The Winner of Trader Joe’s Store Recipe Contest
Shoppers may flock to Trader Joe’s to pick up ready-to-enjoy or ready-to-prepare foods and beverages, but using items as ingredients has also proven popular.
The success of the “The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook,” an independent series written by Cherie Mercer Twohy, is a testament to that. So is the retailer’s annual recipe contest held among its crew members.
In the latest episode of the Inside Trader Joe's podcast, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan dished on the results of this year’s store recipe contest. The winner came from the banner’s Store 426 in Houston, Texas, which submitted a recipe for a Honey Gochujang Corn Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich.
The store’s captain, Dustin, agreed that the recipe is a unique use of ingredients found on Trader Joe’s shelves. “I'm not going to lie. I was really surprised when I heard the name of what we were submitting and I was like, 'That's what we're doing?' And then we all tried it and we're like, 'Yeah, no, this is awesome’,” he recalled.
Summer, the crew member who came up with the recipe, was influenced by her Louisiana upbringing that included a Cajun culinary influence. “Growing up we would eat what we would call Couche Couche, which is essentially cornbread and milk,” she shared.
Summer experimented with different flavor profiles and opted to incorporate gochujang and honey with ice cream.
Podcast co-cost Tara Sloan, VP of marketing at Trader Joe’s, said that the dessert was a hit among the judges. “I can tell you from being in the room during the tasting process, it was one of the last things that we all tasted, and the entire room went silent. That just doesn't happen,” she reported.
As in past years, entrants had to use at least five ingredients that are available year-round at Trader Joe’s. According to Miller, the retailer received more than 400 submissions this time around.
“We had stores from everywhere represented in the top ten. We weren't looking for representation. It just happened because we have great, interesting, innovative crew members all over the country,” she noted.
Entries were evaluated by a panel of judges who tasted the dishes and chose semi-finalists and then finalists. One judge featured in the podcast listed other dishes that impressed the judges, like Vegan Chocolate Silk Pie Bites featuring Trader Joe's Silken Tofu.
The recipe for the Honey Gochujang Corn Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich is available online.
With more than 500 stores in 40-plus states, Trader Joe’s is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2025 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century.
