It was the best of food, it was the worst of food, it was the age of pepperoni rolls, it was the age of cherry cobbler, it was the epoch of apigigi, it was the epoch of chimichangas, it was the season of bacon, it was the season of Italian beef, it was the spring of pear tarts, it was the winter of shrimp and grits. Basically, it’s time for Taste of America.  

On Wednesday, Roll Call hosts its Taste of America Kickoff Party at Capitol Lounge , 229 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. Every year, in conjunction with the Congressional Baseball Game, states and their D.C. ambassadors duke it out for bragging rights on just whose favorite comfort food reigns supreme.  

On Wednesday, we’ll hang out at the Lounge from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., play some trivia, drink some beer and officially open the ballots for the fourth annual noshing competition. The event is free, and with it being so close to the Capitol, how could you not come? You can catch up on special orders on Benghazi later on. That’s what transcripts are for.  

Last year, West Virginia’s pepperoni roll beat out an Elite Eight consisting of: Iowa bacon, Arizona chimichangas, Illinois Italian beef, Maryland crab cakes, South Carolina shrimp and grits, Oregon pear tarts and Georgia peach cobbler.  

Previous winners Utah cherry cobbler, from 2012, and Northern Mariana Islands apigigi, from 2011, had lost in the earlier rounds of the March-Madness-like bracket. Online voting is similar to Major League Baseball’s method for picking all stars. Each week will bring another round of winners, and losers, and the Elite Eight will be served up at the Congressional Baseball Game on June 25 at Nationals Park, where the winner will be announced as well.  

So stay hungry, oh partisans of Boston Cream Pie, oh apologists for crab cakes, half-smokes and bratwurst. Be ready to vote early and often. You never know when another apigigi will become the next Cinderella foodstuff.