Plaidvocates Chopped-Style Cook-Off
(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – On Sunday, April 15, the Plaidvocates hosted a Chopped-style Cook-Off in celebration of National Nutrition Month with the purpose to provide a new, fun way for student-athletes to meet each other and compete outside of their sport.
Senior women's soccer athlete Missy Dominick organized the event while partnering with Carnegie Mellon's dietitian, Jessica Tones, and the University's Director of Dining Services, Pascal Petter.
"This event was a huge success! We had a very large turnout for a first-time event, the creativity of the dishes was mind-blowing, and everyone enjoyed grilling since most college students do not have access to a grill," said Dominick. "The Plaidvocates felt it was important to engage our peers in an event such as this one to not only celebrate National Nutrition Month, but also to remind college athletes that healthy eating can be cost-effective and fun. We will definitely host this event again in the future with some twists on the ingredients and scoring. We wish to continue advocating for healthy eating within our athletic community and hopefully extend this precedent to the rest of Carnegie Mellon's student body."
Eight teams of four competed in the event where they were instructed to make a meal with two different proteins and incorporate a fresh ingredient such as a vegetable, a salad, or even a salsa. They were given 45 minutes to prepare the meal which was cooked on a grill.
The teams were judged on creativity, nutritional value, presentation, and taste.
Prior to the clock starting, Chef Victor Schmidt gave an educational lecture about proper cooking techniques like safe temperatures and grill cleaning.
The top three teams were awarded prize baskets donated by department coaches.