Zeppelins repeats as winner of G0 Cedar Rapids Dinner of Champions

Dynasty Roundtree isn't sure what she wants to be when she grows up - she's leaning toward either neurosurgeon or a chef who owns her food business.

The Franklin Middle School seventh-grader got a glimpse of that second career path Thursday night at the G0 Cedar Rapids Dinner of Champions.

She and about 13 other girls from Cafe 361 participated in the event, getting a chance to taste dishes from some of Cedar Rapids' top local eateries while helping out behind the scenes.

Cafe 361 brings together middle school girls in Cedar Rapids to learn cooking skills; the girls plan and cook a themed meal for guests at First Congregational United Church of Christ each month. They were volunteering at the second annual Dinner of Champions on Thursday, which brought around 450 guests to the DoubleTree by Hilton to sample food from seven restaurants along with local producers of everything from beer and whiskey to sausage and cheese curds.

Guests voted for their favorite dishes of the night, capping off the culinary competition portion of Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week.

The Cafe 361 girls did everything from counting the ballots to helping chefs like Tony Oathout of Zeppelin's plate their dishes.

Their help paid off when Zeppelins took home three titles - best dessert, best beef dish and overall Restaurant Week Champion for the second year in a row, taking the crown with a butter-poached fillet of beef.

Oathout attributed his success to his dedicated staff - even the girls who jumped on board for just one night.

'It's amazing to see the community all coming together, and it's amazing to see these kids who are just starting out,” he said.

Other winners of the night included The Quarter Barrel for best vegetarian dish (a vegetable and quark terrine) and Bata's with best pork dish.

Bata's entry happened to be Roundtree's favorite bite of the night- sweet and sour pork belly with fermented vegetables and puffed rice.

'I like the meat and the sauces on it,” she said. 'The flavor was really good.”

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