Savoring a Sweet Sunday
It was the sweetest of challenges.
I jumped at the invitation to help judge all the delectable cookies, cakes, candy and chowder at City Mission’s Sweet and Savory Sunday event this past weekend at Hilton Garden Inn Southpointe.
Wait … chowder?
Yep, that’s right. This year’s dessert festival – City Mission’s premiere fundraiser – was expanded to include a sampling of savory dishes, including shrimp and chorizo chowder served up by Jacksons Restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn.
I, and my fellow judges, Nate Mast, administrator of the Washington Pa. Food Group Facebook page, and Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess, were bestowed the enviable job of tasting each and every one of the 24 samples placed before us and enjoyed by the hundreds of guests in attendance.
I’ve judged plenty of food contests in the past, but none quite like Sunday’s eclectic mix of offerings that ranged from chocolate chip cookies and brownies to pierogis and pizza.
I decided my judicial duties would require prepping my palate for the certain confusion that lie ahead for my unsuspecting tastebuds – and beyond. Apologies to the beloved Winnie-the-Pooh, but I was trying to avoid any unnecessary “rumbly in my tumbly.”
I knew I would need a plan of attack.
I’d considered skipping breakfast the day of the event but quickly reconsidered.
Hanger is real.
Instead, I consulted the guru of gurus: Chat GPT.
My query to the AI-assisted chatbot yielded this response: Judging a food contest, especially one with a mix of desserts and savory dishes, can be a “tricky task” and is basically “an athletic event for your stomach.”
I paused to consider the words “tricky” and “athletic,” and immediately wondered if this exercise would entail sit-ups and planks, both ab exercises to which I am somewhat averse.
Chat GPT – or is it Mr. GPT? (musings for another day; I settled on Chat, for short) – outlined a rather comprehensive strategic plan to avoid gastric distress posed by the gastronomic barrage.
I followed Chat’s advice to not “go in starving” and ate a light breakfast of lean protein and fiber. I drank plenty of water on Saturday and again on Sunday morning, stopping an hour before judging started – to prevent bloat, Chat noted.
The judges were provided water – another of Chat’s recommendations – to cleanse our palates and helped avoid “sugar burnout” from consuming so many sweets.
Chat advised judging the savory foods first: The sweet flavors in the desserts could linger and overpower the savory dishes.
Instead, we judged by category, broken down by youth, amateur, professional sweet and professional savory. We sampled savory midway through without suffering any of the sweet side effects.
I resisted the urge to gobble my favorites, instead sticking to the two-bite rule: “You are judging quality, not eating a full dessert,” Chat reminded.
To avoid “brain fog” from tasting so much food, I took notes after each sample and scored as I nibbled, “focusing on balance, texture, execution — not just sweetness.” All good points.
I didn’t need Chat’s final words of wisdom – to bring antacids, just in case. I had already stashed them in my bag.
Following Chat’s lead, I successfully executed my role as judge, suffered no unpleasant gastric side effects and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I had my personal favorites, but in my mind, everyone who entered or showed up Sunday was a winner for supporting City Mission and those experiencing homelessness in our community.