Yummie Culinary Competition

The Yummie Culinary Competition is an action-packed culinary showdown involving Ventura County’s TOP restaurants and chefs. The winner will be determined by our panel of Celebrity Culinary Judges comprised of television and print media personalities, food and wine editors, and food and wine columnists based on which chef’s dish they feel is the Yummiest. The entries will be judged on flavor, presentation, innovation and quality. The winners will receive a Fabulous Prize Package and some serious bragging rights!

Please check back frequently for the latest Yummie updates!

Read the 2022 Yummie Competition Rules.

For more information:
Contact: Maria Godinez and Jessica Domingo
Email: yummieawards@gmail.com

Thank You to Our
Yummie Judges

Past Winners

2022

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish
1st	Water’s Edge	Chef Alex Montoya	“Ahi Poke Ceviche” with Citrus Szechuan ponzu, avocado mousse, blue corn tostada, soy sauce pearls and micro cilantro
2nd	Ox & Ocean	Chef Damien Giliberti	“Grilled Stone Fruit” with house-made ricotta, blackberry gastrique, pickled kumquats and puffed amaranth
3rd	Happy Place Eatery	Joshua (Biggjay) Gonzales and Sky Sunner	“Happy Smash Burger” Certified Angus Beef Smash Burger with cheese, caramelized grilled onions, Pickle Chip bread and butter pickles with signature Happy Smash Sauce served with fries and mini pretzel bites with hatch chili cheese
Sweet
1st	Honey Cup Coffeehouse & Creamery	Chef Alex Montoya	“Peaches and Cream Mojito” peaches and cream ice cCream and Finger Lime Caviar and micro mint.
2nd	Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters	Chef Amanda Pritchett and Chef Kristy Carr	“Oh Henry! Cake” peanut butter cake with butterscotch and chocolate ganache and peanut butter buttercream with a piece of Oh Henry! Bar.
3rd	Sweet Arleen’s	Chef Julia San Bartolome	“Hawaiian Dream”, Coconut laced chiffon cake, served with perfectly ripe pineapple, and topped with a creamy coconut dollop, drizzled with guava Tiki sauce.
Best In Fest Brew
Best in Fest Brew Winner – Institution Ale, RX Pils
Honorable Mention – Enegren Edel-Pils German-Style Pilsner
Honorable Mention – Topa Topa Brewing Company- Chief Peak IPA

2021

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish
1st	Slate Bistro	Chef Abdu Romero	Pan seared scallop, celeriac, finger lime, tobiko caviar, shrimp chicarron
2nd	Star Sushi by Slate	Abdu Romero/Agustin Charco Diego	Hamachi, furikake, grilled avocado and jalapeno, heirloom tomato, finished with soy
3rd	Limon y Sal	Oscar Ledesma	Scallop Aguachile, (in the half shell) Salsa Macha Negra, Avocado
Sweet
1st	Honey Cup	Alex Montoya	Jasmine Plum Rum Ice cream Pop – with a white chocolate hard shell and pop rocks
2nd	Sweet Arleen’s	Julia San Bartolome	Miso Plum Smash: miso glazed chocolate cake with yuzu soaked plums and Thai chili meringue
3rd	Li Mor Cakes	Lisa Morris	Habanero sugar cookies

2019

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish
1st	Slate Bistro & Craft Bar	Chef Abdu Romero	Coconut Shrimp Okinawa potato, ginger coconut cream, pineapple, Thai chili, scallions.
2nd	The Saticoy Club	Chef Jeff Downey	Marinated and grilled octopus lightly sautéed with garlic, heirloom cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, fresh lemon juice and basil served with warm flat bread.
3rd	Twenty88	Chef Alex Castillo	Mashed fried plantain cake with chicharron, topped with slow cooked pork belly, blood orange & quince glaze, pickled seasonal veggies, and lemon grass ginger pesto oil.
Sweet
1st	Sweet Arleen’s	Chef Julia San Bartolome	Hot Leche Cake Tequila infused chocolate cake served on a jalapeno & lime sour cream sauce, drenched with a homemade Hot Leche over cinnamon sugar crunch.
2nd	The 2686 Kitchen/Ojai Beverage Co.	Chef Anastashia Chavez	Lemon Verbena Cheesecake Mascarpone Custard. Citrus Graham Crust. Lemon Verbena Curd. Blueberry Ale Compote. Salted Honeycomb Crunch.
3rd	Fluid State Beer Garden	Chef Alex Montoya	Bourbon Butterscotch Oolong Frozen Custard, Gold Chocolate Hardshell, Pecans, Speck Salt.

