Chris Batton salivates at the thought of making history.

He's hoping his Southwest Sloppy Joe Pizza will catapult him into the winner's chair at the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off, which began at 8 a.m. Monday in the Regency Ballroom of the Fairmont Dallas Hotel.

Mr. Batton, 38, is keenly aware that the last time the Bake-Off was held in Dallas, 1996, a man won for the first and only time. That's also the first time the winner walked away with $1 million, which Mr. Batton would love to repeat.

Upon hearing that he had been named one of 100 finalists (eight of whom are men), he was "ecstatic. But when they first called up, I was convinced it had to be a joke."

Adorned with a pair of earrings, Mr. Batton is a drummer for the Pittsburgh, Pa.-area rock band Icarus Witch. And, of course, he is one mean cook. But for several bizarre minutes, nothing could quell his skepticism about the phone call.

"A lot of my friends and family knew I had entered, so I was really hesitant to be serious about it," he said. "I kind of shrugged it off, but they kept saying, 'This is Pillsbury! We'd like to talk to you about your recipe.' Thank goodness I finally took it seriously."

By Monday morning, Mr. Batton was grooving on the scene, which included a record number of reporters and video crews descending on the contestants. Among them was TV personality Sandra Lee, who appears on the Food Network, which taped the event..

For Eva Hukalo of Toledo, Ohio, it was all a bit much. Ms. Hukalo, 72, is the oldest contestant at this year's Bake-Off, whose winner will be announced by 9 a.m. Tuesday and be interviewed on The Today Show on Thursday morning.

Ms. Hukalo last competed in the Bake-Off 28 years ago, when Ronald Reagan was president. It's a whole lot different now than it was in 1980, said the creator of that Toledo favorite, German-Sausage Pizza, which includes sauerkraut.

"This time," she said of the circus-like atmosphere swirling around her, "it's a lot more involved."

Before Monday's 5-hour Bake-Off, the contestants commiserated about anxiety. But when the contest actually commenced, it was more the distractions that had them humming. The finalist best equipped to deal with it may have been Stephanie Hollowell of North Dallas, who works as an air traffic controller at Addison Airport.

"You always have six things going on at once," said the Hillcrest High grad, who's one of four local contestants. "This is a whole lot calmer than a busy day in the control tower."

Ms. Hollowell, 45, was soaking it in and loving it. She complained a bit, however, about the workspace. Each contestant is confined to an area with a 24-by-36-inch counter and an electric range. They're crammed up against their competitors, with boom mikes and cameras thrust in their faces constantly.

For Mr. Batton, though, it felt like a case of "bring it on." By Monday, he had lost count of how many times he had made Southwest Sloppy Joe Pizza, a finalist in the "Pizza Creations" category, which is one of five.

His dish long ago became a party favorite for friends watching Penguins hockey and Steelers football. But the ultimate test "was when I took it down to the fire hall and said, 'Have it, boys.' It was gone instantly."

And then Pillsbury called, confirming that Southwest Sloppy Joe Pizza was a lot more than a hit at the fire hall. It might be the ticket to a $1 million prize.

"Wow," he said. "Now, that would be something." The winning recipe will be announced Tuesday by 9 a.m. It will be posted on dallasnews.com and will be printed in Wednesday's Taste section.