For almost a decade in the run of the pasta sauce competition at the Eldorado Great Italian Festival — the 32nd festival is Saturday and Sunday in downtown Reno — chef Ivano Centemeri of La Strada has been eminenza of the cook-off, its chief judge, its best raconteur. For many festivals, I've judged alongside him.

Last year, nearly 50 families deployed portable stoves to simmer their sauces, which were ladled into numbered cups, then brought to the judges for blind tasting. The contest, mainly for bragging rights, is famously competitive.

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Source: http://www.rgj.com/