Island View Casino Resort ‘s Prime Cut room chef wins ‘Real California Cheese and Mac Challenge’

Gulfport, Miss. – (Aug. 31, 2023) There’s literally a “big cheese” at one of Island View Casino Resorts’ restaurants. Prime Cut room chef, Mary Grace Moss, won the “Real California Cheese and Mac Challenge”, taking home $5,000 in winnings for her grand prize award-winning Elote Corn-a-Roni.

The California Milk Advisory Board’s inaugural virtual foodservice contest challenged professional chefs and culinary students to develop and create Cheese & Mac dishes using Real California dairy products. Chef Moss built her dish to include Elote, fire-roasted Mexican street corn, crispy bacon, Real California Queso Fresco and Cotija cheeses and Crema Mexicana. It was garnished with crushed corn chips, freshly chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, and a hint of fresh lime, yielding a full fiesta of flavors.

Chef Mary Moss is southern raised from Oxford, Mississippi. She was introduced to corn-a-roni on road trip to see Ole Miss, her college alma-mater, play in the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. “I remember the food in Omaha being so good and it was nice to know they tailgate too,” explained Moss. “Wandering around I noticed a tent that had a huge crowd. I was hoping for the best. I was handed a paper plate with something they called corn-a-roni, I was blown away by how satisfying it was.”

“Jackie Seavey, the executive sous chef at Island View Casino Resort told me about the Cheese & Mac competition and that dish was the first thing that came to mind,” said Chef Moss. She and I got our creative minds reeling, she suggested roasting the corn, like an Elote. Chef Jackie proceeded to say it needed a mac and cheese topper, but you will need something a little bit crunchier, maybe a tortilla? Then at the same time we both said Fritos!”

“I immediately started shopping at all the super mercados along the coast looking for California cheese. It was easy because California is the biggest purveyors of Hispanic cheeses. I went home, took out my grandmother’s casserole dish and my favorite saucepan, started frying the bacon, roasted the corn, and the rest is history!”