A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to be a “Celebrity Chef” for the first ever Pizza Cook-Off at Uno Pizzeria in Fayetteville, an event sponsored by the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce.
I was joining the ranks of some pretty notable celebrities in the area, including Manlius Mayor Paul Whorrall, Fayetteville Mayor Mark Olson, Minoa Village Clerk Lisa DeVona, Manlius Town Councilor Nick Mazola and business manager of Wolf Radio Christine Wood. I was unsure of how I would measure up to these great minds in our community, but I decided to take on the challenge.
Luckily for me, none of the celebrity chefs actually had to cook the pizzas. We were given a list of ingredients to choose from and had to create our own. Pizzas included an “Autumn Apple Cheddar” by DeVona, “A Taste of Tuscany” by Marzola, “Fayetteville’s Finest” by Olson, “Mediterranean Explosion” by Wood, “Mom’s Apple Crisp” by Whorrall and “Not-Cho Pizza” created by myself.
The audience, which was maxed out at 40 people, were able to vote on the six pizzas using “yum” and “yuck” signs. The pizza that got the most positive response was chosen to be the featured pizza of the week from Nov. 1 to 8 at the Fayetteville location of Uno Pizzeria.
I got an overall response of “yum” with my pizza, titled “Not-Cho Pizza,” and it ended up being chosen as a featured pizza of the week. My pizza includes cheddar cheese, guacamole, beef chili, sour cream, pico de gallo, tortilla chips and jalapeño peppers. In addition, Whorrall’s apple crisp pizza was chosen to be a featured dessert pizza sometime in the near future, as will some of the other creation.
A huge thanks goes out to Bill Haddad, general manager of the Unos in Fayetteville Towne Centre, who had been preparing the complex pizza creations for the audience to try since 5 a.m. that morning. President of the Greater Manlius Chamber of Commerce Judy Dardzinski also had a big hand in putting on this fun event for professionals in the community.
I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for involving me in this event, and to the other celebrity chefs I competed with. It was a great success and I’m happy to know I’m welcome into this wonderful community.
