Griddles and Gridiron

Griddles and Gridiron

Football, cheerleaders, screaming fans and the smell of food in the air. But no, it wasn't hot dogs and nachos you could smell before the start of the Utah State-University of Utah football game.

Gourmet fare was on the menu at a pre-game cookoff at the Gallivan Center in Salt Lake City Aug. 28. Chefs from Utah State University, the University of Utah and Brigham Young University fought it out on live television. KUTV Channel 2 covered the cookoff on both the morning show and the pregame broadcast. Team chefs were given identical ingredients and used their creativity to prepare a dish to win over the judges.

Even at 6 in the morning, Aggie fans and alumni turned out to support the team — the culinary team, that is. The Aggie Spirit Squad was also on hand to participate in a cheer-off, and Big Blue challenged the U of U’s mascot to a wheelbarrow race.

Sterling Poulson hosted the morning broadcast while wearing an Aggie baseball cap and, to be fair, a Ute sweatshirt. Miss Utah/USA, Kelly Chapman, a former Aggie, wore a Utah State cheerleading uniform as the cheerleaders taught her a cheer and let her help with stunts.

Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson was on hand to sample the cuisine and was one of the celebrity judges who declared Utah State the winner of the dinner cookoff. And of course, everyone, including John Goulet, the 2 News meteorologist, topped off the gourmet dishes with some Aggie Ice Cream for dessert.

As part of the rivalry, the U of U and Utah State competed in the "Blood Battle," a blood drive to see which school could donate the most blood to the Red Cross. Utah State was the winner of this friendly competition for charity.

The Utah State chefs, showing their school spirit in matching Utah State hats and "A" tattoos on their faces, were from Housing and Food Services and included Jeff Wooley, Chris Colton (a culinary arts student), Mike Hodson and Anna Morris.