SAN FRANCISCO--()--Diamond Foods, Inc. (Nasdaq: DMND), today announced that its Diamond of California® brand has selected Nancy Elliott of Houston, TX as the Grand Prize winner for its online promotion, “The Diamond Recipe Challenge.” This exciting contest encouraged consumers to submit their favorite recipe featuring Diamond Nuts for a chance to win the culinary experience of a lifetime, an all expenses paid trip to Napa Valley featuring a cooking class at the renowned Culinary Institute of America. The Grand Prize winning recipe, “Spiced Almond Crusted Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Pecan Sauce” was selected from more than 800 consumer submissions and it can be viewed on the Diamond Nuts web site (www.diamondnuts.com).
“Spiced Almond Crusted Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Pecan Sauce”
The top awards and prizes are as follows:
Grand Prize: Winner of a trip to Napa and a cooking class at the Culinary Institute of America. The grand prize recipe will also be printed on select packages of Diamond Nuts.
- Nancy Elliott of Houston, TX for Spiced Almond Crusted Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Pecan Sauce
First Place Prizes: Winners of a complete set of All-Clad® cookware
- Beth Klosterboer of Miamisburg, OH for Crispy Pancetta Cups Filled with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, Goat Cheese, Arugula and Toasted Walnuts
- Michael Cohen of Los Angeles, CA for California Ceviche
- Dean Fisher of Austin, TX for Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Burgers with Peach-Pecan Glaze
“This recipe contest was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with our consumers. The contest allowed participants to showcase their culinary skills by preparing recipes that feature Diamond Nuts at the center of a healthy and flavorful creation,” said Andrew Burke, senior vice president of marketing.
The Grand Prize winner was selected from more than 800 recipes. The top 10 recipes were judged by a panel of celebrity chefs at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, CA on May 29th. The judges were Loretta Keller, Chef and Owner of Coco500 and The Moss Room in San Francisco; Paul Canales, Chef of Oliveto in Oakland and Tina Salter, Chef, Author and Executive Producer of the popular KQED TV show “Check, Please! Bay Area.” The winning selections were graded based on the recipe’s creativity, completeness and easiness to follow. All recipes were prepared and served by the staff of the CIA. The Diamond Nuts web site (www.diamondnuts.com) features video and photos from the day of judging.
"We would like to thank the participants in the 2009 Diamond Nuts Recipe Challenge for submitting fantastic entries,” said Craig Tokusato, vice president of marketing. “The creativity of the recipes illustrates the fact that nuts continue to be an important ingredient of any meal because of their versatility, great taste and health benefits. In today’s economy, with more people cooking at home, Diamond’s culinary products help consumers stretch their food dollars without compromising quality, flavor and nutrition.”
Diamond is the leading brand of culinary nuts in the U.S. with a market share more than five times that of the nearest branded competitor.
About Diamond Foods
Diamond is a leading branded food company specializing in processing, marketing and distributing culinary nuts and snack products under the Diamond®, Emerald® and Pop Secret® brands.
Corporate Web Site: www.diamondfoods.com
Consumer Web Sites: www.diamondnuts.com, www.emeraldnuts.com, and www.popsecret.com
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