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Illustrated sauce bottle labeled Milwaukee’s Best Sauce Contest with assorted vegetables like tomatoes, olives, onion rings, and herbs scattered on a blue background. Logos for Festa Italiana and Capri Communities are on the right.

June 27, 2026 | 11 AM – 12 PM

St. Rita Square

728 E Pleasant Street, Milwaukee

July 11, 2026 | 11 AM – 1 PM

Aurora Pavilion | Henry Maier Festival Park

200 N Harbor Dr, Milwaukee

Close-up of a pot filled with chunky tomato sauce being stirred with a wooden spoon. The sauce is red with visible tomato pieces and seeds.

Capri Communities is once again searching for the best homemade Italian Red Sauce in town! We’re spicing things up with two categories—meat and meatless (no meatballs or large pieces of meat). 

TIMELINE

  • Now – June 22: Enter Your Sauce
  • June 27: Initial Judging Round held at St. Rita Square
    • There will be two categories – meat and meatless red sauces
    • Contestants should bring one quart of sauce in slow cooker with ladle
    • Top 3 finalists in both categories will be named to compete at Fest Italiana on July 11
  • July 11: Festa Italiana, MKE Best Sauce Competition at Aurora Pavilion on the Summerfest Grounds
    • Finalists in both categories will need to provide 3 gallons of sauce
    • A heated Nesco container will be provided for you to prepare and transport
    • $40 gift cards will be provided to finalists to offset ingredients

AWARDS & PRIZES: The top 3 finalists in each category will receive certificates at the prelims held at St. Rita Square on June 27. Both a People’s Choice Champion and Judges’ Choice Champion will be crowned in each category at Festa Italiana on July 11.

In addition to bragging rights, prizes and trophies will be awarded  for top meat and marinara sauces – both Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice.

  • Judges’ Choice awards in each category:
    • 1st – $200
    • 2nd – $100
    • 3rd – $50
  • People’s Choice award in each category:
    • $100

May the best sauce win!

Please complete the below form to enter your sauce.

Enter your sauce by Monday, June 22, 2026

Name
What Type of Red Sauce Are You Entering in the Contest?
$0.00
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Questions – Contact April at azwaschka@capricommunities.com or 414-265-6474

White background with large, partially visible text reading ST. RITA SQUARE. Below are the words a capri community, with blue and yellow curved lines and dots flanking capri.
A heart shape with horizontal rainbow stripes in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, outlined in dark purple on a light gray background.
A simple house icon with a triangular roof and a centered square window, depicted in light gray and white with minimalistic, bold lines.

728 E Pleasant St.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
414-485-6600

Located on the vibrant and historic Lower East Side, St. Rita Square has raised the bar for senior living in Milwaukee. Residents are just steps away from the city’s best restaurants, shopping, sports and entertainment. Offering a full continuum of housing options for active aging adults, St. Rita Square has its own distinct style and personality, so whatever your needs may be we have a place for you!