The Pacific Northwest Canned Pear Service has sponsored the Can-Do Challenge for the last seven years, asking culinary pros from non-commercial foodservice operations across the United States to submit fun and inventive recipes highlighting U.S. canned pears. 

Previous winners submitted applications from smoothies to breakfast hash to a pear hand pie to Chilean pumpkin & pear empanadas. The 2024 winners were especially focused on the current foodservice trend: global cuisine. These chefs used canned pears and pear juice to create flavorful, authentic international dishes with complex and balanced flavors and along the way took home top cash prizes. 

Chef Steven Schmidt, assistant director of dining services/chef general manager, University of North Texas Dining Services, created snack-size pear samosas with a spiced red wine pear reduction sauce and in his planning, he said that when innovation met tradition the result was nothing short of divine. Chef Schmidt collaborated with numerous Indian International students who all shared his passion for preparing authentic cuisine. 

This is how Chef Schmidt described the process of creating his award-winning dish: “When I stumbled upon this contest, inspiration struck me instantly. I anticipated my vision might raise eyebrows. After all, samosas traditionally embody savory and spicy flavors, not the sweet and spicy fusion I envisioned. 

“To start off, I infused the diced pears with saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, pistachios, star anise and garam masala. As they soaked in this aromatic medley, I kneaded fresh samosa dough, enriching it with the zest of ripe oranges, infusing each fold with a citrusy zing. Once the pear mixture had steeped in the spice mixture, it was time to envelop it in the samosa dough and let it set before frying. The samosas were then fried until golden brown.

“But the pièce de résistance awaited in the form of the spiced red wine and pear juice reduction sauce. In a symphony of flavors, pear juice mingled with chianti red wine, harmonizing with sugar, orange zest, cinnamon, cardamom, and Kashmiri chili powder. Slowly simmered to a velvety syrup, this reduction embodied complexity and depth, a perfect complement to the delicate sweetness of the pears. With a dip into this luscious sauce, the pear samosas transcended mere culinary delight, becoming an experience to be savored.” 

Another 2024 award winner, Chef Kevin Jenkins of Garland Independent School District in Garland, Texas, also focused on international flavors. His dish, pear glazed beef yakisoba noodles with caramelized soy garlic pears, is a Japanese stir-fry noodle dish using wheat noodles. The recipe featured garlicky caramelized diced Bartlett pears tossed with fajita- seasoned beef, pear glazed noodles and fresh vegetables.

He said this of his award-winning application: “I take a lot of inspiration from my past culinary journeys or places I’ve been. This recipe inspired me because of my time spent in Sasebo, Japan, when I was a culinary specialist in the Navy and (how people there) used pears. I was very curious if I could recreate the yakisoba sauce using the juice in a can of pears. Once I substituted pear juice for water … the rest of the recipe came together.” 

From a Korean pear-kimchi goat cheese sandwich to tacos al “pear-stor” with grilled pears and pear tomatillo salsa, the 2024 Can-Do Challenge winners took world cuisine by storm showing their students, consumers and customers how pairing pears works around the globe. Click here for a full list of the 2024 winners and their inspiring recipes. 

The 2025 Can-Do Challenge is happening now. Click here for more information on how to enter the contest. The deadline for entries is April 30, 2025.