Matt believes that Vermont's local food system is a defining aspect of life in the state that he never plans to leave. Everyday Matt is excited by the diverse group of teammates and guests that keep Westport Hospitality hotels alive.

Sas Stewart

Sas Stewart

Sas Stewart is a serial entrepreneur passionate about creating spaces that foster joy, acceptance and celebration—a pursuit she has manifested over her 20 years in hospitality. She is the founder of Adventure Dinner, an event + catering company whose mission is to support and showcase Vermont farms, producers and small businesses through communal dining and community events. Before launching Adventure Dinner, Sas was the co-founder of the award-winning distillery Stonecutter Spirits and Burlington hotspot Highball Social. She is a graduate of the SBA Emerging Leaders program, and holds a B.A in English from the University of Michigan and a M.S. in Sustainable Planning and Development from Pratt Institute. Sas was named Imbibe Magazine’s 75 inspiring people influencing the way you’ll drink and one of the top 50 entrepreneurs in the US, and her projects have been featured in Travel and Leisure, Martha Stewart Living, Food and Wine, Outside Magazine, Sift, Bloomberg, Better Homes and Gardens and other publications.

Luis Calderin

Luis Calderin

Luis Calderin is the co-founder of Santiago’s Cuban Cuisine, a Burlington restaurant dedicated to serving traditional Cuban dishes like ropa vieja and lechón asado. Opened in 2023, Santiago’s has become a gathering place, reflecting Luis’ deep ties to his heritage and his commitment to sharing Cuban food in its truest form.Born to Cuban parents and raised in Miami, Luis grew up in a home where food was central to family and identity. Moving to Burlington, he built a career at the intersection of music, marketing, and culture, finding ways to bring people together through creative work.Beyond the restaurant, Luis has been a DJ, creative director, and entrepreneur, shaping projects that highlight storytelling, community, and shared experience. Luis is a father of 2 creative young adults, and in the board of directors at King Street Center and the Chill Foundation.