Blenders were buzzing on the live stage at the 2021 Maryland State Fair as four teams from Baltimore’s most popular television news and radio stations mixed up creative dairy-inspired milkshakes in the Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off, sponsored by the American Dairy Association North East.
In its fourth year, the Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off is now a favorite event at the Maryland State Fair and serves as the perfect opportunity to showcase Maryland dairy farmers and the delicious products they produce.
This year’s winning milkshake, made by FOX45’s team, featured Maryland-made vanilla ice cream, French vanilla syrup, lots of cinnamon and real dairy whipped cream. Team members “Traffic Jam Jimmy” and Meteorologist Justin Chambers say they collaborated on the recipe together and had a lot of fun testing out different ingredients. A judge was heard saying the winning shake reminded him of that delicious cold milk left behind when eating cinnamon toast cereal. That does sound like a winner!
This year’s panel of judges included Maryland State Dairy Princess Elizabeth Karides, Maryland Farm Bureau representative Parker Welch and Don “Chief” Denmyer, who celebrated his 40th anniversary as director of facilities and operations at the fair this year.
Another big winner at the 2021 Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off was the team from classic rock station 100.7 The Bay, who took home the coveted “People’s Choice Award” for garnering the most votes online for their recipe ahead of the live contest. Afternoon host Huber and Promotions Queen Donna Jean created the “Blue Moo” milkshake that included delicious chocolate chip ice cream, local Otterbein cookies and blue sprinkles. They added “more cow bell” to the shake – a nod to legendary band Blue Oyster Cult, who performed a live concert at the 2021 fair.
Previous Shake-Off winner Mallory Sofastaii and her teammate Patrick Pete from WMAR-TV developed a very creative recipe that included vanilla ice cream, crushed pineapple and a cup rimmed with Maryland’s favorite Old Bay spices. The spicy and sweet nod to summer was called the “Ocean City Seaside Shake,” and was drizzled with caramel sauce and garnished with white chocolate chips.
WJZ-TV’s team was represented by meteorologist Meg McNamara and anchor Sean Streicher. They created quite a buzz with their “Baltimore Buzz” recipe. The shake included coffee ice cream, a shot of Cold Brew coffee with milk and cinnamon doughnuts. It was a breakfast-inspired concoction that gave the competition a jolt of excitement for sure.
Even before the teams took the stage, the Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off drew a large crowd of fairgoers who filled the seats to capacity. They were delighted to answer trivia questions posed by American Dairy Association’s Amy Leslie, who hosted the event. The contest also had special help from Allegany-Garrett County Dairy Princess Morgan Qualls and Frederick County Dairy Princess Shea Cencula. The Undeniably Dairy Milkshake trophies were presented by reigning Maryland State Dairy Princess Elizabeth Karides.
The American Dairy Association North East is grateful for support from the Maryland Farm Bureau, Maryland State Fair and the local media teams who came together to make the annual Undeniably Dairy Shake-Off such a featured and popular event.
