Herricks alumnus and life-long New York Jets fan Scott Schwartz had no idea that he had been entered to compete in a steak-grilling contest before the Jets-Chargers game at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 23.
Then his fiance, Linda Bernardi, told him she had registered him for it online – and he had been randomly selected as one of six contestants in the competition
“She called me up and said, ‘We won. We won,'” he recalled. And then there was a long pause until she told him it was an A&P-sponsored grilling contest.
“Wait a minute. I got to cook a steak?” said Schwartz, who lives New Hyde Park.
It’s not that Schwartz didn’t know how to cook a steak.
The 29-year-old physical therapist was accustomed to manning the grill at family barbecues, where he used his special Parmesan marinade on steaks.
“When we do get to barbecue, I do like to be the one behind the grill,” he said.
But the thought of being in a competition with former Jets Bruce Harper and Randy Beverly among the judges made him feel like a rookie quarterback facing Gang Green’s defense.
When the big day came, Schwartz came equipped with a game plan to use that Parmesan marinade to form a light crust over the steak he intended to grill to medium rare perfection.
He made all the right moves and he took home the grand prize of $2,000 worth of gift cards that he gave to his fiance to spend at her favorite local Waldbaum’s store. That was only fair, he said, since she got him his shot for grilling distinction and two seats at the game.
After the grueling grilling was over, he was excited to meet Harper and Beverly.
“Anytime you get to meet former players, it’s always a privilege,” he said.
Schwartz and a close friend who went with him to the game had field level seats.
And then he stood at midfield during halftime to be introduced to the cheering crowd.
“I got to stand on the field that my favorite team plays on,” he said, still sounding a bit overwhelmed at the memory.
Oh, and that steak – a slab of A&P’s new Woodson & James Angus Beef line – was so good that everyone wanted to taste it, and Schwartz never sampled his winning entry.
“I was so nervous, I never got a chance to taste my steak,” he recalled.
Anyone who wants to try Steak Parmesan a la Schwartz, the recipe of the Herricks alumnus, and that of the runner-up in the contest can be access them online at http://www.woodsonandjames.com/cook-off-event/.
