Guac Bowl madness: The 2009 entries
The 2009 Guac Bowl was held on Feb. 1, Super Bowl Sunday, at Adam Pava’s Atwater Village home. What once was a humble contest between two friends to see who made the best guacamole has now turned into a full-fledged annual rivalry, offering trophies for best presentation, best traditional guacamole, and best alternative guacamole. Read more about the Guac Bowl’s history here, and go to the Daily Dish blog for a recap of the winners.
And right here, of course, you can scroll through the photos to see some of the entries. Such as....
He’s No Guac to Me Dead: This life-size replica of Han Solo encased in carbonite and guacamole was visually stunning, but creator Rob Saccenti -- who won Best Presentation in 2008 for his Guac Alien -- didn’t take home any hardware this year, although he was runner-up in two categories. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Officially titled “He’s No Guac to Me Dead,” this life-size replica of Han Solo encased in carbonite and guacamole was more commonly referred to as Guac Solo. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Slumguac Millionaire: this entry based on the recent
The Guactuplets of
Ms. Guac Man: after years of spectacular failure, Guac Bowl co-founder and host Adam Pava finally won Best Presentation with this arcade table-sized replica of a Ms. Pac Man game complete with custom-made graphics, chips shaped like ghosts and an annoying audio stinger repeating, “Guaca, guaca, guaca.” (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guacxic Waste: follow all posted regulations and wear protective clothing when consuming this guacamole. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guac Lobster: the amazingly detailed vegetable work (complete with claw-shaped chips for dipping) went unappreciated by this year’s Guac Bowl judges. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guac Bowl: not sure you want to roll with this Guac Bowling Ball? Neither were most Guac Bowl attendees. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guac Pie: made with a crust of crushed Fritos, this Guac Pie was a late entrant, which may have explained the few nibbles it received. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Southwestern Caviar Service: this attempt to marry molecular gastronomy and guacamole featured cornbread blini, guacamole mousse and roasted tomato and serrano chili caviar. Ferran Adria would be proud. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
The Guac Market Crash of 2009: while the fortunes of the Fortune 500 plummeted in the recent financial collapse, guacamole’s stock never seems to go down. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guac Dogs: this combination of mini hot dog buns, guacamole and cheese had its fans and its detractors. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Hot Guackets: this entry, which included two dozen individually packaged, homemade guacamole empanadas along with a microwave to warm them up, was a runner-up for the Best Presentation award. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guappie Pies: a savory take on Whoopie Pies, made with cornbread and guacamole. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Black Guac Down: a play on the title of the 2001 movie “Black Hawk Down.” (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Bacon-Wrapped Guac: this deconstructed “guacamole” -- just bacon wrapped around an avocado wedge -- managed to combine two of the fattiest foods on earth. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
A Pittsburgh Steeler contemplates his upcoming battle, while Guac Bowl 2009 trophies gleam beneath him. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guac Gnocchi Mole: one of the ritzier creations at Guac Bowl 2009, Guac Gnocchi Mole featured two types of gnocchi in guacamole sauce. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guacka Guacka Guacka: Fozzie Bear would have appreciated this entry, which was all heart and ears. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Fraggle Guac: even Muppets love guacamole. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Gueer: This guacamole beer proved unpopular with everyone who dared to taste it, but it was the hands-down winner for the Icarus Award. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Guacstoli: vodka infused with the flavors of guacamole proved more popular and much more drinkable than Gueer. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Willy Wonka and the Guacolate Factory: guacamole with chocolate chips. Responses included “kind of good” and “not as awful as I thought it would be.” (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Procrastination Guac: some people are honest. (Rob Takata / For The Times)
Michael Zimmer, 29, proudly hoists the Icarus Award he won for his Gueer (guacamole beer). “It’s like you’ve been hazed when you try my Gueer,” he said. (Elina Shatkin / For The Times)