Shakey's Cheese real ingredients

[elsegundo]

Shakey's cheese comes from VISTAR Corp Centennial CO 80112

It arrives frozen in 15 pound boxes.

It is "rich traditional diced frozen cheese". Assaggia il Meglio!

Ingredients: mozzarella cheese (pasteurized milk, cultures, salt, enzymes), modified food starch, powdered cellulose (added to prevent caking), non-fat milk, whey protein concentrate, flavors, sodium citrate, sodium propionate (added as a preservative)

Looks like mozzarella, corn starch, non-fat dry milk, some whey and some chemicals.

[Lydia]

There current site boasts of using 6 different cheeses!

WOnder what's going on???

[Lydia]

Oops! my error, that was StrawHat site not Shakeys 

[Zing]

I'm still trying to come up with a cheese blend that is a clone of what the corporate-owned Shakey's in California are using at the present time. Once again, the information I am getting is that more than one type of cheese blend is currently in use within the greater chain.

New member Old Shakeys Cop recently posted his recollection of the cheese blend formula of the 70's to mid 80's in the New Forum Members section:
http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,17910.msg173649.html#msg173649

He states it was "Cheese mix was 80/10/10 - 80% low moisture mozzarella, 10% provalone aged 9 mo. smoked, 10% cheddar aged 12 mo."

At one Shakey's recently, a carton was spotted indicating there is a custom blend being made for the stores. The cheese carton apparently reads something like "Made for Shakey's Inc." and "Keep Refrigerated" There is no list of ingredients on the box. The cheese is packed in plastic bags, and the bags either have printing or a label on them. That is the most my friends could get.

About the same time, a 'unindicted co-conspirator' informed me that another Shakey's had cheese with Roma Foods' name on it. It was foodservice private label diced part skim mozzarella cheese, containing anti-caking agents and preservatives. I am careful not to assert this cheese was used on the pizzas; it could have been used for something else. But this store COULD have been using this Roma cheese and blending in some other cheeses on-site to top pizzas with. Meanwhile, Shakey's is saying they are using 100% Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese. I believe they are doing this to differentiate themselves from the industrial pizza chains that use cheap cheese. To my taste buds, Shakey's is blending in other cheeses as well, possibly including hard grated cheese(es), to their "Made for Shakey's Inc." cheese.

EDITED on March 4, 2012 to remove conjecture a subsequent taste test proved to be unfounded.