Mustard Judging, March 24 & 31

*** Call for Judges ***
25th Annual World-Wide Mustard Competition

Entries are arriving daily at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin for the 2019 World-Wide Mustard Competition (history and details at http://mustardmuseum.com/world-wide-mus ... mpetition/). Several sessions and panels of judges are needed to find the best mustards in the world, and you are invited to participate as a mustard judge this year.

There are 17 categories of mustard to be tasted and scored. You will help determine the Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal winners for each flavor or style category. Examples of the categories are Honey, Dijon, Spirit, Hot Pepper, and Exotic mustards, as well as mustard-based BBQ Sauces.

Judging panels will include food professionals such as chefs, food writers, cookbook authors, restaurant critics and food scientists, as well as "foodies" and “regular” folks with discerning palates. As a judge for the world’s only mustard competition, you’ll be expected to sample as many as 40 mustards during each round of judging. This is a blind tasting. The only rules are (1) you must finish scoring any category that you start, and (2) you must love mustard. While this is a serious undertaking, we know you’ll enjoy the experience

Judging will occur at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, under the direction of Museum Curator Barry Levenson on the following dates:

Round 1 Sunday, March 24, 2019 Noon - 4:00

Round 2 Sunday, March 31, 2019 Noon - 4:00

On both days, we will break mid-way through the afternoon for snacks & schmoozing. Please let me know ASAP if you can participate on either or both Sundays. Also, please pass this along to your mustard-loving friends and colleagues. All available judges, please contact me to confirm via email at [email protected] , or by phone on my cell at 608-444-5280 or at the Mustard Museum at 608-831-2222.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Patti Levenson (aka Mrs. Mustard)
Director of Marketing


THE NATIONAL MUSTARD MUSEUM
7477 Hubbard Avenue
Middleton, WI 53562
608-831-2222 800-438-6878
www.mustardmuseum.com

The National Mustard Museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN #27-4810858

Two comments from past experiences judging this contest:

1) It is a blast, especially if you like mustard. Many of the past people I met while judging actually have 8-10 jars of mustard open at home at any given time.

2) If you judge the pepper mustards, there are generally several ghost pepper mustards in the competition. One year, I was nearly incapacitated by such a mustard.

Enjoy.

jlawrence01 wrote:2) If you judge the pepper mustards, there are generally several ghost pepper mustards in the competition. One year, I was nearly incapacitated by such a mustard.

Enjoy.

Unfortunately, some really hot mustards pop up in categories one thinks may be heat free: fruit mustards.

Regards,
Cathy2

I loved judging at this event and plan to do it again. Sadly it doesn't work out for me this year.

If you go, there's a pie shop next door with a large selection and great atmosphere. You know I had to slip that in.

There's a few good-looking restaurants and a couple foodie shops and bakeries in the area too.

Even if you don't go to this event, you can (and any mustard fan should) visit the Mustard Museum all year long. They sell hundreds of kinds of mustard, and nearly all of them are available for sampling. They can help steer you towards great examples for whatever your particular tastes are in mustard. They ship, too.

Small world. I spent the summer of 1959 0.4 miles from what is now the museum. Wish I could go now instead of then....

Hi,

I sampled over 80 mustard entries, divided into four categories: fruit, herbal, whole grain and spirits.

In the fruit category, there were a few samples where any fruit flavor was overwhelmed by a heavy hand with horseradish.

At one table, I found myself with a group of chefs who discussed each one as they worked through 21 entries. I started at the bottom and worked myself up to avoid their comments influencing me. When we compared notes at the end, the same two I really liked were the same on their side.

Especially in the fruit category, I wondered how one might use these mustards. In the herbal category, there were a few whose flavor combination rivaled what you might put on a Chicago hot dog. Instead all those pesky fixings, just add this mustard.

One chef suggested making deviled eggs with one mustard. I have no idea who the producer was or what the retail cost could be. My thought it was perhaps not the best use of likely a relatively expensive condiment. Maybe prep a deviled egg, then add a dab to the top?

This annual visit to the land of mustard is always worthwhile experience.

Regards,
CAthy2