Kitchen Collaborative: Let the Games Begin!

It may lack the pageantry of the recent Winter Olympics in Italy, but the competition in Kitchen Collaborative 2026 is sure to be just as fierce. Since 2020, the culinary ideation program, created by Flavor & The Menu and Summit F&B, has challenged chefs and menu developers from high-volume foodservice operations to raise their flavor game year after year. Expectations are high for this year’s iteration.

The sponsor kits have been delivered, and many chef participants have wasted no time getting into the kitchen to ponder the recipe opportunities offered by the wide range of products. Just a few weeks into the competition, dozens of menu concepts have been submitted. Which will rise to capture the judges’ attention and earn 13 chefs a culinary adventure in Mendoza, Argentina? Based on last year’s winners, concepts that are wildly inventive and those that are deceptively simple—but always flavor-forward—have potential.

Here, Flavor presents a representational selection of initial menu concepts featuring products from each of this year’s sponsors. To help preserve the blind judging process to come, the names of the chefs behind these dishes have been omitted (for now). Will we see any of these, and their creators, when the winners are announced? Time will tell.

ALCHEMY IN ACTION

Ringing the bell with both evocative flavors and an eye-catching presentation, the Lavash Lasagna is a great representation of the culinary creativity that is a hallmark of the Kitchen Collaborative program. For this dish, the chef satisfied a longstanding desire to add a “crunch factor” to conventional lasagna recipes. Knowing the Plain Lavash from Damascus Bakeries could be baked off into a chip-style component, this chef opted to exchange traditional pasta sheet noodles with round, baked lavash chips. The dish puts other sponsor products to good use, notably the Tuscan Tomato Paste from SupHerb Farms and Ground Beef from Thomas Foods for a classic ragu, along with Fontina Cheese from BelGioioso Cheese, Inc.

Inspired by the blend of pork, beef and veal in the Meatloaf Mix from Thomas Foods, one chef doubled down on sponsor ingredients, adding Al Bronzo Orechiette from Barilla for Professionals, Sharp Provolone from BelGioioso Cheese, Inc., whole and split red lentils from Lentils.org to the meat to create the Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Lentil Bolognese. Calling the dish a “hearty delight,” the chef also adds sofrito, red wine, tomatoes, Italian herbs and cream.

The simplicity in the name of the Summer Lobster Salad is deceptive, belying the dish’s complex combination of flavors, textures and heat levels, bringing Latin American flavor trends together with fresh fruit and the premium reputation of lobster. The dish features Creamy Chimichurri Fire Sauce from Good Foods, Lobster Sensations from King & Prince Seafood, Sharp Provolone from BelGioioso Cheese, Inc., and sweet watermelon from the National Watermelon Promotion Board. A second concept from the same chef uses flatbread to showcase the cross-utilization potential of the recipe components.

Watermelon is the hero for an unusual Watermelon and Burrata Sandwich. Slices of the fruit, courtesy of the National Watermelon Promotion Board, are marinated in olive oil and then layered with rich Burrata from BelGioioso Cheese, Inc., pickled watermelon relish, micro greens and a harissa aïoli made with Moroccan Harissa Paste from SupHerb Farms. Sourdough bread is the carrier here.

SWEET DREAMS

Operating from a philosophy that “dessert is the ultimate playground for flavors and textures,” one chef was eager to explore unique combinations. A Cinnamon and Boba Sundae with Teriyaki Caramel sees an Otis Spunkmeyer Snickerdoodle Pizza Cookie base topped with vanilla bean ice cream and a generous drizzle of a sweet-savory teriyaki caramel sauce made with Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze, which is a nod to the popularity of miso caramel, but lending a more complex flavor. The dish is finished with brown sugar boba and whipped cream.

Crab Rangoon is having something of a “newstalgia” moment. Part of the “Retro Dips Reborn” movement identified by Flavor & The Menu as a Top 10 Trend for 2026, it’s inspiring clever takes, including the Sweet Heat Lobster Rangoon Grilled Cheese created for Kitchen Collaborative. Lobster Sensations from King & Prince Seafood are folded into a mix of cream cheese, garlic, ginger, scallion, white pepper and Chili Crisp Hot Honey Sauce from Lee Kum Kee. The craveable schmear is spread between pieces of crispy flatbread from Damascus Bakery and then toasted until melted. It’s served with scallion curls and more of the chili crisp for a sweet-heat finish.

Lee Kum Kee’s Hot Honey Chili Crisp also spikes a Lemon Blueberry Cake featuring BelGioioso Vanilla Mascarpone Cheese and fresh fruit. The cheese provides depth of flavor to a lemon buttercream icing. Finishing with a syrup from the chili crisp not only brings coveted sweet heat, but it cuts through the cake’s rich qualities, while blending beautifully with the sour berries.

SINGULAR SELECTIONS

Kitchen Collaborative chefs have the flexibility to combine multiple sponsor products, as demonstrated above, or create menu concepts showcasing a single product as the hero or differentiating element. Some of these early solo entries include:

• Hazelnut Macchiato Cookie Skillet—It starts with Otis Spunkmeyer’s Chocolate Chunk Pizza Cookie and tops it with a combination of espresso mousse, dark chocolate-and-hazelnut bark, chocolate sticks and whipped cream.
• Spicy Strawberry Michelada and Taco Duo—This dish puts Strawberry Habanero Sauce from Good Foods in the spotlight. It’s used to spike the base of the classic cocktail and is featured in a strawberry pico de gallo for the taco.
• Orecchiette with Fennel Lamb, Broccoli Rabe & Parmigiano—This showcase of the Al Bronzo Oriecchiette from Barilla for Professionals highlights the way the pasta’s bronze-cut surface allows lamb jus to cling with a concentrated savory depth.
• Asian-Inspired St. Louis Ribs—Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Baste and Glaze bring a new global flavor profile to traditional ribs, used in both the brine and as a finishing glaze.
• Braised Lentils with Spinach—This celebration of the delicious plant-based protein and fiber found in lentils from Lentils.org is a tribute to March’s National Nutrition Month observance.

NEW FLAVOR FRONTIERS

Vibrant. Daring. Minimalist. Comforting. Boundary-pushing. The flavor spectrum is never static. Follow Flavor & The Menu throughout 2026, as Kitchen Collaborative chef participants—with the help of sponsor partners—strive to inform the next wave of modern menu innovation.