Front Porch Ice Cream's New Flavor Competition...and the winner is...


This pic collage captures my day on Friday attending the Front Porch New Flavor Competition at
Johnson & Wales University in Uptown Charlotte.

Thrilled does not even explain how I felt when I received an invite to the Front Porch® New Flavor Competition at Johnson & Wales. When I watched TV, I was a huge fan of FoodNetwork and all of their culinary competitions. So this was pretty dope!

I wanted to dress somewhat festive for the occasion. So I mixed colors with stripes. It happened to work. Ironically, I wore yellow which happens to be the color of the Front Porch® containers. I had not considered that.

Laura (bottom right) has been my Front Porch
contact for a while. We finally met IRL. 

All of the contestants were impressive, and received $100.00 for making the top ten. I saw some really southern flavors represented including Shut Your Mouth Sweet Potato Pie, Harvest Pumpkin Spice and Marvelous Mississippi Mud Brownie. 
Let me tell you, Mississippi Mud cake was my favorite dessert growing up. My childhood best friend's mama would make it for me. Shoot, she even made it for me when I came home from college! 

*Last year's winner, Carolyn Malone
Her recipe inspired Happily Pineapply
Upside Down Cake

What I found even more impressive were the goals of the students. Many wanted to become nutritionists. One student's aspirations caught my attention. She stated that she wanted to specifically become a sports nutritionist, designing meal plans for sports teams and athletes.


JWU student finalists were:

  • Deanna Ashcraft (Burst of Ambrosia), 
  • Madison Cullman (Shut Your Mouth Sweet Potato Pie), 
  • Jade Duncan (Mama’s Flapjacks with Bacon), 
  • Sally Foster (Carolina Blue Berry), 
  • Mary Johnson-Clause (Harvest Pumpkin Spice),
  • Ayalah Raphiel (Marvelous Mississippi Mud Brownie), 
  • Erica Sperduto (Brittle Me This?) and 
  • Jennifer Wells (Buzzing Honey Almond)

Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I tried a couple of very unique and memorable ice creams. One was Mama's Flap Jacks N' Bacon, which had candied bacon. The other seemed more like a sherbert, Burst of Ambrosia, which was very refreshing. 
Marti Kelley’s recipe, Southern Coffee Explosion ice cream, won Grand Prize. Kelley was
awarded a $1,000 check at the event. Kelley is from Pineview, Georgia. The Runner-Up for $500, Deanna Tutrani from Cheshire, Connecticut also won the People’s Choice Award for $100 for her Crazy Carrot Cake ice cream. 
*Winner, Marti Kelley holds her big check,
a $1,000.00 scholarship.
More about the event:
“I am so grateful to Front Porch and Mooresville Ice Cream for picking my recipe!” Kelley
exclaimed, “It’s very rewarding for the hard work I put in to be recognized!”
Of the 53 submitted recipes, ten finalists were selected to create their ice cream recipes. Each
finalist churned her ice cream recipe for this tasting and final judging event. Judges and media
guests were invited to sample the finalists’ creations. The Grand Prize and Runner-Up winners
were determined by a panel of four official judges. Entries were judged based on texture,
appearance, taste and connection of flavor to the South. The People’s Choice Award winner was tallied by votes from guests of the event.
“Winning the People’s Choice Award is a huge honor,” said Tutrani. “I’m so glad people like
the flavor of my Crazy Carrot Cake recipe.”

What you may find funny is...I have food allergies. Well, it is funny and not so funny. Just the other day Front Porch posted a list of allergens contained in their ice creams on their Facebook page. But being who I am, I still wanted to try the ice creams. So, I took some Benadryl before attending the event. Needless to say I was a tad bit off kilter...and wearing heels. A funny combination. Luckily my major allergen was not represented in any of the recipes. However, I also have a slight nut allergy...and almost every single recipe had nuts in it. 

I made it out unscathed and enjoyed some of the delicious passed small bites including a fried mac n cheese diddy that had everyone begging for more! 

Check out the event from YBBG's perspective




*Judges stop by to sample
the flavors.
*Contestants serve up scoops!
*Photos courtesy of Front Porch

Follow @YBBG_Blog on Twitter and use hashtag #YBBGTopic for more interesting discussions. 
Check out YBBG on Facebook



Comments

Popular Posts