Grilled Cheese Contest

The first annual Grilled Cheese Competition marks the first live contest here at the Fair in over two years. It is just the beginning of many fun cook-offs and contests going on at Culinary Styles.

Guests gathered around as six grilled cheese gurus sliced, diced, flipped and sizzled their concoctions using the ingredients they brought, ranging from the traditional cheese and mayonnaise combination to Nutella, salmon, crab, lettuce and Italian sausage. Once the 30-minute time limit was up resident food expert Chef Leslie and guest judge Chef Christian Morrish from retro restaurant Hip Kitty Jazz and Fondue tasted each sandwich and chose the recipients for first, second and third place.

Peggy Linberg from Upland won first with her Italian Pesto and Sausage grilled cheese (featured in above photo), a perfect combination of spicy, cheesy flavors.

Each sandwich was judged based off of a number of traits including presentation, originality and, of course, taste! Although there were only three awards, each contender should be applauded for their creativity in making delicious-tasting meals.

Second place went to creator of the Banana Nutella grilled cheese is Amanda Stevenson (left). She surprised the judges by using breakfast items, specifically cream cheese, swirling in melted Nutella, bananas with cinnamon sugar to create a breakfast sweet sandwich.
Lauren Jarvis won third place with his Smoked Salmon recipe, blending in gooey cheese with salmon and an assortment of seasonings to create a crunchy, flavorful experience with every bite.
 
 
Overall, the first live competition of the Fair was a great success! Check back here for updates on future contests throughout the month!