Gwen asked me to write about my experiences at the upcoming Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.
My name is Brett Youmans and this will be my first cooking contest of any kind! I am excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled--so many emotions all at once--but one thing is for certain, I can't wait to hear: "Finalists, start your ovens!"
For me, this contest was on my "bucket list." I love to cook and eat great food! I have always admired the Bake-Off Contest cook booklets in the grocery store check-out lines and more recently, watching the Bake-Off Contest on Food Network. My job allows me the opportunity to travel the world, but since I'm away from home so much, I cherish my time experimenting in the kitchen. The kitchen has also been a source of inspiration and motivation--I won a kitchen makeover contest from House Beautiful magazine! I had just moved into an 1870 Victorian Italianate and the kitchen was dreadful! I had never entered a contest before and I really didn't think that "real people" actually won those contests. But, after taking some before pictures and writing an essay about why I needed a kitchen makeover, I sent in my submission. A few months later, I found out that I had won the Grand Prize which consisted of the complete renovation of the kitchen and dining room valued at $100,000! The results were photographed for the February, 2007 issue of the magazine.
House Beautiful magazine (photos 5-12)
After that win, I WAS HOOKED on contesting!
In January of 2009 came the posting for the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest: The 60th Anniversary of THE premier cooking contest. I got excited, the wheels starting turning as ideas crept into my imagination, I read and reread the Contest rules, bought lots of qualifying ingredients, and started creating. There was some successes and some, "what in the world was I thinking?!?" But, with each experiment, I learned a little more and new ideas popped up. Finally, after several incarnations, my "Asian-Spiced Cashew-Chicken Piadinis" were born! The inspiration for my submission to the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest was a trip I took to Italy. I was amazed by the many ways that pizza dough was used. I had used the Pillsbury Thin-Crust Pizza Dough and liked that it baked up--crispy, yet tender and it reminded me of Italian flat bread called "piadini." I also liked the play of two different cultures in a dish. My dish is "Italian bistro meets Chinese take-out." Wrapped creatively in Pillsbury's Thin-Crust Pizza Dough and filled with my interpretation of an updated, flavorful version of cashew-chicken, I thought I had created a winner!
So, after checking and rechecking my entry, I entered the required information and pressed "submit." Much to my surprise a few weeks later, "General Mills," (the parent company of Pillsbury) showed up on my caller ID. It was a spring day in April shortly after the submission period had closed. I knew that the 100 finalists wouldn't be notified until September since they needed all of those months to narrow down the tens of thousand of entries that they received. Also, they needed time to test and retest the recipes that were selected as possible finalists.
As it turned out, my recipe had been selected for a new twist that Pillsbury had introduced: The "You Be the Judge" Challenge. For the first time in Bake-Off Contest history, the Contest was allowing the public to vote in 10 recipes that will be competing in this year's Contest!! By that time, my recipe had been chosen by the Bake-Off Contest team as worthy on its merits, having undergone rigorous testing.
So, for a two week period during the summer, my recipe was paired with against another recipe and the stakes were high: The winner of the Challenge would win a spot at the Bake-Off Contest! So, I launched my one man campaign...
... and started shaking hands and kissing babies!
Months later I would learn that the public had given me their support and voted me the winner!
Since then, media outlets from all over the country have generously invited finalists for interviews. I have been on one live segment on "Good Day Philadelphia" with three other local finalists form my area...
Good Day Philadelphia video
…and WFMZ-Channel 69 filmed me in my kitchen and ran different versions of the story for 2 days!
WFMZ-Channel 69 video
The "Philadelphia Inquirer" newspaper ran a two page cover story featuring the local finalists and the writer, Michael Klein, is joining us at the Bake-Off Contest to cover the story.
Philadelphia Inquirer article
In the weeks leading up to the Bake-Off Contest, the Bake-Off Contest Team has amazed me with their organization and communication with each and every finalist. They set up a secure website so they could easily let us know of important Contest updates. We approved grocery and equipment lists right down to a teaspoon and a roll of paper towels! Since we can't take anything onto the Contest floor, they are even providing each of us with a disposable camera to use during the competition!
Our hotel (the brand new beautiful Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Resort!)...
...and travel arrangements were taken care of and our GE microwave ovens arrived as our finalist prize. The official Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest apron...
...arrived in the mail along with a gift card to cover incidental expenses. Simply put: They thought of everything!
I also practiced my fair share...
...because I wanted to be as prepared as possible since a million dollars is on the line. Did I forget to mention that?!? Yep: The Grand Prize is $1 Million dollars!!!
Orlando, here I come come! Please keep your fingers crossed for me! I'll be updating from Orlando so check back often! You never know, I might just be the next Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest Winner!!!
Brett
PS: I'm taking my lucky charm along too! He's a vintage doughboy--hopefully, he'll bring me some good luck!
