Jaindl Turkey Sushi Creation Competes For 'Grand' Prize

Fans of The Food Network can relate to the final "throw down" challenge that will unfold tomorrow evening at Kome Restaurant at The Promenade Shops in Saucon Valley.

The Grand Champion Roll, the sushi creation of Jaindl Elementary School Principal Diana Schantz and fifth-grade teacher Damian Goodman will vie for the championship of the "Sushi for Scholars," championship Tuesday night.

The finale will pit the Jaindl creation against a lobster roll dish from the Sushi Surgeons of Lehigh Valley Health Network, winners of a similar fund-raising competition last year.

Jaindl's Grand Champion roll by amassing a high point total. The school won 15 percent of that night's proceeds, which were utilized to fund a new playground at the Weilers Road school.

Once again, diners will descend on Kome Tuesday night beginning at 5 p.m. and vote on their favorite dish with 15 percent of the night's proceeds on the line. Last year, the surgeon's team amassed more than $10,000 for their two nights in the spotlight.

The Grand Champion Roll features an eclectic blend of diced turkey breast and thigh on top. The inside consisted of sticky rice, lettuce, and cucumber and was topped with cranberry cinnamon sauce, turkey gravy, fried shallots and soy sauce.

Goodman, co-creator of the roll, called it a "bite-sized Thanksgiving," during last month's preliminary competition.

"(The turkey) is our mascot, the school’s name is Jaindl, so we wanted to keep within our roots and use a turkey product. We’re using cooking turkey as part of the sushi,” Schantz said last month.

Kome chef Shuji Hiyakawa helped the Jaindl team create the roll that will compete with the surgeons’ lobster rolls.