And the winner is…Chef Jason Heiselman!
October 28 marked the long-awaited Walnuts@Work Live. And many of you tuned in. The virtual event featured a final live cook-off where five chefs went “pan-to-pan” and the audience voted for their favorite plant-forward recipe highlighting California walnuts. Moderators Chef Brian Duffy and Chef Juliet Greene kept the energy alive as chefs raced to re-create their dishes in half an hour. And while dozens of chefs initially submitted their innovative recipes hoping to be chosen, these five chefs ultimately wowed us with their creativity and inspiring usage of walnuts:
- Dustin Hilinski, Director of Culinary/Corporate Executive Chef at Red Lobster
- California Walnut Chorizo Crumbles & Vegetable Tamales with Chipotle Walnut Cream
- Christian Hallowell, Corporate Chef and General Manager of Customer Experience at Delta Air Lines
- California Walnut and Kale Rollatini
- Jason Heiselman, Executive Chef at Restaurant Associates
- California Walnut Pot Pie
- Tracy On, Culinary Manager at Patagonia and Patagonia Provisions
- Corned California Walnut and Beet Hash
- Jon Severson, Executive Chef at Levy at Levi’s Stadium (Home of the San Francisco 49ers)
- California Walnut Ceviche with Mariquitas
See all of their recipes here.
Congratulations to Jason Heiselman, who created the California Walnut Pot Pie! He won a coveted spot at next year’s Camp Walnut, $5,000 for himself, a $5,000 matching gift to CORE, a Walnuts@Work Live custom chef’s knife and, of course, ultimate bragging rights!
For all those who tuned in, thank you for participating in this first-ever event! We hope you found this virtual chef showdown to be fun, educational and inspirational. A big shout-out to our chefs and their incredible dishes!
If you were unable to attend the live show, you can watch the recorded version to get in on the action. Who knows, maybe it will inspire you to create next year’s winning dish!
