Do you have the perfect mozzarella recipe? The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is looking to highlight culinary innovation using California Mozzarella in the 2024 Great Mozzarella Showdown Recipe Contest – and it could be you!
The California Milk Advisory Board is looking for the most creative professional chefs in America to showcase their inventive use of Real California Mozzarella in recipe concepts. For the 2024 Great Mozzarella Showdown, CMAB will award prizes totaling $20,000, and any professional chef or culinary student in the U.S. is eligible to enter.
Chefs can submit recipes into two categories: Mozzarella and Fresh Mozzarella. The goal is to showcase Mozzarella and Fresh Mozzarella in different types of dishes and dayparts to include appetizers and handheld items. Entrées and pizzas are not part of this competition.
“This recipe contest is part of our continued efforts to partner with chefs and the next generation of culinary professionals to showcase the versatility and performance of California Mozzarella as a key foodservice ingredient,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “Mozzarella is the reigning champion of cheeses in California and is central to culinary success. The Great Mozzarella Showdown will serve to reinforce chefs’ awareness of the endless opportunities to utilize Mozzarella from California.”
Judges will review all submissions and select the top four dishes in each category to compete in the finals. Judging criteria will be based on previous contests with a heavy emphasis on the use of California-made Mozzarella cheese. Two Grand Prize winners will be selected in April 2024. All eight finalists will receive a cash prize of $2,000, with the two Grand Prize winners receiving an additional $2,000 each.
In addition to the recipe, contestants must provide the name of the dish, primary ingredients, two photographs, and a short description of the dish describing how Mozzarella is the star of the dish. The deadline for contest submissions is February 16, 2024.
Professional chefs and culinary students looking to compete in this exciting new contest can review the contest requirements and complete an entry at https://greatmozzarellashowdown.realcaliforniamilk.com/.
