Posted on August 13, 2018 at 4:27 pm by Dawn Corrigan
On August 7, 2018, Mayor Ashton Hayward and a small delegation from City Hall visited Pensacola Housing to serve as judges in the Housing Division’s first ever “Secret Ingredient Challenge,” a fun cooking competition where staff members were divided into four teams, each of which prepared dishes using a specific ingredient. The teams were Team Bacon, Team Honey, Team Jello, and Team Sweet Potato.
In addition to Mayor Hayward, the other judges were Interim City Administrator Keith Wilkins and Public Information Officer Vernon Stewart. Public Information Assistant Allie Norton also attended to document the event.
The team prize went to Team Sweet Potato, which served sweet potato chowder, sweet potato noodle salad, sweet potato muffins, and sweet potato fries. Best overall dish went to Housing Administrator Marcie Whitaker from Team Honey—with props to her husband, Don—for her jerk chicken and rice with honey. The judges also recognized a dish from each of the other teams.
Pensacola Housing holds pot lucks like this once or twice a year. Finance Specialist Nicole Louie often selects the theme. Past events include “Twelve Days of Feasting,” a holiday-themed pot luck, and “International Food Day,” where each participant was assigned a country and brought an example of that nation’s cuisine. Participation is voluntary—and you don’t have to cook to eat! The goal is team-building, camaraderie, and just to have fun.
Many thanks to Mayor Hayward, Mr. Wilkins, Mr. Stewart, and Ms. Norton for attending our event!