ATLAS - With a rousing cheer, soldiers standing at attention and a patriotic atmosphere, the 13th annual Atlas American Legion Wine, Soupie and Pasta Contest got under way Saturday evening, with attendees eager to see who is the best of the best in their respective fields.
More than 100 entries were received in seven different categories for Italian sausage creators, pasta cooks and wine makers to put their culinary talents to the test against others.
Contestant Sandy Beaver, of Mount Carmel, knows the importance of the contest. Her pasta entries have placed in every year she has entered the contest.
"It's great to be a part of this," Beaver said. "It's a fun local event, lots of great people here and a great time."
For this year's contest, Beaver entered what she called "Pasta of My Soul"
"It's a dish of shrimp and scallops in a white sauce, along with the noodles," she said.
Beaver was hoping her dish did well again this year.
"It's hard to gauge what is going on with the judges," she said. "I've had dishes that I thought would do very well, that the judges didn't like and I've had dishes that weren't my best, that wowwed them, so you never know."
Beaver was called into
double duty as the event started with a special patriotic ceremony, as members of the American Legion stood in salute, with Beaver singing "God Bless America" and the National Anthem.
After that, groups of judges got to work, tasting, testing and sampling the pasta dishes, enjoying soupies, capicola, pepperoni and laganiga, and fruit wines and lemoncello as the crowd listed to the music of DJ Johnny B, and the Fobias as they awaited the judges' decisions.
"We thank everyone for coming out," event organizer Judy Amarose said. "We helped to raise money for the American Legion and hope that everyone has a great time."
Winners from the event will be announced in a future edition of The News-Item.