In honor of Cinco De Mayo, BIT decided to celebrate with a
salsa contest and potluck! Many delicious salsas, full bellies, and contestants
later, two contenders were able to climb their way to the top.
Dino Brooks took 1st place with his rendition of
“Gene’s Mean Green Salsa” and Bobbi Huck stole second with her “Roasted
Tomato/Tomatillo Salsa”
When asked why they chose to make the salsas they did, Bobbi
elaborated:
“I
make a lot of salsa throughout the year. I bring it to work and test my
recipes on my co-workers. A couple weeks ago I got a Cinco de Mayo themed
ad from Bountiful Baskets. It had tomatoes and tomatillos and other
yummies that make good salsa. So I gave the roasted tomatillo & tomato
salsa a try. I found the recipe on Pinterest and modified it a bit to
make it my own. I brought a jar into work and took some to a family
dinner. Everyone liked it so I saved a jar for the salsa competition.”
Whereas Dino simply stated, “Denny [Nincehelser] told me I had
to make Gene’s Salsa! J”
Both Dino and Bobbi were a little caught off guard when they
found out they were the winners of the competition. Dino explained, “I didn’t
think I was going to win, with this being my first attempt at making Gene’s
salsa. Luckily, I was able to enlist the help of The Master Salsa-teer
himself!!” Bobbi went on to say:
“I
know that people like my salsa but I had no idea it would do so well in the
competition. It was a new recipe and there are a lot of good salsa makers
in BIT. Dino and I are lucky a couple of them sat this one out!
Dino is also lucky Gene Knowles agreed to share his salsa recipe and
expertise! I knew I was in trouble when I found out Gene’s recipe would
be in the competition! I’m happy for Gene because his salsa is a BIT
legend and he deserves the recognition. Dino…not so much. In salsa
making years, he’s a rookie. Next year maybe he’ll put on his big boy
pant(ie)s and bring his own recipe to the party!”
While both agreed that the taste testing and the comradery
was a great part of the contest, Dino went on to note that going over to Gene’s
house and having the master show him the ropes was the best part for him.
Way to go Dino and Bobbi!