A group of Central Coast firefighters recently took a breather from battling blazes to face down another foe: food, and lots of it.
On March 3, seven men packed their stomachs with pepperoni, sausage, ham, cheese, and more on behalf of Central Coast Firefighters Charity, a group that helps Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County firefighters, particularly by putting money toward health expenses for line-of-duty injuries and expenses related to line-of-duty deaths.
Competitors had to buy in with $40. Sponsors and donors—both business and private—kicked in more than $300 to support the Firefighters Chow Down. The seven hungry competitors made their five-pound meat-lovers pies at Great Scott’s Pizza in Santa Maria. Half of that weight was dough, and half was toppings. Bradford McKinsey was the winner with only 22 ounces left to go when the clock ran out; other competitors were Wes Piatt, Shaun Wathen, Greg Shibata, Mike Lomonaco, and Jeff Galvez.
(Technically, organizer and Vandenberg firefighter Andrew Klein won, but since he put together the event, he wouldn’t acknowledge a top spot. “I felt content,” he said.)
Klein explained that firefighters like food. They like to eat it, and they like to share the eating experience. The firehouse creates a communal atmosphere come mealtime, so extending that camaraderie into the community seemed like a natural extension for the force.
Though the Saturday competitors stuffed themselves with about 35 pounds of pizza, they’re still hungry. Klein is looking to challenge area restaurants to create plates for them to devour, from barbecue to pies.
“Anything of massive quantity,” he said.
A “small army” of guys weren’t able to attend the March 3 Chow Down, so Klein is seriously looking for more venues at which to dig in and raise money for his soot-stained brothers and sisters who need assistance in their own times of need.
Executive Editor Ryan Miller compiled this week’s Community Corner. Send items for consideration to rmiller@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 8-15, 2012.
