The Great California Raisin Baking Contest now open

The Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC) invites Canadian professional bakers and baking students to enter The Great California Raisin Baking Contest by submitting their new raisin bread or raisin pastry recipes online before February 14, 2020.

The contest consists of two categories – Raisin Bread and Raisin Pastry – and two phases. In the first recipe competition period, contest judges will select three finalists in each category based on use of California raisins, creativity and uniqueness, as well as marketability. The six finalists will be announced in March.

For phase two of the contest, the six finalists will be asked to prepare their recipes for a panel of industry judges on April 27 at the Baking Association of Canada’s Bakery Showcase in Toronto, Ontario; flight and accommodation will be provided for any finalists travelling from outside the Toronto area. Judges will select one Best Raisin Bread and one Best Raisin Pastry winner based on use of raisins, taste and presentation and appearance. Two grand prize winners will receive a trip to California and a study tour at the Culinary Institute of America.

“This is our exciting grand entrance into the Canadian market,” said Tim Kenny, vice president of Marketing, RAC, in a press release. “We are really looking forward to seeing – and tasting! – what Canadians come up with using California raisins. California raisins are a naturally sweet superfood dried under the warm California sunshine, making it a healthy ingredient for baking. Whether you’re an established baker, or a student learning your way around a commercial kitchen, we encourage you to introduce some California sunshine into your baking, and we hope it inspires some delicious creations.”

For full details and to enter, please visit: www.californiaraisins.ca/contest