IHOP® Restaurants Announces Its First-Ever Kid Culinary Team

Meet the IHOP Kid Culinary Team:

• Elise Bromund, of Greensboro, North Carolina, cooked up Chocolate Cat Pancakes with Raspberry Custard and "Chocolate Chippies," dedicated to the adorable animals she loves. Elise has been battling Jacobsen Syndrome her entire life. Due to the rare chromosome defect, eight-year-old Elise has been hospitalized numerous times and today, is still being treated for kidney disease and epilepsy. According to Elise's mom, "she has never met a stranger she doesn't like; she befriends everyone, and she demonstrates unusual empathy toward people who are sad or hurting." A bubbly child that brings joy to everyone she meets, Elise loves to sing and dance.
• Nine-year-old Starla Chapman from Mobile, Alabama combined two food favorites -- cookies and pancakes -- to come up with an Oatmeal Raisin Pancake as a tribute to the warm, delicious oatmeal cookies she used to bake with her grandmother. Starla has faced an uphill climb since birth, having been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia when she was 2-years-old and subsequently suffering cardiac arrest as a result of the chemotherapy. Today, thanks to the care at USA Children and Women's Hospital, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital, Starla is thriving and loves to entertain on the YouTube channel she shares with her younger brother.
• From Plano, Texas, Sim Scott has had a miraculous journey with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Now 15, Sim underwent multiple surgeries, cancer treatments and physical setbacks after being diagnosed with a grade II/grade III astrocytoma brain tumor at age 6. Today, he's a smart, caring young man on a quest to help others. In addition to having a first degree black belt in Karate, Sim is currently studying to become a Doctor of Audiology at the Health Sciences Academy. His pancake creation, SIMCakes -- or "Super, Incredible, Mouthwatering Candy Cakes" – is Buttermilk pancakes with milk chocolate toffee chunks (Sim's favorite candy), topped with whipped cream, sweet caramel sauce, and more toffee.

"Kids and families are the heart and soul of IHOP, so expanding our culinary team to include three of our youngest fans seemed like the perfect way to celebrate IHOP National Pancake Day and kick off our 60th year as a brand," said Nevielle Panthaky, Head of Culinary at IHOP. "As a chef, it was really fun partnering with Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and seeing all the different pancake ideas. We received so many great submissions, but our IHOP Kid Culinary Team finalists – Elise Bromund, Starla Chapman and Sim Scott – took it to the next level with their recipes. While I was certainly impressed by their creativity, I was even more inspired by their perseverance and positivity in overcoming such serious illnesses."

"I'm amazed by all the miracle kids who submitted their personal stories and pancake recipes to the very first IHOP Kid Culinary Team Pancake contest," said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. "I want to congratulate the three finalists – Elise, Starla and Sim – who represent what Children's Miracle Network Hospitals stands for and will be fantastic IHOP National Pancake Day ambassadors in 2018. Partnerships like the one we have with IHOP and its franchisees are critical in securing the funding needed to treat the more than 10 million pediatric patients that visit our hospitals every year."

The IHOP Kid Culinary Team announcement comes just days before the 13^th annual IHOP National Pancake Day event on Tuesday, February 27, 2018, which is the centerpiece of the all-day breakfast leader's 60 Days of Giving campaign. On IHOP National Pancake Day, guests can receive a free short stack* of the brand's Original Buttermilk Pancakes at IHOP restaurants nationwide from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. – with select locations participating until 10:00 p.m.

In return, guests are asked to help make a difference by leaving a donation of any size in-restaurant or on-check, with all funds collected staying in the community where they were raised. IHOP National Pancake Day and all related activities throughout the 60 Days of Giving campaign – a nod to the brand's 60^th anniversary -- directly benefit charities dedicated to finding cures and eradicating life-threatening diseases that affect children and families, including Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, as well as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Contact [email protected] for a behind-the-scenes video of the IHOP Kid Culinary Team cooking in the brand's Test Kitchen and learn more about each finalist. Media members can also contact IHOP to arrange interviews, in-studio pancake demonstrations, coordinate a remote live-feed from an IHOP on February 27 or request gift cards for audience use. On Monday, February 26, 2018, one event finalist will be named the first IHOP Kid Head Chef. 

For more information on IHOP National Pancake Day, including restaurant hours and charity support by restaurant, please visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.  

* Limit one offer per guest. One free short stack of Buttermilk Pancakes on February 27, 2018 from 7 am – 7 pm: participating restaurants and hours may vary. Check with your local IHOP restaurant for details. Dine-in only.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES, LLC
For 60 years, IHOP has been a leader, innovator and expert in all things breakfast, any time of day. The chain offers 65 different signature, fresh, made-to-order breakfast options, a wide selection of popular lunch and dinner items. IHOP restaurants offer guests an affordable, everyday dining experience with warm and friendly service. Today, there are more than 1,750 IHOP restaurants around the world, including restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam as well as Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Lebanon, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Thailand, India and The Philippines. IHOP restaurants are franchised by affiliates of Glendale, Calif.-based Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE:DIN)  

ABOUT DINE BRANDS GLOBAL, INC.
Based in Glendale, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries, franchises restaurants under both the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP brands.  With more than 3,700 restaurants combined in 18 countries and over 380 franchisees, Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world. For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company's website located at www.dinebrands.com.

ABOUT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK HOSPITALS
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals^® raises funds and awareness for 170 member hospitals that provide 32 million treatments each year to kids across the U.S. and Canada. Donations stay local to fund critical treatments and healthcare services, pediatric medical equipment and charitable care. Since 1983, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals has raised more than $5 billion, most of it $1 at a time through the charity's Miracle Balloon icon. Its various fundraising partners and programs support the nonprofit's mission to save and improve the lives of as many children as possible. Find out why children's hospitals need community support, identify your member hospital and learn how you can Put Your Money Where the Miracles Are, at CMNHospitals.org and facebook.com/CMNHospitals . 

SOURCE IHOP Restaurants

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