By Marjorie Kirk

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The smell of Derby Hot Browns and game day turkey sliders wafted down Columbia Avenue Thursday night, but not because of a horse race or basketball game.

The smell came from the Delta Gamma and Delta Zeta kitchens, where the houses held a competitive House Chef Cook-off.

In the spirit of friendly competition and ultimate bragging rights, Chef Kaitlin Barber of Delta Gamma pulled off a victory against Chef Ray Cameron of Delta Zeta.

The two sorority houses went head-to-head in a Derby Day versus Game Day showdown, with decorations, costumes and special guests to boot.

“This was just another reason to be able to pick on each other,” Barber said. “Ray and I blew it up so big between the both of us that our supervisor came see and make sure we were playing nice.”

Every year, Barber and Cameron’s employer, Campus Cooks, asks its chefs at colleges in the region to organize themed dinners for their sorority houses, which are then judged by their regional supervisor, Matt Jenney.

This year, the two houses went all-out with decorations by the chefs and house mothers. The organizers encouraged sorority members to dress up as well, and Delta Gamma members decked themselves out in full Kentucky Derby regalia.

“We do these theme dinners to kind of get our chefs more involved and somewhat out of the end-of-the-year rut they get in … to get them a little more excited,” Jenney said. “Between the two houses, we have done a little special competition for Kentucky.”

The girls of the sororities took to the competition with excitement, representing their houses and their chefs.

“Our chef is not in our sorority but he is like an honorary DZ for us,” Delta Zeta public relations chair Taylor Neville said. “He is here every day and we have learned to just love all he does for us, and we’re just so thankful to have someone who just wants to put so much energy and pride for what he does for us.”

In addition to putting together the dinner, sisters in the Delta Gamma house invited their Kyra Smith, who they supported in the Make-A-Wish Foundation Greek Sing competition this year, to join them.

“I love this house,” said Kyra’s mother Amanda. “(Kyra) has not quit talking about this. Yesterday when Jenna (Gradinjan) met us at the park she was like, ‘You have to come and eat with us,’ and Kyra got ready like three hours before this event. She loves Jenna, she loves all the girls.”

Despite all of the competition, sorority members said the night was about celebrating the houses and building bonds with each other.

“I think it makes us connect with other sororities in a cool way,” said vocal performance sophomore Emma Smith. “We don’t really connect with them in any other way, to be honest.”