Eleven teams of chefs fought for the affection and taste buds of the crowd at the Iron Chef Cook-off held at Decas Elementary School last Thursday.

"All chefs came up with so many different culinary styles that made the event so much fun to experience," said Wareham art teacher Ellen Osborn.

Osborn said she was approached by the Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association last fall to set up a fundraiser for the children at Decas Elementary.

Teams were told to come up with dishes to serve 100 people and were only told the secret ingredient – cranberries – 48 hours ahead of time. Dishes ranged from desserts, like the cookies by Rachel Latham and Jasmine Gudmundsson that won the "Best Taste" category, to heartier fare like the cranberry chicken recipe that won "Best Use of Ingredient" from Mason Dunfee and his grandmother Michelle Dunfee, also known as "Team Shake n' Bake."

The Onset Cape Verdean Festival Association donated all $600 raised on Thursday to the students of the Wareham Public Schools. Deneen Rose, president of the Onset Cape Verdean Festival, hopes to put on the fundraiser annually.