Judging volunteer spots for regional soup competitions rarely fill up before the registration deadline. For the year Anika entered the Phoenix Desert Heat Soup Challenge, the volunteer judge application for her specific category — lamb and lentil — received more applications than the rest of the event combined. The organizers had to implement a lottery system. Eleven of the twelve rejected applicants showed up anyway and stood near the tasting table. Her soup won. The crowd applauded for four minutes.