Chef Jackson Lamb of Metropolitan State University of Denver conducted a recipe contest for Hospitality students in 2021. There were multiple rounds, and the students delivered excellent and creative dishes! Barber’s Farms and the Colorado Dry Bean Committee provided prize money as a thank you for their enthusiasm about beans and recognition of their tasty efforts!

The contest categories were as follows:
- International Rice and Beans: Seeking recipes from any culture or cuisine. Israeli, Lebanese, Moroccan, Colombian, Mexican, Asian, African, Cuban, Italian, and anything else.
- Black Bean: Seeking recipes of black bean burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf, and anything else.
- Garbanzo Bean: Seeking recipes of hummus, falafel, and roasted garbanzos, and anything else.
- Red kidney Bean: Seeking recipes of chili, meatloaf, 3-bean salad, and anything else.
- Black-Eyed Pea: Looking to gather recipes prior to New Year’s Eve.
Winning Bean Contest Recipes
Check out these amazing recipes – way to go, MSU Hospitality students! Some of the recipes are not currently available, but we hope to be able to upload them soon.
International Recipe Winners
- 1st place: Belen Garcia’s Mexican-Cuban Fusion of Rice and Beans
- 2nd place: Sydney Beaty’s Lebanese Mujadara
Red Kidney Bean Winners
- 1st place: Phillip Huc-Pham’s Kidney Bean Chili
- 2nd place: Jesse Verrazco
- 3rd place: Cora Howell’s Asparagus with Red Kidney Bean Sauce
Black Bean Winners
- 1st place: Lindsey Long’s Kathleen’s Kicked-Up Southwest Bacon and Black Bean Soup
- 2nd place: Phillip Huc-Phan’s Black Bean Menudo Fritter
- 3rd place: Kodi Clary’s Chipotle Black Bean Burger
Garbanzo Bean Recipe Winners
- 1st place: Kelly Domino’s Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Cauliflower Salad
- 2nd place: Sydney Beaty’s Crispy Falafel on a Chopped Greek Salad
- 3rd place: Donna Quigley’s Falafel
Black-Eyed Pea Recipe Winners
- 1st place: Jesse Verrazco
- 2nd place: Cora Howell
- 3rd place: Mari Sosa’s Habichuelas Blancas