2022 September Board Book

The cook-off finals, which took place at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, Calif., included six professional chefs selected from a group of culinary experts from throughout the U.S. who submitted recipes in the three categories for review by the judging panel. Three nationally recognized chefs judged the live event: Ben Diaz, Executive Chef of Leoness Cellars in Southern California; Claudette Zepeda, San Diego-based Chef and Culinary Entrepreneur; and Barbara Alexander, California-based Certified Executive Chef and Culinary Educator. The judges scored dishes in each category based on factors including taste, innovation, and creative use of Hispanic-style cheeses and dairy products made with Real California Milk. The winning chefs and dishes for the 2022 Cal-Mex Invitational are: Appetizer Category Winner: La Menonita en El Molcajete • Chad Clevenger, Owner of pop-up restaurant El Nido Del Buho in Atlanta, Ga. and formerly at Alma Cocina in Atlanta as well as Mel’s Bar & Grill and Porker Street Food Cart in Denver, Colo. • Chad’s winning La Menonita en El Molcajete recipe features tortilla-crusted, fried Real California Queso Menonita, served with fresh salsa verde and presented in an authentic Mexican Molcajete. Entrée Category Winner: Grilled Panela and Eggplant • Claud Beltran, Chef/Co-Owner at Claud & Co. Bacchus Kitchen in Pasadena, Calif. and formerly of California-based food, catering and restaurant companies Evo Company, Beverly Hills Wine Merchant, Barbara West, and Dickenson West. • Claud took home the prize for his Grilled Panela and Eggplant recipe, a plant-forward signature entrée featuring California Panela cheese, eggplant, squash and corn with pops of fried Cotija cheese. Dessert Category Winner: Winter Corn • Marco Colin, Chef at La Luna in Chicago, Ill. And formerly of The Publican, Alinea and Soho House in Chicago. • Marco’s winning Winter Corn dessert relies on Real California Queso Fresco as the base for a luscious ice cream, served on a sweet corn cake and topped with buttery caramel sauce. “The competition demonstrated how Hispanic-style cheeses from California can be the centerpiece for standout dishes across multiple meal parts,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “The winning recipes displayed tremendous