As you know, the only thing Westenders like more than scooters is great food! Being fortunate to have a number of talented cooks in their number means great eats at their get-togethers! Most of our scooters are Italian, so it stands to reason that they'd also be fond of Italian cuisine, and what's more Italian than pizza?
Every now and again, the Westenders like to test their skill in the kitchen by having cooking contests. Earlier this year they celebrated Mardi Gras with a Gumbo Cookoff, so it seemed like a great idea to have a pizza throwdown!
The Swarm met at Rainier Yacht Club and the four cheftestants (GrumpyGus, Jules, Penny, and RogerTango) set up their tools and got to work. There were two catagories: 'Classico' (a standard pepperoni pizza), and 'Aperto' (do whatever you want). The membership would vote based on appearance and taste, and a panel of 'celebrity judges' would offer commentary and announce the winners.
As DJ Ace Face spun groovy mod sounds, the crowd sampled pizza after pizza, and enjoyed a delicious buffet of salads and desserts. After everyone had a chance to sample the competition pizzas, it was time to have fun with 'GrumpyGus' DIY pizza factory. A former professional pizza chef, GrumpyGus brought a huge selection of toppings and preformed pizza 'skins' (that's pizzamaker jargon for unbaked crusts) that folks could assemble and make their own custom pizza creations. GrumpyGus even showed folks how to toss a pizza like a pro!
Finally, it was time for the judging. A "Top Chef"-like panel of celebrity judges was seated, consisting of BigRed (aka Paula Abdul), Boots (aka Tom Collicio of "Top Chef"), and DJ Ace Face (aka Simon Cowell). The real surprise winner was Click's wife Penny, who wowed the crowd and turned in a double gold-medal performance, winning in both categories with a perfect pepperoni pizza in the 'Classico' division, and a scrumptious red pear dessert pizza in the 'Aperto' division!
All in all it was a typical Westender evening, combining great food, good friends and fun. A marvelous time was had by all!
