Walz Wins Franken's 2016 Hotdish Competition
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – After being postponed from its original date on March 16, Sen. Al Franken's sixth annual Hotdish Competition was held on Wednesday.
Franken has been hosting the competition for Minnesota's delegation for the past six years.
Last year, Rep. Betty McCollum won with her "Turkey, Sweet Potato and Wild Rice Hotdish." This year, she brought her "Make Hotdish Great Again."
There was also a hotdish homage to Prince, which was created by Rep. Keith Ellison.
We've got a Prince Hotdish, folks pic.twitter.com/LnCVMAKofJ
— Sam Brodey (@sambrodey) May 11, 2016
However, the ultimate winner as judged by a three-person panel was Rep. Tim Walz. This was his third win in the competition
Fierce competition this year but proud to take home the gold! Thanks, as always, to @SenFranken for hosting! pic.twitter.com/sM833rPTR8
— Fmr. Rep. Tim Walz (@RepTimWalz) May 11, 2016
"A hotdish dynasty is born," Walz said in a statement. "In all seriousness though, I congratulate Rep. McCollum on her delicious runner-up dish as well, and thank Senator Franken again for putting on this friendly competition. It's a great way for us to come together and celebrate our heritage, while building bipartisan relationships."
Among the entries that didn't quite make it to the winner's circle were Sen. Amy Klobuchar's "Babe the Brew Ox Steak and Ale Hotdish," Rep. Rick Nolan's "Cousin Jack's Hot-Rolled, Corrosion-Resistant Pasty Hotdish," and Franken's own "Land of 10,000 Calories Hotdish."
"I would like to thank all of my colleagues for taking the time out of their busy schedules to join the competition, and congratulate Rep. Walz on his award-winning hotdish. It was delicious," Franken said.