LAFAYETTE, La. — Food, faith and fun came together in Lafayette as a local slider showdown heated up to make a community impact.
The smell of meat on the grill and the sound of joy filled the air as sliders were handed across tables. The event put the mission of KPU, Keep Pointing Up, on full display at Shane's Famous Quesadilla Burger.
"It's amazing. Shane's a great guy, and I've gotten to know him quite a bit in the last year," said Kerry Seymour, president and founder of KPU. "He's a good man of God, and we're here to bless him, he's here to bless us, and we're doing anything on a slider today."
With former Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, NFL players and community leaders on-site to judge, the event was about turning something small, like a slider, into something much bigger.
"Being a part of the greater community, it's always a good thing," UL football head coach Michael Desormeaux said. "Lafayette is a special place because of the people raising money for things that are really meaningful. I think anytime you get to be a part of it, that's a blessing."
For competitor Colby Patout of Door and Windows Pros, it was about much more than just the competition.
"It feels really good to be out here and supporting our community, giving back and getting to meet our community," Patout said. "Getting to educate our community on God, on windows, on doors. It feels really good to be out here and be a part of this."
That connection was built right into what he put on the grill.
"First of all, a lot of love went into these burgers. I mean, a lot of love," Patout explained. "On our burger, what we did was we took ground meat, stuffed it with bacon, topped it with pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, and jalapeño ranch and made a smash burger out of this thing."
Even after taking home the win, Patout said the bigger impact came from what he found off the grill.
"I just stepped into this community of Keep Pointing Up, other men, faith-minded men," Patout said. "Every time I'm vulnerable and I share, I realize the man that I'm sharing with is going through what I'm going through."
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