Ten-year-old wins Fresh Express national recipe contest
Ten-year-old wins Fresh Express national recipe contest
Ten-year-old Tanner Kohn of Simpsonville, SC, has been announced as the grand-prize winner of the Fresh Express-Do Something Teens for Greens Amazing Search for Fresh Salad Recipe Challenge.
Mr. Kohn's recipe -- Shrimpsational Caribbean salad -- was a "from-scratch" salad that included honey-lime vinaigrette dressing with Fresh Express hearts of Romaine lettuce and toppings such as black beans, shrimp and coconut.
His victory earned him a $3,500 scholarship to the college or culinary school of his choice in addition to the opportunity for his school to receive a $10,000 donation from Fresh Express for a salad bar makeover or an edible schoolyard. He has expressed interest in attending the Hyde Park, NY, location of the Culinary Institute of America.
Fresh Express launched the nationwide contest and educational initiative in November in partnership with Do Something, a leading youth-volunteer organization. Designed to help young people adopt healthier eating habits, entrants ages 10 to 18 were encouraged to submit their own original and "kid-approved" salad recipes, underlining their commitment to do something positive by developing healthy eating habits. Fresh Express' Teens for Greens Challenge -- the program that inspired the recipe challenge -- was launched in May as an ongoing commitment to support a healthy-eating message directed at teens and to help counteract the nation's obesity epidemic among youths.
Grand-prize winner Mr. Kohn, who uses Fresh Express salads and is a member of Do Something's volunteer-focused web community, said that he was thrilled to compete for the scholarship and about the salad bar makeover and how it could affect his own school in suburban Greenville, SC.
"Right now, my school is pursuing something called 'Zest Quest,' where we are learning to exercise and eat healthy foods," Mr. Kohn said. "We do not have a salad bar or a lot of 'green' choices. It's great to win this and help out." Creative contest entries arrived at Fresh Express from throughout the United States and mixed multiple blends of Fresh Express salad with toppings such as trail mix and jalape?os.
Tanios Viviani, president of Fresh Express, said that reading through the entries was a "delight for our judges as well as our own executives," and that it was hard to choose one winner because there were so many that were "appealing in taste and presentation as well as being original and easy to prepare." Ultimately, Fresh Express chose Mr. Kohn's recipe as the grand- prize because his passion for food is inspiring for all who want to develop healthy habits using fresh products such as Fresh Express salad mixes and kits, Mr. Viviani said.
Michelle Weech, head of Fresh Express' corporate marketing services, said that prior to the results being announced, the contest drew close to 90 million impressions, or mentions, though a full range of media including television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. She said that the contest demonstrates that kids are starting to eat healthy.
"Foodies are getting younger and younger," Ms. Weech said. "People who eat salads as adults truly have a love for them. These are really healthy habits." The contest spun out of Fresh Express' Teens for Greens marketing creation that was developed with the purpose of combating obesity while promoting and educating teens about healthy eating.
"We want people to prefer Fresh Express," Ms. Weech said. "We're creating name recognition and loyalty to Fresh Express."
In addition to Mr. Kohn, the sub-category contest winners were:
Kansas resident Jon Whitlow, 13, for his zesty Pepperoni Pizza Salad in the Signature Salad "I Could Eat This Anytime, Anywhere" category. Mr. Whitlow is a Boy Scout who wanted to make a salad that captured the taste of pizza. He uniquely covered his salad in cheeses with a pesto dressing.
In the Silver Platter Salad "Only for Those Who Are Worthy" category, Sara Quinn, 17, of Georgia, won with her sophisticated Sara's Smoky Shallot Salad. Judges were impressed with vegetarian Ms. Quinn's use of different ingredients such as shallots, asparagus and apples.
New Yorker Eva Amesse, 17, won the Salad Surprise "You Added What to Your Salad?!" category for her colorful and cleverly titled Jack & the Greenstalk. Ms. Amesse, a cooking hobbyist whose salad included white beans and sunflower seeds, topped the salad with a scattering of jelly beans for fun.
Mr. Kohn's recipe -- Shrimpsational Caribbean salad -- was a "from-scratch" salad that included honey-lime vinaigrette dressing with Fresh Express hearts of Romaine lettuce and toppings such as black beans, shrimp and coconut.
His victory earned him a $3,500 scholarship to the college or culinary school of his choice in addition to the opportunity for his school to receive a $10,000 donation from Fresh Express for a salad bar makeover or an edible schoolyard. He has expressed interest in attending the Hyde Park, NY, location of the Culinary Institute of America.
Fresh Express launched the nationwide contest and educational initiative in November in partnership with Do Something, a leading youth-volunteer organization. Designed to help young people adopt healthier eating habits, entrants ages 10 to 18 were encouraged to submit their own original and "kid-approved" salad recipes, underlining their commitment to do something positive by developing healthy eating habits. Fresh Express' Teens for Greens Challenge -- the program that inspired the recipe challenge -- was launched in May as an ongoing commitment to support a healthy-eating message directed at teens and to help counteract the nation's obesity epidemic among youths.
Grand-prize winner Mr. Kohn, who uses Fresh Express salads and is a member of Do Something's volunteer-focused web community, said that he was thrilled to compete for the scholarship and about the salad bar makeover and how it could affect his own school in suburban Greenville, SC.
"Right now, my school is pursuing something called 'Zest Quest,' where we are learning to exercise and eat healthy foods," Mr. Kohn said. "We do not have a salad bar or a lot of 'green' choices. It's great to win this and help out." Creative contest entries arrived at Fresh Express from throughout the United States and mixed multiple blends of Fresh Express salad with toppings such as trail mix and jalape?os.
Tanios Viviani, president of Fresh Express, said that reading through the entries was a "delight for our judges as well as our own executives," and that it was hard to choose one winner because there were so many that were "appealing in taste and presentation as well as being original and easy to prepare." Ultimately, Fresh Express chose Mr. Kohn's recipe as the grand- prize because his passion for food is inspiring for all who want to develop healthy habits using fresh products such as Fresh Express salad mixes and kits, Mr. Viviani said.
Michelle Weech, head of Fresh Express' corporate marketing services, said that prior to the results being announced, the contest drew close to 90 million impressions, or mentions, though a full range of media including television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. She said that the contest demonstrates that kids are starting to eat healthy.
"Foodies are getting younger and younger," Ms. Weech said. "People who eat salads as adults truly have a love for them. These are really healthy habits." The contest spun out of Fresh Express' Teens for Greens marketing creation that was developed with the purpose of combating obesity while promoting and educating teens about healthy eating.
"We want people to prefer Fresh Express," Ms. Weech said. "We're creating name recognition and loyalty to Fresh Express."
In addition to Mr. Kohn, the sub-category contest winners were:
Kansas resident Jon Whitlow, 13, for his zesty Pepperoni Pizza Salad in the Signature Salad "I Could Eat This Anytime, Anywhere" category. Mr. Whitlow is a Boy Scout who wanted to make a salad that captured the taste of pizza. He uniquely covered his salad in cheeses with a pesto dressing.
In the Silver Platter Salad "Only for Those Who Are Worthy" category, Sara Quinn, 17, of Georgia, won with her sophisticated Sara's Smoky Shallot Salad. Judges were impressed with vegetarian Ms. Quinn's use of different ingredients such as shallots, asparagus and apples.
New Yorker Eva Amesse, 17, won the Salad Surprise "You Added What to Your Salad?!" category for her colorful and cleverly titled Jack & the Greenstalk. Ms. Amesse, a cooking hobbyist whose salad included white beans and sunflower seeds, topped the salad with a scattering of jelly beans for fun.
