Atria Senior Living Community of Bethlehem challenged Colonial Regional Police Department Chief Roy Seiple and special guest Andrew Lawatsch to the fifth annual chef showdown July 18. Specifically, a “Competition to Separate the Mild from the en Fuego in a Test of Culinary Chops.”

Atria’s chef and culinary service director Daniel Azan, Lawatsch and defending champion Seiple went head-to-head in a cooking face off with only one rule- all recipes must include an ingredient savored with both the sweet and spicy: the pepper. The competition was judged by Atria Bethlehem residents, guests from Colonial Regional Police Department and the public. The winner received a fantastic pepper trophy.

This year’s July 18 event was the fifth chef showdown where previous competitors have created exquisite cuisines. Before introducing the competitors, Nicole Verret, Atria’s Engage Director sparked the cookoff by saying, “We really think that people belong together, especially over a meal.”

Azan, who is well-versed in Italian food served up a roasted red pepper polenta cake, guajillo crusted sea scallop, chimichurri sauce, chili sauce, and micro cilantro. To defend his title, Seiple presented voters with his famous sausage and peppers dish, and Lawatsch, conjured up a creative spicy cucumbers-with-dill-and-pepper-relish pinwheel dish.

After everyone in the room took their sweet time taste testing, devouring and debating, Lawatsch was awarded the title and handed his well deserved pepper trophy.