Inside California’s Flavor-Fueled Culinary + Cocktail Clash

Every summer, California’s restaurant industry and rising culinary stars collide in one unforgettable evening: the Culinary + Cocktail Clash, presented by Coca-Cola. Now in its 14th year, this high-energy competition raised an impressive $95,000 to benefit ProStart^®, a high school culinary arts program that prepares teens for careers in foodservice. The event is a playground for flavor innovation and mentorship, and this year’s dishes were proof that the next generation isn’t afraid to take bold risks with ingredients, formats and global inspiration.

What makes the Clash especially unique is the team dynamic: Restaurant executives are paired with ProStart students, who work together to ideate, prep and serve 300 bites to a hungry crowd. It’s a powerful three-month mentorship that culminates in a grand tasting and competition. But the benefits for students go far beyond the plate. This inspiring experience pushed students’ skills, creativity and limits while also offering them unprecedented access to the industry: from touring R&D kitchens and meeting the leaders of major restaurant brands to learning knife skills, plating techniques and large-scale production.

Take The Cheesecake Factory, for example, whose student-led dish reimagined a Cantonese staple. Their Char Siu Lollipops featured Iberico flank steak skewers glazed in a Chinese pineapple barbecue sauce, topped with soursop pearls and served with rice vinegar-marinated cucumber, yielding a delightful sweet-savory-umami blend.

The Stonefire Grill team took their cues from student sous chef Deven (winner of the Sysco Star Student award), who tapped into her Salvadorian roots to create a Skirt Pupusa Taco—a handmade tortilla filled with Coca-Cola and red jalapeño-marinated steak, Oaxaca cheese and a vibrant curtido slaw.

Innovation wasn’t limited to beef. Specialty Restaurants and its student star flipped the classic bánh mì with the BAAA’MICH, a ground lamb patty topped with Coca-Cola Cherry-braised radicchio, spicy jalapeño labneh and crispy baby artichokes—all nestled on milk bread. Funky, rich and unforgettable.

Other standout bites included Lazy Dog’s Yuzu Skirt Steak Bruschetta, which stacked citrus-marinated steak on toasted baguette with a blue cheese-cherry drizzle, and Urban Plates’ Banging Bento Bites, a twist on Japanese onigiri that paired skirt steak with radicchio, pickled veggies and a yuzu dipping sauce.

And the creativity didn’t stop at the food. Bartenders also went head-to-head in the cocktail competition, with teams shaking up their best Tito’s and La Marca Prosecco craft cocktails.

ABOUT: The Culinary + Cocktail Clash is an incubator for future industry leaders and a reminder that mentorship can change the trajectory of a teen’s life. And with menus like these, the future of flavor looks brighter—and bolder—than ever.