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The Medford resident auditioned and made it onto Food Network’s football-inspired cooking competition “Tailgate Takedown" that pits pairs against each other in an epic tailgate battle.
Winsten was on the latest episode with longtime teammate and friend Erin Truex, of Salem. Their episode, which was filmed at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, premiered on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
The duo braced the wet and dreary Massachusetts weather to create a menu that featured a specialty cocktail with every round. While inspired by Truex’s mixology background, Winsten also thought the booze perfectly fit into the theme of tailgating.
“I feel like it's like very well known that Massachusetts people can drink,” she said. “It wasn't part of the challenge. It wasn't required. It just made sense.”
However, that was not the only twist the pair put on their menu. Inspired by Winsten’s culinary background, the duo opted for a more inclusive tailgate menu with all gluten-free fare.
“We wanted to show that you can do a lot with tailgate food without being without being exclusionary," said Winsten, who runs a gluten-free doughnut factory called Freedom Bakery. "My whole goal in life is to make the world more food-inclusive. That's literally what I want."
Truex and Winsten met while playing women’s tackle football with the Boston Renegades, for which Truex plays in addition to her full-time job at the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice. The nonprofit organization provides pro bono legal services to asylum-seekers, she said.
The pair's competitive instinct and camaraderie on the field made for a perfect transition into the kitchen when they competed on the Food Network show. While Winsten is used to backing up Truex, roles were reserved once the gals stepped behind the grill.
"We play the same position so a lot of our interactions have been her relying on me or deferring to me," said Truex. "I have so much faith and trust in her, and when she convinced me to do this, I knew there was no one else I would want to do a competition like this with."
“We both take huge pride in everything that we do, and so I think that was a huge piece,” Winsten said. “Anything we do, we want to do it to its fullest and do it well. That's a quality we share.”
The duo's efforts ultimately led them to a victory and nonstop praise from the judges, who raved about their menu items like their pancake-battered, sharp cheddar and sausage balls.
"It was really gratifying because we weren't competing in like a gluten-free competition, or even a cocktail competition," Winsten said. "We were just competing in things we like to make and things we like to eat, and they happen to beat out the competitor. So that was really special."
"It’s one thing to compete in a food challenge and be successful, but being portrayed as the athletes that we are, was really exciting," Truex said. "Being able to participate in something like this has felt really empowering and I’m really grateful for the opportunity."
Although the episode already aired, the duo is hosting a sold-out watch party Friday night at Deacon Giles Distillery in Salem, where Truex used to work as a bartender.
The team will be cooking the menu from the show and all proceeds from the ticket sales for the event will go to the Salem Food Pantry. Anyone who can no longer attend is welcome to still donate on behalf of the food pantry.
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