Drekker’s First Hotdish Festival Serves Up Comfort, Nostalgia

three judges decided who would win "best hotdish"

FARGO, N.D. — A Midwest classic is filling plenty of stomachs and putting a smile on many faces during a winter that won’t seem to end.

KVRR’s Danielle Church tells us how Drekker’s first Hotdish Festival is sharing the moment with restaurants from around the area.

When he was a kid, only one dish consistently made its way to Shea Syverson’s dinner table.

“It was easy to feed seven people with just a big plate of hotdish so I think my mom did it for her own sake,” he said.

He’s now following in his mom’s footsteps.

With his one–of–a–kind hotdish creation that is sure to create all kinds of smells.

“We did a stank dish. It’s ground bison, mushrooms, green beans, then it’s got tater tots, and then it’s got some really stinky Grayson cheese sauce,” Syverson said.

It’s just one of the many creative hotdishes any foodie could find at Drekker Brewing’s First Fargo Hotdish Festival.

The idea stemming from a group of friends in South Dakota.

“It was called Club Kickasserole. So it was a casserole based one. Well I moved up here and told the guys. Jessie was like ‘oh my gosh we love hotdish’ and it just snowballed into this crazy festival,” said Ashley Reich, event coordinator at Drekker.

Eleven restaurants from around Fargo–Moorhead are serving up your traditional tater tot recipe with some flare.

But it’s up to three judges to decide who earns the title of “best hotdish.”

“I want something you can eat with a spoon out of a bowl underneath a blanket on the couch that’s just flavorful and comforting. It doesn’t need to look pretty. It just needs to taste good,” said Molly Yeh, a judge and a Food Network star.

It’s that comfort which ultimately provides a trip back in time.

“There’s of course the nostalgic factor and I think that that came from a lot of the convenience with hot dish and growing up. A lot of my friends who grew up here, their parents would make hotdish for a busy evening or when they needed to prep something ahead,” Yeh said.

All it takes is the right equation of starches, proteins, vegetables and sauces.

“There are so many different combinations you can have and so it’s really exciting to me to see people bringing in their heritage and their unique backgrounds,” Yeh said.

To provide just the right one that’ll really make you feel at home.

Drekker Brewing hopes to continue their hotdish festival and competition annually to also get more people looking forward to something in the dead of winter.