San Francisco's Boss of the Sauce in North Beach (Little Italy )

[San Francisco] We arrived at Saints Peter and Paul Church bright and early yesterday, hoping to beat some of the inevitable lunch rush. With the exception of one member of our party of six, we had never joined in on this annual event (Boss of the Sauce) which leaves guests with content stomachs and happy thoughts of an event run well.

Although the purpose of the event is to determine who will walk away with bragging rights for purportedly having the best sauce in the San Francisco area - it turns out that the event showcases much more than we had anticipated.

Thanks to Fieri and its sponsors, guests and participants were treated to pasta dishes, pesto, meatballs, pizza, pastries, espresso, wine and beer.

All in all there were fifteen participants in the cook-off. All good in their own right (otherwise why would they participate), but some outstanding and even enlightening.

The place was packed, but unfortunately, the attendance was lower than it should have been. Our hats are off to the staff of Fieri for nearly flawless execution of a great event. The venue was great, the rules were clear, and the generosity by the organizers was overwhelming.

Hopefully, the attendance next year will be greater. I mean if you really think about it - where else can you get such quantities of good Italian food, including drinks and dessert for a mere $20 donation. (In all honesty, I actually paid $35. I’m a sucker for cool aprons and the $35 donation included one ultra cool apron.)

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by Donna Petrongolo