The UA’s “”Battle of the Dorms”” contest dished up its first winner on Tuesday.
“”Battle of the Dorms”” solicited recipes from students all over campus, with the winner’s recipe served in the Park Student Union. Lindsay Bingham, a pre-journalism freshman from Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall, won the contest and was presented with her own chef jacket as her meal made its debut on the hotline.
The contest gives students in residence halls a chance to say what they want to eat, said Lupita Lopez, Park Student Union manager.
Living in a residence hall, students often don’t have the facilities to cook for themselves and “”we can be that facility,”” Lopez said.
PSU student employees, chefs and managers judged the submitted recipes.
The decision came down to two meals out of 12 submitted. In the end, the PSU chose Bingham’s.
“”It’s delicious and that’s why it won,”” Lopez said of the dish.
The winning dish is titled “”Lean and Mean”” and consists of pesto turkey meatballs served over pasta with marinara sauce.
Depending on student feedback, the PSU plans to incorporate Bingham’s meal into the regular menu.
The Arizona Daily Wildcat interviewed Bingham about her recipe and winning Battle of the Dorms. Bingham said she plans to attend culinary school after graduation.
DW: Where did you come up with the recipe?
Bingham: “”I like testing recipes. And I originally started cooking a while back, and I just had a turkey meatball recipe that I used regularly with pasta and everything. And I like experimenting with flavors, so I decided to add pesto to it because there is a lot of flavor in pesto. And I made it for my mom and she just loved it so I thought why not this recipe.””
How do you feel about receiving a chef jacket?
“”I love it. It’s an honor. I definitely want to put it to use when I go back home. I cook a lot so it will definitely come in handy.””
Are you excited for people to try your food?
“”Yes, yes oh my gosh. I hope they love it.””
Do you have any cooking wisdom to impart?
“”If something doesn’t turn out, keep trying. Follow the recipe, and when you get comfortable with it, try new things with it.””
How did you find your love of cooking?
“”Food Network, ‘Top Chef’ — cooking shows kind of inspired it and then, once I saw something that I really loved or what looked intriguing, I wanted to make it.””
What do you think people will love about this dish?
“”Flavor. It’s not the most appealing but it’s definitely full of flavor, full of life.””
Do you have a favorite celebrity chef?
“”Rachael Ray.””
Why Rachael Ray?
“”Because she’s as ambitious as I am right now. She has the world in her hands with products and recipes and she started off kind of like I did with just one recipe that really turned it around.””
