Buy Haywood - Value-Added Product Search

Buy Haywood is Pleased to Announce the 2008 Value-Added Product Search Winners!

 

First Prize: Charles Hudson, Sunburst Trout Farm: Smoked Tomato Jam http://www.sunbursttrout.com/

Second and Third prize: Chef Ricardo Fernandez, Lomo Grill: Authentic Appalachian Tomato Sauces (Mediterranean and Mucho Macho) http://www.lomogrill.com

Buy Haywood Project Announces Product Search Contest Winners

(Waynesville, NC – July 1, 2008) – The Buy Haywood Market Development Project is excited to announce that their panel of expert judges has chosen the winners for their value-added product contest.  All winning recipes will utilize Haywood County tomatoes.  

Charles Hudson, Research and Development Chef for Sunburst Trout Company in Canton, NC, took first place with a smoked tomato jam, and Chef Ricardo Fernandez, owner of the Lomo Grill in downtown Waynesville, NC, took second and third with a Mediterranean pasta sauce and also a hot and spicy “Mucho Macho” sauce, respectively.  The contest was very competitive, with many viable recipes.

When evaluating the smoked tomato jam, one judge wrote, “I’ve never had anything like it; the texture is very good.”

Chef Fernandez also received accolades for his winning sauces. One judge loved the combination of olives and capers in the Mediterranean sauce, and another indicated that the Mucho Macho was “just right.” 

All the judges agreed that these top three entries, in addition to being delicious, also included the most professional marketing plans to aid in getting the product on store shelves.   

The panel of judges was comprised of a team of marketing and food experts and included: Jill Frazer of Blue Ridge Food Ventures; Bill Yarborough of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture; Jean Burton with North Carolina Cooperative Extension; Mike Ferguson, Market Manager for the WNC Farmers’ Market; Tres Hundertmark, Executive Chef at the Lobster Trap in Asheville, NC; CeCe Hipps of the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce; and Mark Clasby, Executive Director for the Haywood County Economic Development Commission. 

Hudson said, “We are very excited about this.”    

He explains that the smoked tomato jam will be best used on biscuits, bagels or even baked brie. It can also be used as an ingredient in salad dressings, marinades and cheese spreads.

“The product is versatile and will hopefully become a staple in homes as well as commercial kitchens,” Hudson says.

Chef Fernandez is equally enthusiastic and touts his award-winning products as “authentic Appalachian tomato sauces.”

“These products include locally-grown ingredients featuring sustainable agriculture practices, gourmet recipes and appeal, and all natural ingredients,” Fernandez says.      

The product search winners will receive support from project marketing partners, including assistance with product development, business planning, marketing, and promotion.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

 

 

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Archived Content:

Buy Haywood Project Launches New Product Search Contest

 

Do you have a recipe that you think deserves national recognition?  If so, the Buy Haywood Market Development Project has put out a call for entries for value-added products that will utilize Haywood county tomatoes.

Interested participants should review the Call for Entries and submit a short application form, a basic business plan, recipe, and prototype of the product (no more than 12 ounces) for judge review and tasting.   The deadline for all entries is 5:00 p.m., Monday, June 16, 2008.

The winners of the product search – an overall winner and two runner-ups – will receive support from project marketing partners to make the idea a reality, including assistance with product development, business planning, marketing, and promotion.  More information is included in the Call for Entries.

The Buy Haywood Project supports farmers in Haywood County in Western North Carolina by promoting high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.  The project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation.