(NAPSI)—Here is food for thought: The first annual Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest from General Mills Food service not only awarded neighborhood restaurants for their local flavor but celebrated the vital role these small businesses play in their community.
The Grand Prize Winner, Beylka Krupp of Wobble Café in Ossining, New York, got $40,000 cash plus $10,000 to share with a local charity of her choice for her award-winning recipe for Shrimp Étouffée. The popular dish has a large customer following at the family-friendly, neighborhood eatery known for its brunches, baked goods and soups—as well as its civic-mindedness.
Wobble Café sponsors youth sports teams, hosted the national “Cops and Coffee” program and helps in efforts to improve the areas schools and town. Beylka and her husband, Rich Foshay, never turn down an opportunity to help a nonprofit or service group.
Krupp’s winning recipe in the Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest includes a delicious Cajun-spiced shrimp stew that blends tomato, garlic, onion, cream and Cajun spices and herbs served with rice and jalapeño cheese corn bread.
“Our judges were wowed by Beylka’s mouthwatering Shrimp Étouffée recipe, and we were truly inspired by her tireless commitment to her local community,” said Danielle Benson, associate channel manager for General Mills Foodservice. “All three of the finalists are winners for how they bring the spirit of ‘Neighborhood to Nation’ to life, from their one-of-a-kind dishes that showcase their local flavor to how each of them contributes to their local community without expecting anything in return.”
The two runners-up each receive $10,000. They are DeDe Johnson of Johnson’s Farm Restaurant in Orange, Mass., who submitted a melt-in-your-mouth, moist Yogurt Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake; and Donal Clark of Miller’s Seawall Grill in Galveston, Texas, whose recipe was a decadent Pecan Chocolate Ganache Brownie Cake.
To qualify for the Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest, restaurants from around the country submitted an original breakfast, entrée or dessert recipe using at least one ingredient from General Mills’ list of eligible products. Open to foodservice operators, chefs and line cooks at independent family dining establishments, the annual contest puts neighborhood restaurants’ dishes in the national spotlight.
Neighborhood to Nation was created to inspire culinary creativity among independent restaurants, giving operators an opportunity to experiment with high-quality and consistent products from General Mills Foodservice as well as exclusive access to trend information, insights and ideas to help them differentiate their menus and delight their diners.
For more information—including details on the 2nd annual Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest, to kick off in January 2016—visit www.NeighborhoodtoNation.com.
