Championship one cheesy affair
Crowd thick, whey savvy at mouth-watering contest in LR
Regardless of whether the dip was thin or chunky, filled with meats or peppered with herbs, only one ingredient mattered Saturday: cheese.
The ninth iteration of the World Cheese Dip Championship in downtown Little Rock drew more than 10,000 lactose lovers to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, where 25 vendors showed up to cream the competition.
“This is so awesome,” said Kiffanie Walker, who took her daughter, Kiersten, 7, to the championships Saturday. “I’ve wanted to go every year, but this year I was really determined.”
Walker said at next year’s competition — to which she said she’s “absolutely” going — she plans to take along a muffin tin. Cupcake pans, egg cartons and muffin tins were prevalent among Saturday’s experienced cheese dippers, with each indention cup holding a different cheesy concoction.
Some families traveled great distances to dip their chips in the melted goodness. Cynthia and Paul Thompson made the championship a family destination for their children and grandchildren, who drove from as far as Fayetteville and Gillett in Arkansas County to attend.
“We thought it would be
a good family thing,” Cynthia Thompson said. “We have 11 here now, and two more around here somewhere coming.”
The last time the whole family got together was during a summer vacation to Florida, and, before that, Christmas. A couple of the Thompsons’ grandchildren were jumping in the inflatable bounce house at the event.
“It’s been real fun so far,” Cynthia Thompson said.
If there is an unofficial competition at the cheese dip championship, it is for the title of best pun. Among the booth names were old favorites — like attorney Ashley Hudson’s “Best Queso Scenario” — and new wordplay, like the Jonesboro-based BA-Eats’ tent, “Pablo Piqueso.”
Also, the vendor with the best-dressed tent could walk away with a “Best Overall Booth Design” prize.
The title of World Cheese Dip Champion is decided by a table full of judges who vote for their favorites at the amateur and professional levels, but the event’s attendees also get a say in who wins. The people’s choice awards are decided by tortilla-bearing patrons.
The judges voted Acxiom as the winner in the professional competition. Kemuri Miso Cheesy came in second. The winner in the amateur class was Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church followed by Apptegy. The people’s choice was Acxiom in the professional category and Apptegy as the cream of the amateur crop. BA Burrito won best booth.
Hudson, who is running for state representative in District 32, said Saturday that the championship was a good way to get in front of voters and get behind a good cause.
Proceeds of the competition help raise money for Harmony Health Clinic, a nonprofit medical and dental service provider for uninsured and underinsured people in Pulaski County. Last year’s competition helped pay for 400 patient visits, according to the championship’s website.
When asked whether her cheese dip would melt the competition, however, Hudson said that “remains to be seen.”
Bob Gerdes — or, as his T-shirt called him, “Nachoman Randy Savage” — designed several cheesy, commemorative T-shirts for himself and his friends.
Gerdes works at Conway Copies, which was one of the event’s sponsors. Gerdes said he had never previously been to the competition but considers himself a lover of all things cheese and decided it was the place to brie.
“My friend, it’s his birthday, and his T-shirt says ‘The Birthday Cheese,’” Gerdes said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”