So, which is our readers’ favourite fried hen place within the Wesley Chapel space?
We’re nonetheless nowhere near the reply to that query, however because the writer and editor of the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood Information, I’m proud to say that after months of effort and roughly 50 whole volunteers who stated they wished to be judges, the competition is not less than underneath means. Spherical 1 was accomplished on July 23 and Spherical 2 is happening on July 30, or the Wednesday after this subject was printed. The Grand Finale, the place our 9 judges will lastly get to choose their favourite delicate and spicy hen, hopefully might be accomplished earlier than college goes again in session on August 11.
Choosing the 9 judges was not a simple process. Of the 50 individuals who volunteered, I initially deliberate to solely have 5 judges. However then, I assumed, what would occur if greater than one of many folks we picked ended up not with the ability to be there for Rounds 2 and three? I made a decision {that a} couple extra couldn’t harm — it might even enable us to make use of Olympic-style scoring the place we may throw out the excessive and the low and simply use the opposite seven scores for every restaurant, if I wished.
At any fee, the 9 folks chosen, from left to proper within the prime left picture, have been: Invoice Johnston (aka Colonel Sanders himself!) and his spouse Suzanne Reno of Quail Hole, Aaron “Dion” Rocha of New River Township, Cindy Cooley of Tampa Palms, Dion’s spouse Suzanne Rocha, the father-daughter duo of Joshua & Zoe Paine of Heritage Isles and the son-&-father staff of Karson (the self-proclaimed & costumed “King Rooster Wing” and Jason Centeno of Dwell Oak Protect (and sure, a sure editor is in there, too).
The primary spherical was a blast for yours actually, the judges and even for Jannah, whose unenviable job it was to go and decide up the hen from the primary 5 eating places. I assumed we have been going to separate the variety of locations into one group of 5 and one group of 6, however I forgot to incorporate one hen place that lately added tenders to its menu, so Spherical 2 will now have the delicate and spicy hen tenders from seven locations being sampled. A couple of different issues I’ve to say:
1) As a result of we’re bringing the hen from a number of areas to at least one central location, the judges know that not one of the hen might be as sizzling or as moist as it might be at every of the locations.
2) Not one of the hen was served with sauces for worry that the judges would determine whose hen was whose too simply. However once more, it additionally retains every place’s hen from tasting its greatest.
3) I’ve to thank president & CEO Hope Kennedy and workplace administrator Darlene Hill of the North Tampa Bay Chamber for permitting us to make use of the board room within the Chamber’s stunning, new workplace in The Retailers at Wiregrass for the entire rounds of the competition.
4) I additionally should thank our photographer/videographer Charmaine George for not solely capturing nonetheless footage, but additionally videotaping the entire proceedings. Once we’re able to announce the profitable eating places, we are going to accomplish that because the premiere episode of our “Neighborhood Newsmakers” podcast. Search for updates about that occasion on our “Neighborhood Information” Fb web page.
5) Yours actually didn’t pattern the entire hen nor did I attempt to affect the judges in any means.
