Lamb Showdown: Steve Samson & Zach Pollack vs. Walter Manzke

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Food Event Los Angeles

Zach Pollack, Steve Samson and Walter Manzke got temp I ♥ Lamb tattoos after the showdown. Will temp become perm?

It was great to be able to work with talented chefs like Walter Manzke, Steve Samson and Zach Pollack on the Lamb Showdown. Steve and Zach narrowly defeated Walter in the crowd judging, and overall, it was a great meal at Guelaguetza that showcased lamb in creative ways. Thanks to Bricia, Fernando and the rest of the Lopez family for allowing us to use their beautiful space, to the American Lamb Board for sourcing lamb and sheep’s milk, and to Eagle Rock Brewery for pouring their great local beers. For live action, check out Food GPS Lamb Showdown: The Video, but here are some fun key images.


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For Manzke’s first course, he presented lamb tartare with tomato dashi, yuzu kosho, and smoked sesame.

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For their first course, Samson and Pollack prepared lamb tongue with a play on falafel, pickled turnips, and sesame.

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Pollack took a break from griddling lamb tongues on the flat-top to pose for a photo.

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For Manzke’s second course, he presented a backyard-smoked lamb shoulder “torta” with avocado, and chili dipping sauce. He sourced oak from his parents’ backyard in San Diego to fuel his smoker, and wife Margarita made brioche on-site.

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Manzke and servers presented his backyard lamb shoulder tortas on wood planks, including a 10-footer that certainly captured the attention of the crowd.

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For their second course, Samson and Pollack presented lamb neck with fregola sarda, artichoke ragù, and pecorino fonduta.

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For dessert, the Manzkes and their team presented candied kumquats with sheep’s milk yogurt sorbet and hazelnut-goat’s milk hot chocolate. Their sheep’s milk ricotta churros unfortunately didn’t reach the plates.

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The Lamb Showdown was a competition, but Zach Pollack, Steve Samson and Walter Manzke plated most courses together.

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Eagle Rock Brewery poured three beers, with Revolution XPA appearing between courses #2 and #3.

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Chefs gathered for a group photo after the Lamb Showdown as another sign of camaraderie.

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Bricia Lopez applied an I ♥ Lamb tattoo on Steve Samson after the showdown.

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

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