Wareham, MA – Teal Carpenter, School Nutrition Director at Gloversville Enlarged School District in Gloversville, NY was declared the $500 grand prize winner in the 2015 Cranberry Marketing Committee USA / Mushroom Council Search for the Next Great Cranberry-Mushroom Recipe Contest. School foodservice professionals from across the country submitted their best school foodservice recipe concept featuring cranberries (America’s Original Superfruit®) and mushrooms. Carpenter came out on top for her creative concept of chicken stir-fry with mushrooms, cranberries, and sugar peas.
The Cranberry Marketing Committee USA (CMC), in partnership with the Mushroom Council (MC) asked school foodservice employees at the annual School Nutrition Association conference for their clever cranberry-mushroom creations in this first-ever nationwide school foodservice contest. Carpenter was awarded $500 and will serve as a “consultant” as the recipe is developed into a tested, creditable school foodservice recipe.
“Cranberries and mushrooms are a winning combination that add texture, flavor, color and nutrients to meals year-round. We were delighted at the creative entries of unique, kid-friendly school foodservice recipe ideas featuring the delicious duo of cranberries and mushrooms. We look forward to working with Carpenter to develop her winning concept into a tested, creditable school foodservice recipe that will be featured on CranberryFoodserviceUSA.com,” said Michelle Hogan, Executive Director of the Cranberry Marketing Committee USA.
Winner Teal Carpenter loves cooking with cranberries and mushrooms for their great versatility in sweet and savory dishes. A veteran in school foodservice, Carpenter often combines a variety of healthy and tasty ingredients to find the perfect meal that is delicious and nutritious for her students.
“Since cranberries and mushrooms both credit in the school lunch program and are available through the USDA foods program (USDA Foods Available List), it makes sense to combine this flavorful duo in school foodservice recipe concepts. We were thrilled to see the variety of ideas and are looking forward to the recipe development of the winning concept,” said Kathleen Preis, Marketing Manager at the Mushroom Council.
About the Cranberry Marketing Committee, USA (CMC)
The CMC was established as a Federal Marketing Order in 1962 to ensure a stable, orderly supply of good quality product. Authority for its actions are provided under Chapter IX, Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, referred to as the Federal Cranberry Marketing Order, which is part of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, as amended. This Act specifies cranberries as a commodity that may be covered, regulations that may be issued, guidelines for administering the programs, and privileges and limitations granted by Congress. For more information about the CMC, visit http://www.uscranberries.com. Follow at http://www.twitter.com/uscranberries and http://www.facebook/cranbecravers.
About the Mushroom Council
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market farmers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. The Blend, a Mushroom Council initiative that combines ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms, exists to make dishes better through unmatched flavor, inherent nutrition benefits and more sustainable cooking. For more information on the Mushroom Council, visit http://www.mushroomcouncil.org.
Source: Mushroom Council
