Lard Lovers
First Annual Lard Lovers Recipe Contest
VERNON, Calif. (Sept. 5, 2017) – In the belief that there’s good eating – and perhaps a little gold – in those classic family recipes, Coast Packing Company, the West’s largest supplier of healthy animal fat shortenings, today announced the first-ever #LardLovers Recipe Contest (http://coastpacking.com/lardlovers/).
Have a favorite recipe that uses lard? Perhaps for a pie crust that people can’t stop raving about? Or a special bread or cookie recipe that friends and relatives swear by, thanks to the lard they may or may not know is in there? Maybe you’re the keeper of a family secret for a memorable fried chicken concoction or for mind-blowing tamales that never fail to wins hearts, minds and palates. Any unpublished lard-laden recipe – sweet and/or savory – is fair game.
Contest entries will be accepted online starting today, September 5, at midnight Pacific time. All online entries must be received by midnight Friday, November 3. To enter, contestants can use the online form posted at http://www.coastpacking.com/lardlovers/. Alternatively, entries can be submitted via Facebook: https://goo.gl/qCigJg.
The panel of judges for the contest includes Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW’s popular “Good Food” radio feature and longtime Los Angeles restaurateur; OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America; and LA Weekly food editor Katherine Spiers, host of the podcast “Smart Mouth.” The lineup of prizes, with identical awards in both the sweet and savory categories, includes the following:
- First place: KitchenAid® Professional 600™ Series 6 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer (estimated $600 retail value)
- Second place: Le Creuset Stoneware 6-piece Heritage Bakeware Set (estimated $250 retail value)
- Third place: Gotham Steel Titanium Ceramic 9.5” Non-Stick Copper Deep Square Frying Pan (estimated $50 retail value)
Winners will be announced on December 8, the first (unofficial) National Lard Day. The first official observance is set for December 8, 2018, according to Chase’s Calendar of Events (http://2017chasescalendarofevents.com/index.php). The contest is open to those 21 and over, and no purchase is necessary to enter.
Members of the Coast Packing Co. staff will determine the finalists in each category. Recipe finalists will be determined based creativity, visual appeal and ease of execution (how easy is this recipe to make by the average home cook). Recipes determined to be finalists will be prepared (cooked) by Coast Packing Co. staff. The top three winning recipes in each category will then be determined by the panel of food journalists based on creativity, visual appeal and flavor.
“Lard is the once and future king of the kitchen, the one ingredient that never fails to speak ‘flavor,’ even as it brings out the best in everything it touches,” said Ernest Miller, Coast’s Corporate Chef. “There’s a reason certain ingredients are traditional — they provide better taste and quality than the non-traditional alternatives. We at Coast relish the opportunity to sponsor this first-ever #LardLovers Contest, and we want to thank our judges and contestants in advance for joining us in praising the lard.”
About Coast Packing Company
Now marking its 95th year in business, Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow -- in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in various ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (http://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).
For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.