Meatball contest allegedly leads to death threats over chef's vegan entry

Don't mess with Philly and its meatball contests.

One chef learned a harsh version of that lesson after she said she received death threats over bringing vegan meatballs to a meatball and gravy contest last week.

Taproom on 19th in South Philadelphia held its fourth annual Meatballs & Gravy contest, and one Philly Mag writer covering the event (and acting as judge) apparently bore witness to vicious vegan meatball-hate.

PLEASE NO: Starbucks baristas dread the chain's Halloween-themed twist on the Unicorn Frappuccino

Chef Jennifer Zavala was the one who had the apparent audacity to bring her meatless version of meatballs to the contest, and was on the receiving end of a number of insults to her food. During his time as judge, writer Victor Fiorillo stated that he heard other judges and attendees sneer over the vegan offerings.

"It's not a f—ing vegan competition," Fiorillo reported one judge as saying. (Fiorillo, in contrast, stated that in his "open-minded" opinion, the "meatballs" and its sauce were one of his favorites from the day.)

A meatball competition got feisty last week, after a South Philadelphia crowd found out a chef brought a vegan version as an entry. (These are not the meatballs in question.) A meatball competition got feisty last week, after a South Philadelphia crowd found out a chef brought a vegan version as an entry. (These are not the meatballs in question.) Photo: Tom Kelley/Getty Images Photo: Tom Kelley/Getty Images Image 1 of / 28 Caption Close Meatball contest allegedly leads to death threats over chef's vegan entry 1 / 28 Back to Gallery

Even more decidedly not-nice conversations took place over the meatless spheres made by Zavala, after a rumor spread that she had won the competition. The conversation continued on the event's Facebook page, where Philly Mag reported that some of the more (ahem) "amusing" comments have since been deleted.

One sample comment from Facebook apparently read: "How does a non meat meatball win at a south Philly meatball contest? I feel sad for people that took the time to make a real meatball and lost to a gluten free chickpea rolled ball."

BRUNCH-TROVERSY: Yelper exposes Long Beach brunch spot for serving Popeyes chicken

Zavala also apparently received a number of direct comments, leading her to write on Facebook the next day, "I may not make it out of Monday alive!! Apparently making a non-meat, meat-a-ball.. gets one death threats."

She later posted a photo of her vegan meatballs to her Twitter account writing, "Thanks #Philly for the weirdest 2 days of my life."

Thanks #Philly for the weirdest 2 days of my life. Here's the inside of my #panelle from #Sundayfunday pic.twitter.com/AK7nXDKyuG — Chef Jennifer Zavala (@foxyladychef) October 18, 2017

Zavala's take on the meatball wasn't a tofurkey version stuffed with kale, as one might (wrongly) presume. Instead, her entry was a version of panelle, a classic Sicilian chickpea street food. The bar even noted in its comment section that the chickpea version was often made when meat was scarce. Zavella later visited a local morning show to have a host do a blind taste test and to talk about the ensuing controversy (which can be seen in the video above).

CHIK-FIL-WHAT: What is Raising Cane's and why was it named California's favorite fast food joint?

In the end, both a South Philly bar and a chef got some free press (and misplaced death threats). In case you're wondering, yes, a meat-filled meatball won the competition, although it was "shocking" in its own right — the meatball was apparently gluten free. As to whether 2017 was one of the bar's more controversial years? Compare this to a Facebook comment from the bar (and in Philly Mag) stating that in the contest's first year, a contestant set her table on fire when she found out her crab gravy lost.