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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Shelby Adams, left, works with culinary students Bryan Parsons and Yenifer Aguilar Perez to prepare a dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shelby Adams, the owner and executive chef at Hometown Fare in Ross Bridge, won the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. With him are sous chefs Yenifer Aguilar Perez of the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute, and Bryan Parsons, a student at the Culinary and Hospitality Academy at the Riverchase Career Connection Center.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People try an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Flank steak waits to be served at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Heath Ray of Hoover Steaks and Wines grills shrimp for an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Mushrooms wait to be included in a dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
The Hoover Iron Chef competition was held Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Heath Ray of Hoover Steaks and Wines, right, works with culinary student Noah Milliman to prepare a dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A shrimp appetizer dish is presented to one of the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Crystal Rogers prepares an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Shrimp appetizer dishes wait to be delivered to the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People try an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Judges try an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. From left are: Brian Mooney, owner and executive chef at Tre Luna Bar and Kitchen; Clare Huddleston, news anchor for WBRC 6; and Joseph Mitchell, director emeritus of the Jefferson State Culinary and Hospitality Institute.
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Noah Milliman, a student at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute, helps prepare an entree dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Heath Ray of Hoover Steaks and Wines work with Noah Milliman, a student in the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute to prepare a flank steak dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A flank steak dish by chef Heath Ray of Hoover Steaks and Wines sits ready for presentation to the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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David Cohen, founder of the Hoover Restaurant Alliance, and his wife, Sue, at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A bread pudding dessert by chef Shena Reeves is presented to the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A chocolate cake dessert by chef Heath Ray sits ready for presentation to the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Shjelby Adams of Hometown Fare prepares a pineapple upside down cake dessert at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A berry trifle dessert by chef Crystal Rogers sits ready for presentation to the judges at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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A flank steak dish is presented to a judge at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
People try an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Brian Mooney, the owner and executive chef at Tre Luna Bar nd Kitchen, tries an appetizer as a judge at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Shena Reeves of the Hoover Grille at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, left, works with culinary students Danashia Woods and Catherine Hilton to prepare an appetizer dish at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Crystal Rogers, right, works with Grace McElrath, a culinary student at the Riverchase Career Connection Center, on the early stages of a berry trifle dessert at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Crystal Rogers of the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort and Spa, sets down a tray of mushrooms at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Shelby Adams, center, works with culinary students Bruyan Parsons and Yenifer Aguilar Perez at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Heath Ray of Hoover Steaks and Wines prepares grilled corn at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Photo by Jon Anderson
Chef Shena Reeves, left, works with culinary students Catherine Hilton and Danashia Woods to prepare a flank steak entree at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Crystal Rogers takes flank steaks off the grill at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
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Chef Shelby Adams of Hometown Fare prepares a shrimp appetizer at the 2025 Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute in Hoover, Alabama, on Tuesday, June 24, 2025.
Shelby Adams, the owner and chef at Hometown Fare in Ross Bridge, on Tuesday night won the Hoover Iron Chef competition at the Jefferson State Community College Culinary and Hospitality Institute at Jeff State’s Shelby-Hoover campus.
The event, put on by the Hoover Restaurant Alliance, put four Hoover chefs head to head in the kitchen to see who could win over the tastebuds and minds of three judges. Each chef was provided two sous chefs from Jeff State’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute and the Culinary and Hospitality Academy at the Riverchase Career Connection Center.
At the end of the night, Adams and his team walked away with the cleaver trophy.
Each chef and his team was given the task of preparing a shrimp appetizer, a flank steak entrée with side dishes and a dessert of their choosing.
For his appetizer, Adams chose coconut curry shrimp with sushi rice cake, pineapple and corn pica (salsa) and citrus crema. For the entrée, he dressed up his flank steak with a coriander cumin carrot purre, roasted potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts and chimichurri sauce.
For dessert, he chose a pineapple upside down cake with homemade brown sugar vanilla rum ice cream and coconut streusel topping.
Assisting Adams were Jeff State culinary student Yenifer Aguilar Perez and Bryan Parsons, a third-year culinary student at the Riverchase Career Connection Center.
Other chefs taking part in the Iron Chef competition were:
- Heath Ray, executive chef at the new Hoover Steaks and Wines in the Knox Square sector of Trace Crossings
- Shena Reeves, executive chef at the Hoover Grille at the Embassy Suites by Hilton
- Crystal Rogers, executive sous chef at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort and Spa
The three judges for the night were:
- Joseph Mitchell, director emeritus of the Jefferson State Culinary and Hospitality Institute
- Clare Huddleston, news anchor for WBRC 6
- Brian Mooney, executive chef and owner of Tre Luna Bar & Kitchen in The Village at Brock’s Gap and winner of the inaugural Hoover Iron Chef competition last year
About 25 sponsors and supporters of the event also were served the same meals as the judges and came up with the People’s Choice awards. Rogers won the People’s Choice award for appetizers, while Adams won for entrees and Reeves won for desserts.
Adams’ two sous chefs — Aguilar Perez and Parsons — each won a $1,000 scholarship courtesy of the Alabama Cattleman’s Association, and Bresco, a dealer of restaurant equipment and supplies, gave all sous chefs participating in the event a new set of cooking knives.
SHELBY ADAMS
Adams is a 1995 graduate of Mountain Brook High School. He originally thought he wanted to be a doctor, but during his second year at Baylor University, he took a two-week training course on how to cook so he could cook for himself and discovered he really enjoyed it.
That led to a career shift. He left Baylor, came back to Birmingham and got a job in a restaurant before going to culinary school.
Chef Chris Hastings hired him to work at Hot & Hot Fish Club. He worked in the kitchen about two years, then went to Scottsdale Culinary School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He graduated there in 2001 and went to work at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans before coming back to Birmingham and working in restaurants such as Bottega and Highlands Bar & Grill.
In 2009, Adams decided to go into business for himself and opened a bakery called Icing on the Cookie in Homewood. He ran that for 10 years but sold the business in October 2019 so he could open Hometown Fare in Ross Bridge in August 2020.
Find out more about Hometown Fare here.
The Hoover Iron Chef competition is a prelude to two other events put on by the Hoover Restaurant Alliance: the Hoover Bartender Challenge and Hoover Restaurant Week.
The Bartender Challenge will start with a preliminary competition at The Anvil Pub and Grill in The Village at Lee Branch on July 12. Then on July 17, the top two bartenders will battle it out in the finals at the Beef O’Brady’s at The Grove shopping center.
Hoover Restaurant Week follows on July 18-26, actually covering nine days. See the July print edition of the Hoover Sun for more details about the Bartender Challenge and Hoover Restaurant Week.
