A little known fact about me is that I used to have a Tumblr called “The Gwynedd & Guy Project,” which I used to document my journey of cooking my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook, Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It. And I gotta say, when I was cookin’ it, I was definitely lovin’ it. The guy has some crazy ideas about food (and facial hair), but sometimes they work. So we were excited to try the three new Waterloo flavors that were just released with “Guy Fieri’s Flavortown” slapped on the label.
Pros: This has a really nice huckleberry flavor. It smells bold and the flavor is pretty bold, too. It reminds me of the way Strawberry Shortcake dolls smelled back in the 1980s. If you gravitate toward berry-flavored sparkling water, you’ll like this.
Cons: There’s not really a cobbler element. It’s mostly just berry. This Guy Fieri Waterloo still tastes great, but I guess I was expecting them to at least attempt a baked-goods sort of flavor. I don’t know if that’s ever been done in the sparkling water realm, but Guy Fieri would be just crazy enough to do it.
Pros: This new Waterloo flavor is so good. It has a nice, juicy, tropical aroma that slaps you in the face when you crack open the can. And the flavor lives up to the smell—there’s something going on here I can’t quite put a finger on. It tastes creamy, which I suppose is their attempt at sorbet. Frankly, it’s giving mango ice cream rather than mango sorbet, but no need to quibble. It’s great.
Cons: I know it says “spiced,” which doesn’t necessarily mean “spicy,” but I was hoping for a little peppery heat on the finish. That would have been nice!
Pros: If you’re a real Fieri Fanboy (like moi), you are aware that Guy Fieri’s Italian ancestors Americanized their last name to “Ferry” when they immigrated to the U.S., and, despite being raised as Guy Ferry, he changed his name back to Fieri when he was in his 20s to honor his heritage. Anyway, he clearly takes being Italian-American seriously, and maybe that’s why this new Waterloo flavor is so good. It doesn’t just taste like lemon; it really tastes like lemon Italian ice. It has that same brightness and even though it isn’t sweet (obviously), it strongly suggests sweetness. I like this much better than La Croix’s Limoncello flavor.
Cons: As you sip, the flavor does become less pronounced. Still, this is a highly refreshing bev that you should definitely toss in the cooler if you’re planning a beach day this summer.
Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks.
Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown.
What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction.
Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home.
Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!
Gwynedd Stuart
Griffin Parker
Ariana Losch
Jordan Myrick
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!