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During the Culinary Exchange portion of the event, the chefs split up into teams and prepared a variety of global dishes using products from the event’s sponsors.
6 globally inspired dishes that came out of FSD’s 2026 Big Ten Conference Chefs Immersion
T his week, FoodService Director held its 2026 Big Ten Conference Chefs Immersion at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. One of the highlights of the event is the Culinary Exchange, where the chefs split up into teams and prepare dishes using products from the event’s culinary sponsors, Custom Culinary, Irresistible Food Group, J.T.M. Food Group, Mountaire Farms, Simplot and 50CUT, and pantry sponsors, Rastelli's, Hormel Foods, and Lactalis. This year, the chefs took inspiration from around the world during each of the Culinary Exchange’s six rounds. Here are six globally inspired dishes that came out of the exchange. 1. Murgh Malai Tikka During the first round, the Yellow Team, made up of Chef Eliot Norris from the University of Washington, Chef Byron Scott from the University of Maryland and Chef Bryan Latz from Michigan State University, prepared Murgh Malai tikka, an Indian appetizer that features marinated chicken. The chicken was rubbed with fresh ginger, garlic and chilies and then marinated in yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, cumin. It was cooked on a flat top and then served with garlic naan, sliced red onion, lime, a little bit of herbs. 2. Korean Fried Corn Dog The Purple Team (Chef Justin Anderson from the University of Minnesota and Chef Edward Rodriguez from the University of Southern California) took inspiration from Korean street food and prepared Korean Fried Corn Dog during the second round. The dish featured a spam dog rolled in bread crumbs, fried and then topped with cheddar cheese kimchi, ketchup, a drizzle of mustard and jalapeno
3. Birria Smashed Taco Later on in the day, the Orange Team, made up of Chef Aaron Davis from Purdue University and Chef Michael Graham from the University of Iowa, decided to prepare Birria Smashed Tacos. The tacos featured an Italian sausage base topped with fresh cabbage, cilantro, cumin slaw and salty goat cheese. Birria broth was served on the side for dipping. 4. Flautas with Killer Mole Rolled and pressed Kings Hawaiian buns took the place of a traditional tortilla in the Blue Team’s (Chef Mark Kowalski from Pennsylvania State University, Chef Eric Bueno from Indiana University and Chef Crystol Smith from the University of Illinois) Flautas with "Killer" Mole dish. The Flautas were filled with beef and cheese and the mole included golden raisins, almonds, sesame, and brownies. 5. Meatball Tikka Masala Bowl The Green Team, made up of Chef Demetrios Kyprianos at Northwestern University and Chef Luis Segueda at Michigan State University, leaned into comfort food with their Meatball Tikka Masala Bowl. The meatballs were flavored with dry coriander, ginger, salt, pepper, garlic and turmeric, and then seared them in a pan. For the sauce, the team combined yogurt and vinegar with some spices and then topped the dish off with some pickled onions. 6. Non-Canadian Poutine The Pink Team, made up of Chef Ryan Berlin from The Ohio State University and Chef Soohwa Yu from the University of Illinois, put their own spin on Canadian Poutine during one of the rounds. Tater squares formed the base of the dish which was then topped with a red pepper relish, arugula, avocado, crema and pickled cucumbers.
BY BENITA GINGERELLA
Murgh Malai Tikka
Korean Corn Dog
Meatball Tikka Masala
Photos Courtesy Benita Gingerella
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