J.T.M. Announces Finalists for 2026 Beer Cheese Throwdown

Four past champions return for milestone 5th year competition; finalists set to battle live at NRA Show in Chicago on May 17.

(Harrison, Oh.) - J.T.M. Food Group is celebrating five years of bold flavors, creativity and over-the-top menu innovation with a twist on its signature culinary competition. For the 2026 Beer Cheese Throwdown, J.T.M. has invited back the four chefs who helped build the competition into a national sensation for the first-ever Tournament of Champions.

Each past winner received a J.T.M. sample package featuring Craft Beer Cheese Dip and Beer Cheese Base, with the option to incorporate their own beer. The challenge: create an entirely new dish – different from their original winning entry – while making beer cheese the undeniable star and building around today’s biggest menu trends: Swicy (sweet + spicy), Newstalgic (classic with a twist), and Global Flavors.

The results? Four flavor-packed creations:

• Buffalo Wild Wings – Hendersonville, TN | Chef Jeremy Jones
  “Grilled to the Mac” – A bold, swicy-meets-newstalgic mashup featuring a grilled beer cheese mac sandwich blended with Golden Fire Boneless Wings, paired with a creamy beer cheese marinara dipping sauce.
• Tomlinson Hospitality – Tampa, FL | Chef Jessica Tomlinson
  CBC Wagyu Smash (Calabrian Beer Cheese Wagyu Smash Burger) – A global-inspired take combining Wagyu and pork patties with Calabrian chili peppers and Peroni-infused beer cheese.
• Outlaw BBQ – Hampstead, MD | Chef Steve Rogers
  Beer Cheese Brisket Lasagna – A rich, layered twist on comfort food featuring smoked brisket, BBQ sauce, street corn and Fat Tire® Beer Cheese.
• Ciclops Brewery – Spartanburg, SC | Chef Holden McGinnis
  Brewmaster BLT – A stacked, swicy-inspired sandwich featuring brown ale beer cheese, battered chicken, fried cherry peppers, applewood bacon and hot honey mustard.

J.T.M. traveled to each location to experience the creations firsthand. After tasting and judging all four dishes, two chefs rose to the top, the 2026 Tournament of Champions Finalists:

• Chef Jessica Tomlinson (Tomlinson Hospitality) – CBC Wagyu Smash
• Chef Steve Rogers (Outlaw BBQ) – Beer Cheese Brisket Lasagna

These finalists will now compete live for the title at the 2026 National Restaurant Association Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on Sunday, May 17, where attendees will experience the dishes firsthand and witness the final showdown.

“This year is all about celebrating the chefs who helped put the Beer Cheese Throwdown on the map,” said Brad Nelson, Executive Director of Marketing at J.T.M. Food Group. “Bringing back our past champions and challenging them to evolve their creativity took this competition to another level. The results were some of the most innovative and craveable dishes we’ve ever seen.”

The winner of the first-ever Tournament of Champions will earn ultimate bragging rights and a permanent place in Throwdown history as the inaugural TOC champion.

“What makes this competition special is how chefs continue to push the boundaries of what beer cheese can be,” Nelson added. “Five years in, we’re still seeing new ideas, new flavor combinations and new inspiration, and that’s exactly what we hoped for when we started this.”

J.T.M.’s Beer Cheese Throwdown, launched in 2022, invites foodservice operators across North America to showcase their creativity using J.T.M.’s beer cheese products. The competition continues to highlight the versatility, performance and flavor impact of beer cheese across a wide range of menu applications. For more information or to request samples, contact Brad Nelson at 513-503-6048 or bnelson@jtmfoodgroup.com, or visit jtmbeercheesethrowdown.com.