At Monday’s Cooked and Uncorked at Pines Manor, in Edison, the competition was hot, and the burning question on everyone’s mind was who would win the trophy for best gourmet cooking, best firehouse cooking, and best dessert. After all, Cooked and Uncorked is one of the premier fire department cookoff events in New Jersey.
The annual event is hosted by the New Jersey Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association and highlights New Jersey fire departments from all over the state and their culinary talents.
And what talents there are!
More than 20 fire departments vied for top honors.
And they made dishes that ran the gamut from pork belly to short ribs, gyros to meatballs, lobster bisque to tuna, and cupcakes to bacon blondies.
And firefighters take their cooking seriously.
Read on for the winners!
Gourmet
1st Place: Morristown
2nd Place: Clifton
3rd Place: Bayonne
Firehouse
1st Place: Paterson
2nd Place: Roselle
3rd Place: Long Branch
Dessert
1st Place: Rahway
2nd Place: Elizabeth
People’s Choice
1st Place: Union
2nd Place: Roselle
3rd Place: New Brunswick
Winners were determined by a judging panel made up of chefs, food writers, former pro athletes, radio personalities, and more. And patrons had the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice Awards.
But the attendees were the real winners. Everyone went home stuffed with all the food they consumed.
Not only did attendees get to try samples of all the firehouse offerings, but a variety of restaurants served their fare as well, from grilled cheese to pasta to brownies and some ice cream, too.
The event also included wide selection of wines, beer, and spirits.
Best of all, the proceeds of the event are donated in part to the New Jersey State Firefighters Mutual Benevolent Association Foundation and to the St. Barnabas Burn Foundation.
Everyone was a winner!
