General Mills Foodservice Awards $100,000 to Independent Restaurants in 6th Annual Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest

  • Save
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Share

  • Save
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Share

Twenty winners will receive $5,000, robust marketing support and a chance

to win an additional $5,000 for a local food bank charity.

 

MINNEAPOLIS (Feb. 15, 2021)—General Mills Foodservice announces the winners in its 2020 Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest, an annual contest that celebrates independent restaurants and food trucks, their one-of-a-kind dishes and the vital role they play in our communities. The 20 winners, which include family and neighborhood restaurants, food trucks and caterers from across the country, will each receive $5,000 in cash, marketing support and the chance to be named the “People’s Choice” Grand Prize Winner for an additional $5,000 donation for a local food bank charity.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, General Mills doubled the number of winners, from 10 to 20, for this year’s recipe contest to give more restaurants and food truck operators the opportunity to win much-needed cash as well as paid advertising and other marketing tools to promote their business. Entrants were asked to upload a photo of their recipe using at least one ingredient from General Mills Foodservice’s participating brands and share how they used the product in a creative way or how their dish brings comfort and joy to their patrons during this challenging time.

“This past year has made it even more apparent the special place that independent eateries hold in the heart of their communities, exemplifying the spirit behind the Neighborhood to Nation Contest,” said Kelley Walhof, Brand Experience Assistant Manager for General Mills Foodservice, which partners with restaurants to provide back-of-house products, recipe inspiration and culinary support. “We are excited to announce this year’s winners, whose creativity and tenacity shine through with these 20 distinctive menu items.”

Walhof adds that the 2020 contest winners (see below) were surprised with the news of their win during Zoom calls with General Mills representatives during the past two weeks. Each of the 20 winners received a “celebration box” featuring a personalized sign and pennant to hang on their wall, a yard sign, an oversized  check and a variety of fun marketing materials to promote their win among their customers, staff and community.

                                                                         2020 Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest Winners

  Black Magnolia Southern Patisserie

  Entrant: Veneé Pawlowski

  Greensboro, North Carolina

  Recipe: Bourbon Banoffee Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

  Madigan’s Pub & Grille

  Entrant: Chris Nelson

  Maple Lake, Minnesota

  Recipe: Ragin' Cajun Pizza

  Brown Butter and Southern Kitchen Bar

  Entrant: Dayne Womax

  New Orleans, Louisiana

  Recipe: Nashville Hot Chicken & Waffle

  My Favorite Things Food Truck

  Entrant: Lea Ann Macrery

  Jeffersonville, Vermont

  Recipe: Caramel Topped Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie

  Corner Café

  Entrant: Stephanie Cook

  Orange, Massachusetts

  Recipe: Maple Brownie Cakes with Candied Bacon

  Nutcracker Family Restaurant

  Entrant: Nancy Butcher

  Pataskala, Ohio

  Recipe: King of Rock & Roll Ice Cream Cake

  Coyote Moon Grille

  Entrant: Adam Meyer

  St. Cloud, Minnesota

  Recipe: Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich w Raspberry Chipotle  Sauce

  Southerleigh Fine Food and Brew

  Entrant: Aaron Juvera

  San Antonio, Texas

  Recipe: Fried Pork Cheddar Sammie with Apple Caramel

  Daisy’s Lunchbox Café & Bakery

  Entrant: Suzanne Raiford

  Searcy, Arkansas

  Recipe: Peach Praline Galettes

  Southerleigh Haute South

  Entrant: JC Rodriguez

  San Antonio, Texas

  Recipe: Jalapeño Cheddar Holes with Charred Sweet Scallion Butter

  Danutella’s Corner

  Entrant: Danuta Rybak

  Rego Park, New York

  Recipe: Mushroom Latke Burger

  Sugar Rush Baking Company LLC

  Entrant: Natasha Huhn

  Summit, Mississippi

  Recipe: Berry Chantilly Napoleons

  Elite Sweets by Nicole

  Entrant: Nicole Amey

  Tatamy, Pennsylvania

  Recipe: Mulled Cider Muffins

  The Little Farmer LLC

  Entrant: Jill Daleiden

  Malone, Wisconsin

  Recipe: Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

  Huya Craft Coffee

  Entrant: Kily LaGarde

  Youngsville, Louisiana

  Recipe: Boudin Pastry Tarts

  Union Straw

  Entrant: Dan Lane

  Foxborough, Massachusetts

  Recipe: Honey Hot Buttermilk Biscuit Slider

  Jennings & Co.

  Entrant: Peter Jennings

  Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

  Recipe: Slip “Sliders” Away

  Upper West

  Entrant: Nick Shipp

  Santa Monica, California

  Recipe: Slow & Low Braised Pork Curried Crepes with Mango Salsa

  Jetties Bagels

  Entrant: George Blanchette

  Ipswich, Massachusetts

  Recipe: Mulled Apple Cider Bagels

  Victoria’s Sugar Shack

  Entrant: Victoria Poe

  Kingman, Arizona

  Recipe: Sugar Shack’s Coffee Cake

Neighborhood to Nation Recipe Contest/Page 3

People’s Choice Voting

Recipe winners now have opportunity to engage their customers and community to help them win an additional $5,000 for a local food bank when the contest opens up a social media voting element on General Mills Convenience and Foodservice’s Facebook page, Feb. 22-26. During this time, members of the public can cast a vote for their favorite or hometown recipe by “liking” and “commenting” on a photo of one of the 20 winning recipes.  The recipe with the most “comments” will be named the “People’s Choice” Grand Prize Winner and announced via Facebook Live at noon (CST) on Monday, March 1.

“We know that restaurants are the first to step up to help when their community is in need,” said Walhof. “With the growing hunger crisis that has only been exacerbated by COVID-19, we look forward to donating $5,000 to a local food bank on behalf of our Grand Prize Winner.”

 

In addition to a $5,000 cash prize for themselves and securing $5,000 for a local food bank, the People’s Choice Grand Prize winner will receive a VIP marketing package that includes a one-on-one culinary consultation with the chefs from General Mills Foodservice as well as additional marketing support to help them promote their business.

Recipes for the Neighborhood to Nation Recipes Contest were judged based on taste, appearance, creativity and foodservice viability. The contest was created to inspire culinary creativity among independent restaurants and food trucks, giving operators an opportunity to experiment with high-quality and consistent products from General Mills Foodservice as well as access to trend information, insights and ideas to help them differentiate their menus and delight their diners. For more information on the contest, please visit www.neighborhoodtonation.com.

About General Mills Convenience & Foodservice

The General Mills Convenience & Foodservice division serves the convenience, foodservice and bakery industries by providing quality products from time-trusted brands along with culinary, nutrition education and marketing resources to help operators succeed. Its distinguished brand portfolio includes Big G Cereals, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardetto’s and Annie’s. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, the division fiscal 2020 net sales of $1.82 billion. For more information, please visit www.generalmillsfoodservice.com.

# # #

Media Contact:

Sarah Peterson
General Mills Convenience & Foodservice
763.764.6354
Media.line@genmills.com