If you thought the SEC rivalry ended with football, think again.
The conference’s latest competition leaves the field and enters the kitchen for an epic pizza-making showdown, and Gainesville’s own Satchel’s has recently decided to accept its invitation to represent The Gator Nation.
The first South Eastern Pizza Classic will take place April 19 in Oxford, Miss., during the Oxford Beer Festival, and will involve small artisan pizza shops representing their SEC football teams.
The winner of the competition will receive a trip to Italy and an invitation to join a group of competitive pizza makers called the U.S. Pizza Team.
Festival coordinator Darryl Parker said the rivalry should help increase event participation — even from far-away places like Florida.
“People take pride in being part of the SEC,” Parker said. “I’m sure it will be a heated competition.”
Satchel Raye, chef and owner of Satchel’s, said he has never been interested in competition when it comes to pizza.
But Raye said his mind changed when the Facebook status he made about this one received more likes and comments than any of the restaurant’s past social media posts.
“What makes it interesting is now they make it an SEC competition,” he said. “So then all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Well, how can you not?’”
Raye said he would be excited to see how the competition plays out because Satchel’s was built not only around pizza, but music, art and community as well.
“This is an interesting test because it takes our pizza out of that atmosphere,” he said.
However, Raye said he has never been nervous making pizza, and he doesn’t expect to see that change any time soon, even with a majority of the schools in the conference having already confirmed their participation.
“If there was any way I thought I could improve my pizza, I would have done it by now,” he said. “I think it can stand up.”
Dante Fowler, a 19-year-old UF telecommunication sophomore and outside linebacker for the Gators, said he has as much faith in Satchel’s as he does in the team.
“They’re two hardworking companies that just want to get to the top and be the best at what they do,” he said. “If we win I’m gonna … throw a little party.”
Raye said he’d try to bring home the title for himself and UF.
“If we win,” he said, “we win for the Gators.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/13/2014 under the headline "Satchel’s to bring the heat in SEC pizza-making competition"]
