Creatively named mac and cheese dishes and a whole lot of taste tasting; this is what the Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics club (SAND) cooked up as a new annual tradition.
The event, which was hosted in the HUB Monongahela Room on March 19 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m., was a way for SAND to celebrate National Nutrition Month. National Nutrition Month is an awareness month that takes place annually during March.
A two-dollar fee was required to enter the event, and people were given tickets for entry to vote on their favorite dishes. The proceeds raised by the event fee were donated to IUP’s food pantry, located in Wallwork Hall, which aims to fight food insecurity on campus.
The competitors ranged from individuals who made dishes to groups that varied in size; there was no limit to the number of people in a group. Competitors from campus and surrounding food businesses displayed their mac and cheese with signs that listed the ingredients used and the creative name for the dish.
The dishes ranged from being vegan-friendly and vegetable-filled to a meatier take with chicken and pulled pork.
Eliana Kulsicavage (freshman, nutrition/dietetics) was a participant and shared some insight on how she handled the pressure of the event.
“At first the process was very stressful with figuring out how to cook the pasta in a timely manner,” said Kulsicavage. “After we started to figure things out the process started to come together and was actually really fun to make it all together and laughing off all of the ‘what ifs’.”
Kulsicavage’s group was called “Neapolitan” based on the hair colors of her and her friends. Their dish was a barbecue chicken mac and cheese.
Another table group made a Four Cheese Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, which was a way to add veggies to a meal while still making it delicious.
“I got the recipe from my mom,” said Delena Kissell (junior, exercise science). Through this cook-off, she was able to turn a childhood staple into a competition-worthy dish.
At around 4:45 p.m., the votes were counted and the top three were announced. Each group received prizes, but the first place got their names on a plaque that will be displayed on the Crock Pot Cook-Off trophy each year.
In third place was a team made up of members from the Family and Consumer Sciences Education Student Association (FSCSEA), who made a broccoli pierogi mac and cheese.
Leader of the FSCSEA group Allison Semetkosky (junior, family consumer sciences education) said that her team found inspiration for their dish through the popularity of pierogi in Pittsburgh and how well they pair with broccoli.
Coming second was a team called the Cheese Champs who made a vegan-friendly version of mac and cheese, and taking first place was a team called Mac Girlies who made a barbeque pulled pork mac and cheese.
The Mac Girlies’ leader and president of SAND Olivia Palmieri (junior, nutrition and dietetics) partnered with Marissa Fronina (senior, nutrition and dietetics) and said they found good ideas from Palmieri’s boyfriend.
This is Palmieri’s first year as president of SAND, and she said that it was a fun experience that brought new ideas to SAND. She also said that she waited until the last minute to make her competition entry.
“Made it last night,” said Palmieri. “Took four hours and said YOLO and did it.”
The SAND club is open to all interested students, not just nutrition and dietetics majors. This is just one way that they are celebrating National Nutrition Month.
They have an event planned on Thursday, March 27 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. in Leonard Hall 112 called “How to Optimize Your Metabolism and Hormones Through Nutrition.” The event will feature a guest speaker and is open to all students.
For interested students, more information about SAND can be found on Crimson Connect.