2018

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish
1st	Twenty88 Gourmet Fusion	Chef Alex Castillo	“Jalisco” Style Short Ribs slow braised in traditional dry chiles and spices, served over polenta tamale cake with verde creama, sauted shaved brussels and kale topped with escabeche de cebolla and a cabernet reduction from the El Cielo Winery, Valle de Guadalupe, BC
2nd	Barrelhouse 101	Chef Becky Blosser	Puerco’s Nachos – fresh popped chicarrones topped with slow cooked carnitas, pico de gallo, cilantro, crumbled cotija and a drizzle of spicy salsa
3rd	Rhumb Line Restaurant	Chef Ricardo T. Carreto	Toasted focaccia with house cured salmon, wasabi cream, and guava jam
Sweet
1st	Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters	Chef Amanda Pritchett	Vegan Nitro Float – vegan vanilla ice cream floated in house made Nitro Cold Brew and topped with our vegan chocolate cookie.
2nd	Sweet Arleen’s	Chef Julia San Bartolome	Assemble yourself an “Old Fashioned” Dessert – Orange scented buttermilk pound cake layered with bourbon pastry cream and a crispy muttled sugar. Topped with maple whipped cream and a white balsamic soaked amarena cherry
3rd	Barrelhouse 101	Chef Becky Blosser	Churrones – fresh popped chicaroones tossed in cinnamon and sugar, then topped with a lime crème and raspberry coulis.

2017

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Twenty88 Gourmet Fusion	Chef Alex Castillo	“Cuban Skewer” Marinated shrimp with andouille sausage and plantain over yucca root and charred corn al ajillo, jicama and watercress slaw, roasted pasilla cilantro drizzle
2nd	J Wolf Catering	Chef Ernest Romero	Pork Belly Banh Mi: Crispy smoked pork on French bread, topped with a Vietnamese inspired slaw
3rd	Gasolina	Sandra Cordero	Sandia Y Tomato Gazpacho: Chilled watermelon and tomato soup with basil oil Croquets “New Orleans”:
Sweet
1st	University Village Thousand Oaks	(group) Nicholas Albrecht	“Smor For Now” – Smooth Swiss Chocolate Truffle rolled in chili dusted graham cracker crubs covered by toasted marshmallow fluff
2nd	The Cave	Alex Montaya	Strawberry Jalapeno Margarita Anti-Griddle Frozen Custard Pie with Tequila whipped cream and sea salt
3rd	Sugar Lab Bake Shop	Alison Davis	Choux pastry filled with peanut butter caramel cream dipped in caramel glaze and chocolate ganache then garnished with candied peanuts

2016

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Twenty88 Gourmet Fusion	Chef Alex Castillo	Hoisin Tamarind Pork Shank with tropical cole slaw
2nd	University Village	(group) Nicholas Albrecht	Summe Tomato Consume paired with a country oxtail grilled cheese
3rd	Ojai Beverage Company	Chef Bernardo Rodriguez	Patty topped with beer battered lobster, crab bites, muster cheese, red onions; spring mix between a Cajun tarter sauce on a brioche bun
Sweet
1st	University Village	(group) Nicholas Albrecht	Vanilla Bean Pavlova paired with a mandarin marmalade chocolate mousse
2nd	The Cave	Alex Montaya	Rumchata Frozen Custard with a churro bite, vodka whipped cream, Kahlua caramel
3rd	Patty’s 805 Treats	Patty Brown	Toffee: Home roasted almonds in caramelized organic sugar, hormone free butter and Ghirardelli chocolate

2015

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Café Firenze	Chef John Palone	House cured pancetta, smoked charred shallots, vinaigrette Friese, pepper pecorino
2nd	Tierra Sur	Chef Gabe Garcia	Ancho Braised Beef cheek nugget, pickled onion, jalapeno jam, corn mash
3rd	The Cave	Chef Brandon Worrel	Bacon jam canape, bacon jam, whipped brie cheese, compressed sour apple, whole grain toast
Sweet
1st	Scoops	Barry Davis	Mojito sorbet. A delicious sorbet created with white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water and mint
2nd	The Cave	Chef Brandon Worrel	Butterscotch “anti-griddle” ice cream with French toast sticks, chocolate cookie crumble, vanilla bean whipped cream
3rd	I Would Rather Be Baking	Mark & Theresa Delgado	Chambord black raspberry cupcake

