From the love of noodles, a true friendship evolves
Referee and noodle afficionado Joseph Hewitt collects a bowl of noodles from Naomi Troyer during Classic in the Country. The two became friends through the noodles.
Over the past two decades at Classic in the Country, the leadership group has tabbed some of the finest referees anywhere to officiate the over 20 games of high school girls basketball.
One of those officials who is invited back time and again is Joseph Hewitt, the referee with the imposing frame but an ever-present smile and a demeanor that has made him a crowd favorite.
Hewitt loves the game of basketball.
Hewitt loves getting a chance to be part of the Classic in the Country.
But what Hewitt truly enjoys is a chance to dine on and take home Naomi Troyer’s CitC noodles.
What began as a bowlful sampling has turned into a flat-out love affair with the noodles, and now Hewitt is simply known as noodle man around certain parts of the Classic.
“I always, always, always have a bowl before the game, and I have one after the game,” Hewitt said. “It’s noodle time. These noodles are flat-out special because they are made with love.”
Each year Hewitt brings several giant pans and a giant appetite for the CitC noodles. Once he performs his duties on the floor, which he does with grace and joy, his next stop is to the noodle room, where he picks up a delicacy worth its weight in gold, as far as he’s concerned.
This relationship between the noodle queen and noodle man has become a friendship, the bond of the Inn Made Noodles bridging the gap between Berlin and Cleveland.
“She’s a special person. I’ve known her for years,” Hewitt said.
This infatuation with noodles started years ago when Hewitt had his first bowl. He enjoyed them so much he went home and told his wife they were the best noodles he’d ever had. She looked at Hewitt and posed the simple question, “Where are mine?”
Thus, the next year at the Classic, Hewitt took a small Tupperware container so he could take some home to his wife. After that, the trip saw him bring multiple Tupperware containers. The years went by, and bigger containers — including a pan and then pans — found their way to Troyer’s corner of the CitC.
Today Hewitt shares this tiny slice of heaven with more than just his wife.
“I bring them back to Cleveland and give them to family and friends. I’m bringing a pan to work tomorrow. They expect it and are all looking forward to it,” Hewitt said.
“He’s got people waiting on him when he gets home,” Troyer said. “Sometimes they will eat an entire pan before they go to bed, and usually about 10:30 or 11 o’clock that night, my phone will ping, and it’s Joe showing me a picture of an empty pan.”
Hewitt said in past years when the entire family is home, one pan disappears before the night is over.
Now it’s just he and his wife, with his children scattered all around the country, his daughter in South Carolina playing tennis, one son in Florida playing basketball and the other in Las Vegas dealing cards and playing in tournaments.
Whether it’s by the bowlful or panful, Hewitt has found a slice of CitC life that makes his trip to Amish Country a winner.