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SCHOOLPOWER CHEF CHALLENGE The competition to win the Golden Spatula got underway Jan . 29 at Lumberyard during SchoolPower ’ s annual Chef Challenge . The event , which was started in 2009 by the restaurant ’ s owners Cary and Suzanne Redfearn as a way to give back to the schools that their children attended , pits Laguna Beach school principals against each other in an effort to win the lustrous trophy . This year , Laguna Beach High School ’ s Jason Allemann and El Morro Elementary School ’ s Julie Hatchel claimed a narrow victory over Joe Vidal of Thurston Middle School and Megan Schooler of Top of the World Elementary School with their selected menu of grilled New York steak , peewee potato salad and shaved asparagus , edging out the latter duo ’ s meal of pan-roasted halibut with lobster risotto . In addition , SchoolPower trustees Katie and Shaun MacGillivray competed at the bar with signature handcrafted cocktails . Around 125 SchoolPower supporters , parents and others from the community packed the house , raising $ 12,000 for the nonprofit ’ s efforts to enrich academics , athletics and more on local campuses . ( lbschoolpower . org ) — Ashley Ryan
1 . Meghan Schooler , Joe Vidal , Jason Allemann , Julie Hatchel 2 . Lumberyard dining room 3 . Cary Redfearn with SchoolPower supporters 4 . Ed and Caroline Wilson 5 . Shaun and Katie MacGillivray 6 . Jason Allemann 7 . Donna Wilczek-Lebano and Charles Lebano , Christina and William Dodge 8 . Mark and Heidi Draper , Ben Warner 9 . Jennifer Roop , Melissa Vermilya , Lisa Preston , Jennifer Buxton 10 . Tiffany Frey , Jill Lockhart , Elaine Brashier , Meital Taub 11 . Joe Vidal 12 . Marcus and Tammy Skenderian 13 . Julie Hatchel , Jason Allemann
CANDICE DARTEZ PHOTOGRAPHY
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