2014

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Tierra Sur at Herzog	Gabe Garcia	Cold smoked Hamachi with beet butter, sweet and sour leeks, dried citrus. Paired with Herzog Special Reserve Chardonnay, Russian River 2011
2nd	Main Course	Rachel Main Hoist	Cherry Smoked short ribs, whipped potatoes & crisped kale
3rd	Market Broiler	Robin Higa	Seared Sea scallop with mixed green salad
Sweet
1st	Barrelhouse 101	Anastasia Chavez	Berry Balsamic cheesecake, layers of genoise, mascarpone cheesecake and chocolate ganache with mixed berry preserves infused with Duchess Sour Red Ale and Rozendal’s Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2nd	The Sugar Lab	Allison Davis	Cinnamon graham cracker crust with a creamy and smooth key lime filling and topped with a frosted meringue
3rd	The Yacht Club at Channel Islands Harbor	Ernie Borjas	Paradise Lava

2013

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Tierra Sur	Gabe Garcia	House made pastrami and corned beef sandwich on onion challah roll
2nd	The Willows	Sergio Renteria	Braised beef short ribs with roasted beef gnocchi and citrus gremolata
3rd	The Yacht Club @ Channel Is. Harbor	Ernie Borjas	Blood orange and roast beet salad with candied walnut basil, micro radish, bleu cheese crumbles and bacon bleu cheese vinaigrette.
Sweet
1st	Wolf Creek Brewing Co.	Anastia Chavez	Spice cake infused with wolf creek Dunkelweizen brew. Layered with a Burnt Butter spice frosting garnished with a Beer Toffee-infused Abbey Dubbel beer.
2nd	Vivoli Café & Trattoria	Lorenzo Fiumalbi	Glass of Franciacorta Bavarese Cream with strawberries Glee & crunchy caramelized dry fruits
3rd	Stone Cold Creamery	Barry Davis	Blackberry Merlot Sorbet

2012

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1ST	C- Street Restaurant	Luis Martinez	Braised Kobe Style Beef Short ribs braised with coffee and cabernet sauvignon served with roasted garlic and Yukon mashed potatoes infused with blue cheese, topped with crispy leeks and micro watercress.
2nd	The Tower Club	Nic Manocchio	Coconut encrusted calamari steak, caramelized pineapple, chipotle and Captain Morgan Rum chutney
3rd	Market Broiler	Robin Higa	Fresh Atlantic Salmon caramelized with chipotle mango spices, garnished with a tropical fruit salsa served atop jicama slaw
Sweet
1st	Frost It Cupcakery	Rhonda Santora & Lesley Bodwell	Apple Pie Cupcake-French vanilla cake filled with apple pie filling and cinnamon streusel, topped with vanilla bean buttercream, apple pie filling and more streusel
2nd	Missy’s Cupcake Creations	Yvonne Drayton-Benado	“3 meals a day” Cupcake
3rd	Andres Wine & Tapas Bar	Andres Fernandez	Candy Cakes

2011

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Tierra Sur @ Herzog Wine Cellars	Todd Aarons	Lamb Merguez-Moroccan Sausage with Tahini and Jalapeno pickled Japanese Eggplant on Piedina
2nd	C-Street at Crowne Plaza	Nic Manocchio	Pancetta wrapped shrimp stuffed with lump crab salad, Ventura Limoncello Vinaigrette in a Bamboo Cone
3rd	The Old Place Cornell	Oscar A. Ledesma	Unagi broiled Scallop with Avocado puree, micro coriander, radish, blood orange and Truffle Ponzu glee
Sweet
1st	Missy’s Cupcake Creations	Yvonne Drayton-Benado	Lemon Drop Crunch Cupcakes
2nd	Jonathan’s at Peirano’s	Jason Collis	Greek Honey Panna Cotta with Honey Apricots and Toasted Pistachios
3rd	Root 246 at Chumash Casino Resort	Johan Denizot	Roasted Apricot with Cherry Curd, Pistachio biscotti crumble and sour cherry foam

2009

Savory	Restaurant	Chef	Dish

1st	Side Car Restaurant	Tim Kilcoyne	Niman Ranch Crispy Port Belly, Organic blueberry chipotle BBQ sauce and creamed corn
2nd	Safire American Bistro	Michael Muirhead	Seared New Bedford Scallops with Red Thai Coconut Curry, Asian Sesame-Citrus vinaigrette and Lotus Chip.
3rd	C-Street at Crowne Plaza	Nic Manocchio	Seared Diver Scallop on Toasted Ciabatta with microgreens and Ventura Limoncello Vinaigrette, Ventura Limoncello
Sweet
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