North Baltimore Restaurant Wins Challenge To Create New Recipes Using Old Bay Seasoning

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Two local institutions got together on Wednesday to celebrate a Mid-Atlantic treat.

As Mike Schuh reports, there's more uses for Old Bay than just crabs and crab cakes.

You know it's going to be a good day when a particular truck shows up.

Sebastien Trossbach-- the chef at Alonso's, a North Baltimore landmark-- wasn't expecting a visit from the spice truck when he went about creating new recipes using Old Bay.

"We're a Baltimore establishment and Old Bay, a Baltimore company. So, without sounding cheesy, it was nice to do something for the public," Trossbach said.

McCormick & Company, Inc. challenged restaurants to come up with new Old Bay menu items.

"And so our summer is all about celebrating our true love of the city and love of Old Bay as being part of the city," Lauren Harrasen of McCormick said.

And Trossbach delivered, coming up with five new ones including an ice cream. But the best, in his mind, is a variation of a favorite.

"The Peachy Keen Crab Cake is what I was most excited about because it pairs flavors not normally together," he said.

So, a prize giving 70 lbs. of Old Bay-- one for each year the seasoning has been produced-- was given to Chef Trossbach as a thank you for a menu heralded as the best by a team of secret judges who came to eat the new concoctions.

"Celebrate how can they use Old Bay in an inventive way and Alonzo's came up with a great way-- peach crab cakes to chocolate ice cream," Harrasen said.

"It's pretty neat. Again, it's Baltimore," Trossbach said.

More than 30 restaurants in the region participated in making new recipes using that spice.