Cheerleaders and football players judging a macaroni and cheese contest might seem like an unexpected pairing to some, but not in Roswell at Deep Roots Wine Market. Some of my teammates and I, from Roswell High football and cheer, had the opportunity to do just that. We sampled six different cheesy goodness dishes from various restaurants around Roswell. While the boys finished their plates with the enthusiasm you would expect from large growing boys, we cheerleaders took our time and tasted little bites of each dish carefully. We were instructed to judge on flavor, texture, creativity, originality, and presentation, and submit our score sheets.
Although we had different thoughts about the dishes, we all appreciated the diverse interpretations of mac and cheese. Most of us are used to Kraft from a box, so it was a delicious treat for us all. Even though we wore uniforms and jerseys and carried forks, not robes with gavels, we all took our job very seriously and tried to give it our all. Overall, it was a great experience, and we were thankful to be a part of such a delicious event.
Thank you to Dana Gurela and Christy Stargel at Deep Roots for hosting and organizing the throwdown.
Thank you to the tasting team:
Roswell HS Varsity Football Coach Chris Prewett, KJ Smith, Andrew Stargel, Ethan Gurela, Grant Cook, Varsity Cheerleading Coach Caroline Manus, Blakey Prewett, Lucy Anderson, Brinley Dye, Caroline Jenacova
Thank you to the restaurants and chefs who participated:
BBQ Yinka (Yinka Akinpelu)
Gracious Plenty (Conner Slewitzke)
Madrid Spanish Taverna (Minelly Amador & Swani Gonzalez)
From The Earth (Benjamin M. Watson Jr.)
Table & Main (Woody Back)
Vin 25 (Sean Clark)
The winners are:
1st Place Overall - Gracious Plenty
Football Players Choice - Table & Main
Cheerleaders Choice - BBQ Yinka
Appearance - Vin 25
Special Characteristics - Madrid Spanish Taverna
Cheesiness - From the Earth