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‘The Zagnaboys’: Inside Three Penn State Students’ Love Of Lasagna

Three hungry Penn State juniors, Brianna Boyle, Kyle Carson, and George Lesher, decided to take to the internet and create a social media account that ranks lasagna around State College.

Carson and Lesher got the idea of making an Instagram account, fondly referred to as the “Zagnaboys,” about lasagna while procrastinating their accounting homework. The two then went to Boyle and shared their idea.

“Their ideas are always the best, so I immediately said yes,” Boyle said.

Since then, the account has gained traction and reached more than 600 followers in just a few weeks.

“We thought it was going to be a one-and-done thing, but so many people started following and commenting on our posts, so we were like, ‘Let’s keep going,'” Lesher said.

So far, the short-lived “Zagnaboys” have taste-tested two restaurants: the Corner Room and Olive Garden. Next on the list is Brother’s Pizza off of North Atherton.

The group gave Olive Garden a higher score than the Corner Room, but it still recommended giving both restaurants’ lasagna a try.

Additionally, the group also decided that it is going to start taking lasagna submissions from students and rating those on the Instagram account, too.

When it comes to taste-testing, they said there are four things the Zagnaboys take into consideration: consistency, taste, cheese, and sauce.

“The biggest thing for me when I am tasting lasagna is, is it Italian sausage or is it ground beef? Ground beef should not be in lasagna. It should be Italian sausage,” Carson said. “Another key is whole milk ricotta. That is the key.”

“The noodles cannot be too noodly. They must be the perfect amount of cooked. If they are too soft or soggy, it will ruin the lasagna,” Lesher added.

Carson, meanwhile, offered a more poetic approach to taste-testing.

“You’re not eating soup. You’re eating an Italian casserole! You don’t want it to fall apart,” Carson said.

The Zagnaboys are planning to continue the account and are taking submissions from students in State College. They are also interested in hosting guest reviewers to spice up the account. Once they run out of restaurants in State College, the group is planning on doing reviews outside of the area when summer rolls around.

Make sure to keep a lookout for a face reveal of Zagnaboys on their Instagram account. They said they hold onto their anonymity to make the account funnier because “a lot of people know who [they] are.” They would get asked by their friends and immediately be surprised at the question and deny the accusation just to keep the joke going.

Moving forward, the group said it’s excited to keep the account going and believes it will be a great way to unite the Penn State community.

“I think lasagna is something that brings people together. Lasagna is something that everyone can relate to and get behind,” Lesher said.

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About the Author

Sarah Sacker

Sarah is a senior majoring in journalism and a writer for Onward State. She is from Annapolis, Maryland, and is a huge fan of the Ravens and Capitals. Follow her on Twitter @Sarah_Sacker8 or email her at [email protected]

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