MCU: New York's Credit Union Since 1916
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MCU Proudly Sponsors FDNY Super Chefs in a Bite to the Finish on the Rachael Ray Show in NY Daily News' 5 Alarm Cookoff
November 20, 2009, New York City - They can take the heat and they know their way around the kitchen! They are NYC Firefighters, long renowned for their bravery, and now for their gourmet strengths as well. An estimated 60 of NYC's Bravest recently submitted recipes to be part of the New York Daily News' 5 Alarm Cookoff competition, sponsored in part by Municipal Credit Union, with borough finalists competing against one another for bragging rights on TV's super-chef Rachael Ray's show.
Five borough-wide competitions were held throughout the month of October. Under the direction of Food Network personalities Sissy Biggers, best known for the show 'Ready, Set Cook' and Amanda Freitag, from 'America's Next Iron Chef,' firefighters had an hour to prepare and present their special creations. Borough competitions were judged by a variety of locally prominent chefs, restaurant owners, and, of course, judges from MCU.
Don't get fooled by the '5 Alarm' in the competition's title. While firefighters are known for their outstanding chili recipes, these entries showed a real level of sophistication and mastery. In the Bronx, for instance, Jimmy Lowe from Rescue 3 won with his delectable flank steak pinwheels, artfully presented with a drizzle of teriyaki sauce and hand carved florets made of tomato and cucumber. In Manhattan, Ladder 36's Steve Brunner's incredible scallop and shrimp spring rolls took first place, and firefighter Keith Young's Shrimp a la Terry Diablo, which was named for fallen firefighter Terry Farrell, who died on 9/11, won the Queens competition. Sal DePaola's creative chipotle jambalaya took the honors in Staten Island and firefighter John Sierp won the hard fought Brooklyn competition with his flavorful Caribbean spiced pork meatloaf. Dishes were as delicious, and presented as professionally as in the best of restaurants, and each borough winner received a 52 in. flat screen TV for his firehouse. Finalists competed in a spirited Rachael Ray program that aired Friday, November 13th, with Firefighter Sal DePaola's chipotle jambalaya taking top honors. DePaola won a new kitchen full of gourmet appliances for his firehouse, and all of the finalists were given complete sets of Rachel Ray cookware.
This sponsorship is just one example of Municipal Credit Union's support of member events. MCU's Ken Currey, Vice President of Business Development, who served as a judge in the Manhattan competition said, "It was a natural for us. The FDNY puts their lives on the line for New York City everyday, and it was wonderful to see these guys having fun, not just racing off to the rescue in some disaster. They were creative and cooking up some great food. I was truly impressed with all of the dishes."
About Municipal Credit Union
Municipal Credit Union (MCU) is the oldest credit union in New York State and one of the oldest and largest in the country. Established in 1916 and headquartered in New York City, today MCU has assets of over $1.5 billion and offers a full range of financial services to over 316,000 members. With branches in New York City, Westchester and Long Island, members also have access to the credit union’s large and growing ATM network. Eligibility to open accounts at MCU is available to New York City and Yonkers municipal employees; state and federal employees who work in the five boroughs; health care professionals who work in New York State; members of select industry groups; employees of private colleges in New York City and private and public colleges in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester; certain family members, and qualifying retirees. MCU is an equal opportunity lender and deposits are federally insured to at least $250,000 by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), a U.S. government agency. For more information about Municipal Credit Union, visit www.nymcu.org