2018 JUDGES
TED SCHEFFLER
Originally trained as an anthropologist, Ted Scheffler is a seasoned food, wine & travel writer based in Utah. He loves cooking, skiing, and spends an inordinate amount of time tending to his ever-growing herd of guitars and amplifiers.
TOSHA RUSTAD
Tosha Rustad is the pastry chef at Current Fish & Oyster in Salt Lake City. Prior to that, she was a baker at Vosen’s Bread Paradise in Salt Lake City and the cafe manager at Caffe Ibis, one of the West’s leading coffee roasters, located in Logan. Utah. Tosha was a judge for the 2017 Utah Cheese Awards and we were so impressed by her meticulous, thoughtful and thorough approach she was invited back to help judge the 2018 competition.
ALEX SPRINGER
Alex Springer became obsessed with food from a young age–right around the time pizza was introduced into his diet. For the past five years, he has had the privilege of writing about food and entertainment for publications including SLUG Magazine, Devour, and is currently the food and dining writer for Salt Lake City Weekly. As Utah’s food scene is more diverse than ever, Alex has been grateful for the opportunity to dig deep into the state’s local flavor. Feel free to check out his weekly food column at cityweekly.net or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
AMANDA McGRAW
Amanda McGraw is Chef de Cuisine at The Copper Onion. She grew up on the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast immersed in Cajun & Southern cooking. After working her way up the ranks in some of the best restaurants in Houston, and working as a cheesemonger for 2 years, she moved to Chicago to stage at Blackbird, Avec & the Publican and cook at Spring. She returned to Houston to open a new restaurant, Brasserie 19, where she ran the kitchen for 2.5 years and was named one of My Table’s Up & Coming Chefs. She took a break from Texas to move to Alaska for the summer, and was the chef of an upscale fishing lodge while deciding her next project. Upon returning to Houston, she worked under pastry chef Rebecca Masson and did some catering while consulting for two restaurants; both named Best New Restaurants of 2014. She was also named one of Eater’s Rising Star Chefs of 2014. Ready for a change of scenery, Amanda moved to Salt Lake City in 2015.
2017 JUDGES
Trent Harris
Tosha Rustad
Julie Kelso
2017 VOLUNTEERS
JoAnne Hartle
