Professors compete in cooking contest

Ora Nelson At Troy’s first faculty cook-off, “Cook It Your Way: Professor Edition,” four groups of professors teamed up to impress a chef with two mystery ingredients on Oct. 30 in the Trojan Dining Hall. The four teams in the competition, social work (Social Work), marketing and management (M&M’s), hospitality, sport and tourism management (HSTM), and international student services (IPA Cing IT!), all competed in a 45-minute competition to make an appetizer and main dish with two secret ingredients—Conecuh sausage and avocados. “Almost everything in South Alabama has Conecuh sausage with it,” said Robin Boutwell, one of the four judges and 1982 alumna of Troy. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the ways they can make something different in the limited time.” The teams took the competition seriously and created dishes which impressed both the judges and students. Jeffrey Lewis, a senior psychology major from Montgomery, called it television-worthy and said it looked like a real cook-off. The fan favorite, voted on while the event was happening, went to M&M’s. Social Work won the competition with a pasta dish, pumpkin-shaped bread and avocado hummus. Those in Social Work were Onick Lewis, Samantha Ellis and Dana Wilson. HSTM, M&M’s, and IPA Cing IT! followed after Social Work, respectively. Students who came to the dining hall were given a ticket, and anyone who donated to Hurricane Michael relief also received another ticket for the continuous drawings held during the competition. Delta Christiansen, a senior hospitality management and event management major and the marketing unit clerical in charge of the event, hopes the cook-off will become an annual event with different departments and groups on campus participating. “(The faculty) were a lot more involved than those in previous years,” Christiansen said. “All of the faculty worked together as a team, and I was very impressed,” said Eric Millsaps, the executive chef at the dining hall and one of the judges. “It was delicious — they did an outstanding job.” “We’re all one team, whether it’s food service or faculty, and we help each other out,” Millsaps said. “This was a time for (the faculty) to come in and see what we (the food service) do. “It showed both sides what the other does and the appreciation we have for each other.”