NAPA, Calif., March 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Chef Jon-Luc Maggi, executive chef at Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek, Calif., has been named Culinary Artisan of the Year after winning Northern California’s Battle of the Blades, a high-stakes cooking competition hosted by Sysco Corporation, the global leader in food distribution.
Chef Jon-Luc Maggi prevailed in a final round Monday over semi-finalists Chef Robert Root, executive chef of The Century, and Chef Dean Hiatt, executive chef at Poor Red’s Bar-B-Q. A five-judge panel selected the winner following a timed, 45-minute, rapid-fire cooking contest, using five criteria to reach a decision: visual appeal, creativity, execution, ingredient use, and taste and flavor.
Each finalist prepared a dish using an unlimited number of items from the Sysco Pantry and three locally produced mystery ingredients – San Joaquin Gold Cheddar from Fiscalini Farmstead, Sysco-branded Santa Cruz-grown fresh Tarragon and Gustine, Calif. Sysco-branded almonds.
Chef Jon-Luc Maggi’s won with a dish of tarragon marinated lamb chops, a shaved arugula salad with a citrus tarragon dressing, resting on a parmesan beet puree and garnished with a toasted almond and beet tuile.
“It’s an honor. It’s amazing to be named the first champion but again I couldn’t do it alone,” Maggi said, crediting Erasmo Garcia, his sous chef, for being an amazing partner and friend. “I’m just grateful for all the support I have,” Maggi said.
The contest is part of a larger annual Sysco Northern California food expo that allows the region to showcase its offerings, the uniqueness and breadth of supplier partners and connect customers to the assortment and the people committed to their success.
“Food is what we do at Sysco and so having the opportunity to both mingle with some of the best chefs in Northern California and allow to showcase their talents in a fun contest while also highlighting the amazing assortment of products we offer is truly the highlight of the year,” said Northern California Region President Steve Buer.
“I want to congratulate Chef Jon-Luc Maggi for his amazing feat today as well as the other 71 chefs who participated in the competition from the beginning. From the very start to our finals today, these chefs truly showed what great food can do – connect us all around a communal table,” Buer added.
Download here for b-roll and a quote from the winner.
About Sysco
Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food and related products to customers who prepare meals away from home. This includes restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments, entertainment venues, and more. Sysco operates 339 distribution centers, in 10 countries, with 75,000 colleagues serving approximately 730,000 customer locations. The company generated sales of more than $81 billion in fiscal year 2025 that ended June 28, 2025.
As the world’s largest food-away-from-home distributor, Sysco offers customized supply chain solutions, bespoke specialty product offerings, and culinary support to drive customers to innovate and optimize their operations. We act as a trusted business partner to our customers, helping them grow through our industry-leading portfolio that includes fresh produce, premium proteins, specialty products, sustainably focused items, equipment and supplies, and innovative culinary solutions.
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