Sponsored by the California Milk Advisory Board, the contest is open for recipe submissions August 1 – September 19, 2025 for:
The 2025 Real California Grilled Cheese Sandwich Contest is an online recipe contest created to spotlight the rich variety of Real California Cheese and Butter – starring in the most comforting foodservice classic dish: The grilled cheese sandwich.
Chefs will select a category and submit a recipe concept. The entry form includes the following:
The judges will review the submissions and select the top four dishes in each category to compete in the finals. Judging criteria will include flavor expectations, composition/balance, innovation, and most importantly, the use of California-made cow’s milk cheeses. The cheese-centric recipe should provide a taste of cheese in every bite.
The eight finalists will be asked to prepare and bake their grilled cheese sandwich recipes, fill out a complete recipe card and take a series of photographs covering the preparation and final presentation of their dish. We will also need a 1-2 sentence description of the dish. The professional chefs, who will be cooking the recipe submissions in the bake off, will review the final detailed recipes and submit questions to eliminate confusion and any ambiguity.
The eight winning finalists will each receive $1,000, and the two category winners will be awarded an additional $1,000 for a grand total of $2,000 each.
