Monsignor Edward Pace High School held its first Spartan Swine Showdown on March 1. The competitive pig roast raised $38,000 for improvements at the Miami Gardens campus, the school said.
Restaurant owners, BBQ experts and celebrated pitmasters judged the roasted porkers and chose Team ICS (Immaculate Conception Catholic School Celtics) as Grand Champions.
Other awards were for Best Alumni Team, Best Presentation, Best Taste, Best Skin and the humorous Disaster Award, designed in the shape of a fire hydrant, the school said.
Spectators enjoyed tunes curated by DJ Smiley and DJ Illset. There were three bars, dessert stations, games, face painting and a bounce house.
Celebrity judges who ranked roasted pigs included Chef/Pitmaster Mel Rodriguez, Tejano BBQ; Pitmaster Carla Di Lorenzo, owner, Los Tanitos Meat Market; Jack Cabrera, Cabrera’s Specialty Farms; Anthony Nicolosi, owner, BBQ Craft & Co. and Pitmaster Ron Dimpflmaier; Master butcher Rafael Cabrera, Mary’s Ranch/Matadero Cabrera and Karl Hayden, owner, Hate Mondays Tavern, the school said.