Norwich — In a battle of the pans, there can be only one winner.

And it was one small thing that let a team from New London High School gain the edge over a team from Norwich Free Academy in a cooking competition Friday that doubled as a fundraiser for a local family agency. The judges — culinary students from Norwich Technical High School — determined the battle a tie. However, they ended up awarding the New London students the win because they had gone the extra step of following USDA nutrition guidelines.

During the epic(urean) battle, the New London team prepared chicken rustica, or lemon thyme chicken, with roasted potatoes sauteed in onions and garlic, with apple crisp for dessert. The NFA team prepared chicken breast stuffed with sauteed spinach, onions and feta cheese, served with lightly cooked rainbow Swiss chard and fettuccine with pesto basil sauce. 

The event, part of the third annual Fall Foodie Fun-Raiser held at Three Rivers Community College, was presented by Thames River Community Service and the college. The beneficiaries are the young parents and their children in the Thames River Family Program.