Judges Go Crackers for a Student’s Winning Concept
01 June 2013
Emmi Roth USA announces winners of the Grand Cru® Recipe Contest for culinary students, held in conjunction with CAFÉ.
Emmi Roth USA, a leading provider of specialty cheeses based in Monroe, Wis., recently announced the winner of its Grand Cru® Recipe Contest for Postsecondary Culinary Students. The contest, presented in conjunction with CAFÉ, challenged culinary students to create a unique and flavorful recipe highlighting Roth Grand Cru, a classic Alpine-style cheese.
Alex Hartfelder, 21, of Brentwood, Tenn., submitted the winning recipe—Grand Cru Pistachio Crisps with Spicy Red Pepper Jelly (pictured). As a second-year student at Nashville State Community College, he has been cooking since age 10. Hartfelder will soon realize one of his longtime culinary dreams and use the $1,000 prize money for travel to an internship in Italy.
The winning recipe was inspired by his father’s favorite holiday cheese straws, which Hartfelder traditionally prepares using cheddar and walnuts. After sampling Grand Cru, the smoothness and earthiness of the cheese inspired him to re-conceptualize his cheese-straw recipe as a savory cracker with Grand Cru and pistachios, rounded out with homemade pepper jelly. Emmi Roth USA judges were impressed with the sophisticated combination of sweet, savory and spicy flavors, praising the buttery texture and the Grand Cru flavor that comes through in the cracker.
Hartfelder’s recipe was featured at the Emmi Roth USA Cheese 4 Chefs table at the 2012 National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show in May in Chicago.
Second place went to Stefani Hodgson, a student at Lake Washington Institute of Technology in Kirkland, Wash., for her Grand Cru Bruschetta with Smoked Chicken & Apricot Chutney. The judges enjoyed the reinterpretation of the timeless pairing of Grand Cru, apricots and almonds, calling it “sweet and savory, simple yet refined.”
The winning students’ instructors—Marylou Tate at Nashville State Community College and Mimi Stockman at Lake Washington Institute of Technology—will each receive a complimentary full registration to a 2013 CAFÉ conference or workshop.
The winning recipes are available at www.rothcheese.com/recipes. For more information, contact Kirsten Jaeckle at (608) 845-5796 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..