Culinary Competition Recipes

Every year the Iowa Restaurant Association, in collaboration with The Soyfoods Council and the Iowa Beef Industry Council, hosts a statewide Culinary Competition in search of Iowa’s top chef. The dishes must include an entree featuring a specified cut of beef and a soy-based side dish or sauce. The chefs first present their culinary creations to a team of travelling judges who venture to each participating establishment to taste and critique the dish. Participating chefs then converge at the Dine Iowa Grand Tasting Gala for a public People’s Choice sampling event. See the winning recipes over the years!

1st Place: Chef Jason Culbertson, Caroline’s Restaurant at the Hotel Julien, Dubuque

Korean BBQ flank steak with soy mushrooms over miso ginger butternut squash

2nd Place: Chef Wallace Franklin Jr., The Whiskey House & Bourbon Grill, Ankeny

Flank steak tartare with smoked tofu foam

People’s Choice: Chef Oscar Hernandez, 712 Eat + Drink, Council Bluffs
Flank steak and frites with a chili tofu mayo

1st Place: Chef Nick Gunn, McCarthy & Bailey’s Irish Pub, Sioux City

Irish spiced country spare ribs with champ tofu gnocchi in an Irish whiskey cream and tofu sauce

2nd Place: Chef Charles Severson, Honey Creek Resort, Moravia

Short rib and tofu empanada with sweet potato chorizo tofu hash, Spring greens & raspberry chipotle vinaigrette

People’s Choice: Chef Jason Culbertson, Caroline’s Restaurant at the Hotel Julien, Dubuque
Ginger glazed Angus short ribs with garlic soy tofu, soy pickled trumpet mushrooms, sesame crumb and tofu crème

1st Place: Chef Andrew Havlovic, Sidebar, Des Moines

Mongolian beef with tofu waffle, ginger puffed rice, soy caramel, herbs and scallions

2nd Place: Chef Dylan Caryl, Hy-Vee Market Grill, Des Moines

Tofu chili crusted sirloin in a citrus bacon tofu sautè

People’s Choice: Chef Jeff Snowgren, Prairie Meadows Hotel & Casino, Altoona

Marinated sirloin and tofu gnocchi in a star anise infused broth with trumpet royal mushrooms, braised Swiss chard, grilled croccolini and topped with a tofu lobster wonton

1st Place: Chef Troy Trostel, Trostel’s Greenbriar, Johnston

Char grilled gunpowder ribeye fillet with horseradish parsnip potato puree and pinwheel ribeye cap steak on roasted sweet corn pepper croutons and sliced tofu stuffed beets

2nd Place: Chef Michael Holman, Dos Rios Cantina & Tequila Lounge, Des Moines

Cold smoked ribeye pho with braised tofu and lime sriracha

People’s Choice: Chef Agustin Quintana, Prairie Meadows Hotel & Casino, Altoona

Grilled espresso rubbed rib cap roulade in a wild mushroom Marsala reduction served with a homemade tofu ricotta ravioli and lobster tofu fritter

1st Place: Chef Dominic Iannarelli, Splash Seafood Bar & Grill, Des Moines

Sesame porcini mushroom rubbed petite tender in a Veal demi-glace topped with roasted tofu and mushrooms and served with a buffalo mozzarella salad

2nd Place: Chef Eric McDowell, Prairie Meadows Hotel & Casino, Altoona

Triple grilled petit beef tender, silken tofu noodles & roasted sweet corn

3rd Place: Chef Zephania Leaton, Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Riverside

Pomegranate glazed blackened petite tender and silken parsnip flan with carrot caramel

1st Place: Chef Andrew Weis, The Hotel Julien, Dubuque

A Trio: 1.Marinated, rubbed, and seared strip loin served with a zesty London sauce and topped with crispy onion and soy strips served over signature buttermilk smashed reds. 2.Marinated fresh, peppers, peppadews, onions, and strip loin grilled and glazed with a honey teriyaki glaze. 3. Fresh Herb crusted Strip Tenderloin, served on a chefs medley of vegetables and topped with a crispy prosciutto ham and broiled boursin cheese

2nd Place: Chef Roger Johnson, The Iowa Machine Shed, Urbandale

Marinated New York strip steak grilled and sliced on the bias with arugula and tofu croutons topped with a tofu herb cream sauce

3rd Place: Chef Robert Sanda, Tally’s Restaurant, Bar & Catering, Beaverdale

A Trio: 1. Strip loin tartare with quail egg yolk, tofu crostade and purple onion puree. 2. Stuffed tofu-Guinness marinated strip loin smoked and pulled with roasted grape tomatoes and black truffle infused soybean oil stuffed into firm tofu bowl and braised. 3. Strip loin kebabs with marinated tofu and shiitake mushrooms and a thickened strip loin consomme