The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is hosting a new cooking competition called CADairy2Go to leverage the carry out/delivery trend that has boomed in the past year.
The competition will involve 12 professional chefs from across the country submitting recipes that showcase California dairy products in “To-Go” dishes. In the first round, the chefs are divided into two groups: Six chefs will submit recipes in the Cal-Mex category and six in the Cheese & Mac category. In addition, all 12 contestants will summit recipes and compete in the wild card “Innovate To-Go” category.
The top two winners in each category will then compete at the cook-off finals on July 28 in Napa, Calif.
WHY A “TO-GO” COOKING COMPETITION?
The pandemic affected all areas of foodservice around the world and forced foodservice operators to focus on carry out and delivery. Whether running a restaurant, food truck or ghost kitchen, operators created new dishes and found new ways to feed and satisfy their customers.
As restaurants return to a more normal state of operations, the market for carry out and delivery will remain steady. The CADairy2Go competition is a challenge to chefs to build on the “to-go” trend and showcase innovative recipes and dishes featuring California dairy products.
ROUND 1
CHOOSING FINALISTS
The 12 culinary professionals in the inaugural CADairy2Go event will compete as follows:
- Six chefs will each submit a recipe in the Cal-Mex category
- The other six chefs will each submit a recipe in the Cheese & Mac category
- All 12 chefs will have the opportunity to submit a recipe in the wild card category: Innovate-To-Go
ROUND 2
MANO A MANO: THE COOK-OFF FINALS
An esteemed panel of judges will review recipe submissions in the three categories and select two finalists from each. The chefs with the winning recipes will compete in a live, cook-off event at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, in Napa, Calif. on July 28.
The recipes will be judged using criteria to include:
- Use of California dairy ingredients
- Efficiency in preparation
- Portability — Does it travels well?
- Taste
- Innovation
AWARDS
The six non-finalists receive $500 each
Each category runner-up receives $1,500
Each category winner receives $5,000