Oodles of Noodles!

Seas of supple spaghettini bathed in a pomodoro sauce surrounded by hillocks of doll-size meatballs, chow mein spiked with a salty tsuyu - gluten gluttons and pasta prima donnas alike will be boiling over as 15 pastas compete at the fourth annual Oodles of Noodles Cook-Off in Dayton on May 14.

"Noodles are the perfect tie-in to celebrate Dayton's Chinese and Italian heritage," said Ed Peck, event organizer and director of the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce - the beneficiary of the proceeds raised from the event.

The festival will present a $300 prize to the winner with the best-tasting noodles as judged by a hungry handful of experts. The coveted "People's Choice" award gives everybody in attendance a chance to express what's on the tips of their taste buds.

Peck says anything goes in the pasta pro-am, as long as it doesn't come from a can and is prepared on-site. The rule serves to level the playing field and keep anyone from gaining potential home-kitchen advantage.

So whether it's Singapore-style pan-fried or delicate angel-hair pasta, every noodle's got a shot.

Peck, winner of the 2003 contest, says the path to victory lies not in the length of the linguine, but in the savor of the sauce.

Styrofoam cups of ramen noodles topped with artisan cheeses going up against Grandma's secret sorrel sauce? It's possible.

"But you don't want to get too crazy or exotic," said Peck, who says he won his title with a conservative but well-seasoned white seafood sauce. "You really want to hit the middle. Aim for the mainstream audience while adding your own special zing."

The judges give extra points for following Dayton's heritage of Chinese and Italian cuisine.

Peck said he expects around 5,000 pasta lovers for this year's Oodles of Noodles, but with the area's booming population, any number is possible.

"The contest grows every year as Dayton grows," he said.

One of the chamber's toughest challenges has been preserving the comfortable feel of the town while keeping pace with the growing pains.

Dozens of vendors will line half-mile of Logan Way and Pike Street offering up refreshments to cleanse the palate, and a free shuttle will run from the contest to the Dayton Valley Floral Nursery's big, same-day craft fair.

Heavyweights in this year's Oodles of Noodles Cook-Off include the chefs from Casino Fandango and NV50.

But noodles are, by nature, a slippery business, and as Peck said, anyone can take home the title.

n Contact reporter Peter Thompson at pthompson@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1215.