Move over Emeril and Rachael Ray – two new chefs are making a name for themselves on campus.

Students Megan St. Amand and Zachary Bachand may not have their own television shows, but they certainly know their way around a kitchen.

Please put down your spatulas and meet these winners of the first-ever “Signature Sandwich” student competition. You’ll be able to taste their creations in campus dining halls later this month.

Whittling the pack to "final four"

Sixty-seven students participated in the sandwich contest, submitting creative recipes using a vast array of ingredients.

The Dining Services Advisory Committee, serving as judges, sampled each of the entries and sliced them down to the “final four” before naming Bachand and St. Amand the top sandwich-makers.

“To me, this competition was about providing our students with an opportunity to tell us what they want on the menu and to improve their dining experience,” said Sodexo General Manager Cliff Martin. “They enjoyed getting involved, and we enjoyed learning about their ideas.”

Germ of an idea

The idea for the competition came from Andy Levinsky, editor-in-chief of the Suffolk Alumni Magazine, who e-mailed Martin a New York Times article about the “signature sandwich” trend at colleges and universities nationwide. Martin liked the concept and began putting the wheels in motion.

Spicing up the menu

Bachand’s creation, which he calls “Rambo” in a bow to the Rams athletics moniker, consists of: grilled steak and onions, fried jalapeño poppers filled with cream cheese, melted cheese and ranch dressing on a toasted roll.

“Instead of having fries or mozzarella sticks on the side, I added the jalapeno poppers so you can have it all in one sandwich,” said Bachand, a sophomore and business management major. “I guess you can say that it’s very college-esque.”

St. Amand’s sandwich is called the “Mega Kickin’” and with good reason. This spicy delight challenges the taste buds with: turkey, American cheese, tomato, spinach, onions, hot pepper relish, cream cheese, buffalo sauce and jalapeños on toasted whole-grain bread.

“My goal was to make a sandwich that was healthy and had a spicy kick to it at the same time,” said St. Amand, a sophomore and radiation biology major. “I wanted people to enjoy it and feel the burn with all of the ingredients.”

In addition to receiving a $50 gift card from Sodexo, St. Amand and Bachand will have their signature sandwiches posted on the menu in all six campus dining halls during the last week of November. If their culinary masterpieces catch on, they may be offered for even longer.