The 3rd Annual Taste of NTCC: Battle of the Booths brought together students, faculty, staff and community members for an afternoon of food, games and friendly competition. Nine student organizations participated in this year’s event, showcasing a wide variety of creative dishes and engaging displays.
Attendees who purchased tasting wristbands sampled offerings from each booth and cast their votes for their favorites. After a close competition, the 2026 winners were announced as:
- First Place – Nursing ($250)
- Second Place – Women’s Soccer ($100)
- Third Place – Active Minds ($50)
Additional participating groups included Phi Theta Kappa, Sigma Kappa Delta, The Eagle Newspaper, Library Scholarship Fund, Culinary Arts and Theatre Club.
“The Taste of NTCC continues to grow each year, bringing our campus and community together in a unique and engaging way while supporting student programs,” said Dr. Jon McCullough, Executive Vice President for Advancement. “We are proud of all the students who participated and grateful to everyone who came out to support them.”
A special thank you is extended to Brian Rivers and the Great Western Dining team for providing desserts and numerous NTCC employees who helped with the event. McCullough expressed particular appreciation to the NTCC Development team for their work organizing the event, including McKenna Neal, Maria Gonzalez, Nita May, Shane Pitts, Mason May, and the Work4College team.
The event coincided with East Texas Giving Day, which is a regional day of fundraising for area nonprofits. It is NTCC’s main fundraiser of the year and all proceeds from Taste of NTCC went toward the East Texas Giving Day total.
