Rolls on the River is a fun pepperoni roll & beer festival held for a good cause: to support Charleston Montessori School. It's an incredible event that brings together tons of pepperoni roll makers around the state (and pepperoni roll-themed vendors!), who bring samples for festival-goers to sample and crown a champion. I've been fortunate enough to serve as a judge for several years, and I always have a blast.



There were 20 total pepperoni roll vendors this year, which is impressive! There were a few I had never heard of, so I was especially excited to see what those were all about. Both the judge's choice and the people's choice was The Bucket, who boasts a deep-fried pepperoni roll with cheese, parmesan and a marinara dipping sauce.



And, I also took home a few souvenirs; there was some great merch from my friends at Parties & Peonies. 



And I can't forget Cerealsly Delicious, which made a pepperoni roll mix with combos, cheez-its, croutons, chex and more.
1. Nellie's Cookie Jar - some good layers of cheese in this one



2. Rose's Rolls - I liked that the whole roll was bite sized. And the dough was slightly sweet



3. G&G Heritage Farms - this was a large roll that was like ripped in half; this is like a whole meal kinda roll



4. Sugar Pie Bakery - unique in that it had some strong herbs and spices



5. Oh My Greens - the addition of pesto here was great



6. The Bucket - my favorite of the day between the nice crunch, cheese and marinara



7. Simply Sweet - SO much pepperoni in this one! 



8. Cafe Appalachia - this bite-sized guy had a nice herb coating on the exterior



9. The Pitch - this one came with a side of packaged marinara and a crispy exterior



10. Boys & Girls Club - this was a tasty homemade version; I don't mind a flat version that gets rid of all the excess puff



11. St. Timothy Lutheran - this one was pretty unique with bits of banana pepper ground in



12. Saving Thyme - just like a nice little dinner roll with pepperoni inside



13. Fat Albert's Pizza - this one was a little extra golden brown



14. Mardi Gras Casino -  this was our honorable mention with a good hunk of pepperoni, cheese and good bread



15. Willow Creek Cottage - this was so spicy; I was not prepared! 



16. Sweet Mama's Bakery - this was wrapped like a cinnamon roll and also one of my favs



17. Zul's -  the little bits of ground pepperoni totally sold me. More cheese to pepp ratio







18. DP Dough - this one was a little extra done



19. Mama A's Peppi Rolls -  really good herbs on the outside of this one







20. Daily Dose - check out the one at t he top of the plate here - a little mini swirly guy that was tasty