FMI’s Chef Showdown Sees Record Participation

The Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) annual Supermarket Chef Showdown has brought in a record number of recipe submissions from more than 130 supermarket chefs representing 30 retailers, who await their selection among the semi-finalists on April 15.

A panel will review the entries across five categories, including Healthy Meals, Family Meals, Ethnic Meals, Dessert, and Side-Dishes/Mini Meals/Snacks, each of which must incorporate at least three eligible ingredients and take 20 minutes or less to prepare.

Fifty finalists will be sent to McCormick and Campbell’s test kitchens this March to further narrow the submissions, with the top 25 competing live in a special kitchen stadium created on the convention floor at FMI Connect on June 11, 2014, at McCormick Place in Chicago.

“Each day, retailers prepare exciting signature mealtime solutions that not only delight their customers’ taste buds but also provide shoppers with practical demonstrations of kitchen artistry guaranteed to encourage emulation,” said FMI President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. “The FMI Supermarket Chef Showdown helps acknowledge those who inspire the culinary spirit in all of us.”

Prizes for this year’s Showdown include a trip for two to Mardi Gras 2015; a trip to California to participate in the olive harvest; a “Chicago experience”; a trip to the Country Music Awards in Nashville; cash prizes; and food-centric prizes, among others.

Sponsors include 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.
 

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