Mozzarella created in Atlantic City 'lab' nabs a 'shark'

Mike Hauke's luck looked like it might be running out.

The creator of Tony Boloney's had brought his Atlantic City twist on the mozzarella stick to ABC's "Shark Tank."

Mad Mutz Mozzarella Sticks were the brainchild of Hauke who enlisted his friend Michael Burns to join him in the venture. The company owned by the Margate residents has the ability to produce 60,000 mozzarella sticks a day in its Atlantic City “laboratory.”

After Hauke made his "Shark Tank" pitch, the men on the panel were out.

In fact, Mark Cuban had gone from thinking of an offer, to trying to figure how to work off more than 1,000 calories when a misunderstanding had him thinking the sticks were 50 calories each.

Barbara Corcoran made an offer but with a condition that he get a restaurant deal.

When Lori Greiner had questions, Hauke's response to her raised flags for Corcoran.

"The more you talk, the more confused I think you are, and it gives me pause," Corcoran told him. "I'm out."

That's when Greiner swooped in with the save.

"I love your packaging and the way they taste," she said. "I actually think you'd do great in the freezer section."

The so-called "Queen of QVC" offered $150,000 for 20 percent. It as the same offer Corcoran had given, without the contingency.

"This is going to be awesome," she told him as Hauke accepted the deal and gave her a hug. "They're really, really good."

As he walked out of "The Tank," Hauke dropped into an impromptu snake in celebration.

"I just got a deal on 'Shark Tank' with Lori Greiner to tak Mad Mutz national, worldwide, retail, whatever she wants to do," he said. "I'm out of my mind. I'm pumped."

   Michael Hauke makes a batch of fresh mozzarella sticks.
  

“As crazy as it sounds, I invented flavored fresh mozzarella more than 10 years ago," Hauke told Downbeach.com. "Since then, I have created a proprietary recipe for Mad Mutz Mozzarella Sticks that maintains their integrity when cooked in a deep fryer or air fryer at home. After gradually integrating them into my own restaurant menus, I knew that these freshly made and uniquely flavored mozzarella sticks weren’t like anything else on the market today.”

Hauke sought a partner who could see his vision and help expand the company’s reach to a national scale. 

“I reached out to my good friend and fellow serial entrepreneur Michael Burns,” Hauke said.

“When I first tasted Mad Mutz, I knew Mike had something special on his hands and I wanted to help take this company to the next level,” Burns said. “The exposure from being featured on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank’ will provide us with both the opportunity to partner with an investor with proven success and also the opportunity to get millions of eyes on our brand.”

   Michael Burns promotion at a local supermarket might wind up being a pretty good prediction after Lori Greiner's offer.
  

Burns called getting a segment on Shark Tank is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Hauke and Burns will be offering tastings of their Mad Mutz sticks so consumers can taste some of the 12 unique flavors that are sure to please foodies of all ages.

Mad Mutz will be appearing in two locations Saturday – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Casel’s Market, 8008 Ventnor Ave. in Margate, and from 2 to 4 p.m. at ShopRite at Ocean Heights Plaza, Rt. 9 and Bethel Road in Somers Point.

“I have created a proprietary recipe for Mad Mutz Mozzarella Sticks that maintains their integrity when cooked in a deep fryer or air fryer at home,” Hauke said.

   Mad Mutz Mozzarella Sticks offer a spicy, cheesy treat.
  

“We are ready to take this global and we already have plans to expand our production capabilities," he said. "There are a lot of exciting developments in the pipeline, stay tuned.”

If you miss the show or their local tastings, you can order online at https://www.madmutz.com.

(Nanette LoBiondo Galloway contributed to this report.)