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'Tis the season for a jolly throwdown filled with gingerbread empanadas and Kwanzaa cakes
Delectable spins on holiday classics duked it out Sunday night at The Bell House for the latest installment of Nick Suarez and Theo Peck’s popular Food Experiments. Twenty-six home chefs brought their best holiday recipes, both sweet and savory, traditional and updated, to be judged by Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appetit, Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Savoy's Peter Hoffman.
Holiday inspirations ranged from Christmas to Hanukkah to Kwanzaa. On the savory side, DC Rollers’ potato cups and brisket was a clear fave, while sweet tooths fell for Richie Crider’s four-layer sweet potato pie cake (“unbelievable” was how one person described the latter). Personally, we liked the savory pumpkin pie from The Cast Iron Castaways (we may have had thirds).
After the scores were tallied, host Suarez noted that "it was the best showing yet at one of our competitions," adding that "we are taking the Food Experiments on the road next year to multiple U.S. cities in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery.” You heard it here!
The winners:
Judges' Award: Alyssa Lees' Gingerbread Empanadas
Audience Award: Righteous Burn's "The Righteous Sau"
Nick Prize for Dessert: Andrey Ayr's Kwanzaa Cake
Theo Prize for Experimentation: Andrew Gottlieb's Yorkshire Christmas Pie
