CALLING ALL SUPERMARKET CHEFS: THE ANNUAL FOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE SUPERMARKET CHEF SHOWDOWN IS NOW ACCEPTING ENTRANTS
The 2014 Supermarket Chef Showdown Winners Will Compete for Culinary Gifts and Life Experiences Including an All-Expense Paid Trip for Two to Mardi Gras
ARLINGTON, VA – July 30, 2013 – The annual Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Supermarket Chef Showdown is now accepting applicants. Supermarket Chefs can enter their recipes at www.SupermarketChefShowdown.com in up to five categories including: Healthy Meals, Family Meals, Ethnic Meals, Dessert and Side-Dishes/Mini Meals/Snacks. All recipes must use at least three eligible ingredients and take 20 minutes or less to prepare (not including baking or cooling time).
There’s no cost to enter and the deadline for entries is November 15, 2013. The top-25 finalists will compete live in front of celebrity judges in a special kitchen stadium created on the convention floor at FMI Connect on June 11, 2014 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
“Through the friendly competition of last year’s first-ever Supermarket Chef Showdown, FMI cast a deserving spotlight on the culinary expertise found in neighborhood supermarkets across America, as Supermarket Chefs share their menu creativity, flavor findings and kitchen skills with grocery shoppers every day,” Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, remarked. “The 2014 edition of the showdown at FMI Connect in Chicago promises to enlarge that spotlight with expanded categories and recipe challenges; allowing even more chefs to let their tastes, talents and techniques shine on our industry-wide stage."
Phil Lempert, a food trends and consumer expert and the Showdown Executive Producer and Master of Ceremony, said, “Supermarket Chefs feed millions of Americans daily, but receive little recognition. This Showdown gives them the opportunity to further explore their culinary talents.”
Prizes this year include an all-expense paid trip for two to Mardi Gras 2015, an all-expense paid trip to California to participate in the olive harvest, a “Chicago experience,” cash prizes, food-centric prizes, bragging rights and more. The top-25 finalists will also receive culinary gifts from Showdown sponsors shipped directly to their homes.
Official contest rules, including lists of all eligible ingredients are available online at www.SupermarketChefShowdown.com. All recipe submissions for each stage of judging in all five categories will be judged based on aroma; taste; chewability; consumer appeal; seasoning; creativity, food combinations (color, texture, shape, taste); garnishing techniques; how items are cut; adherence to recipe ingredients; packaging at retail; difficulty; and technique; and uniformity in cooking. The judges will reveal winners in each category and a Grand Prize winner based on an overall score.
In addition to the Supermarket Chef Showdown, entrants can join the Supermarket Chef Culinary Community that will provide webinars, special events, custom developed tips and tools to help Supermarket Chefs stay in front of the latest foodservice trends. A Chef’s Chat Discussion forum will connect members and facilitate networking. Membership is free and also will include a quarterly newsletter.
Sponsors for this years’ Showdown include the world’s leading companies: McCormick, Campbell’s, Can Manufacturers Institute, ConAgra Foods, Hass Avocado Board, Hershey’s, Hillshire Brands, Mondelez International, Musco Family Olive Co., Pictsweet and Smucker’s. Media sponsors include Celebrity Chef Magazine and Supermarket News.
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About the Supermarket Chef Showdown
The Supermarket Chef Showdown is an annual recipe competition designed specifically to celebrate and honor Supermarket Chefs. Presented by the Food Marketing Institute at its annual convention, FMI Connect: A Global Food Retail Experience, Supermarket Chefs compete for exciting prizes and get to show case their culinary skills.
For more information, please visit www.SupermarketChefShowdown.com.
Food Marketing Institute proudly advocates on behalf of the food retail industry. FMI’s U.S. members operate nearly 40,000 retail food stores and 25,000 pharmacies, representing a combined annual sales volume of almost $770 billion.Through programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations, FMI offers resources and provides valuable benefits to more than 1,225 food retail and wholesale member companies in the United States and around the world. FMI membership covers the spectrum of diverse venues where food is sold, including single owner grocery stores, large multi-store supermarket chains and mixed retail stores. For more information, visit www.fmi.org and for information regarding the FMI foundation, visit www.fmifoundation.org.
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