Who Will Win The Super Bowl Game Day Grub Match?
Before you tune in to the biggest sports event of the year, don't forget about the fierce competition in the kitchen during the Game Day Grub Match by PepsiCo. Hosted by Anne Burrell, this pre-Super Bowl event pits two pairs of CIA culinary students against each other until the ultimate game day snack food is crowned. It's just like the real game, except instead of tossing around the pigskin, at least one team is likely to use real pig skin.
The winners will be crowned on January 31, and will receive a $5,000 scholarship, plus two tickets to the Super Bowl, hosted this year in Arizona. The culinary students had to incorporate at least three PepsiCo ingredients into their Game Day snack creation. Will the judges be more impressed by the Tostitos Chipotle Pepsi-Marinated Chicken Tacos created by Matthew F. Johnson from Duluth, Minn. and Cullen Folks from Atlanta, Georgia? Or will they cheer on the Naked Chia Cherry Lime Pork Sliders, topped with Pepsi-candied bacon?
It sounds weird, but meat cooked in soda can actually be delicious, as seen in our Coke-Braised Carnitas recipe. But the decision ultimately belongs to those at the judge's table, comprised of New York Jets' Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold, James Beard Award-winner and CIA alum David Burke, The Culinary Institute of America's senior director of food and beverage Operations Waldy Malouf, and PepsiCo chef Stephen Kalil.