Mike Murphy of Springfield, Illinois, Wins Thomas' Hometown Breakfast Battle Contest

Consumers Voted the 'Breakfast Horseshoe on a Thomas' English Muffin' America's Best Breakfast Recipe From Among 135 Chef Submissions Nationwide

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Bimbo Bakeries USA

Oct 26, 2015, 04:00 ET

Thomas' Hometown Breakfast Battle Logo

Thomas' 135th Anniversary Logo

HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas' announced today the winner of its Hometown Breakfast Battle chef contest, Mike Murphy, representing Springfield, Ill. The Hometown Breakfast Battle pitted 135 chefs from 135 cities across the country against each other, as they competed for America's best breakfast recipe, all in honor of Thomas' 135^th anniversary.

Participating chefs were chosen based on several factors, including: a locally inspired menu at their restaurant; a focus on breakfast cuisine or specialties; impressive awards or accolades; and a strong local following. The contest challenged them to create a recipe using a Thomas' English Muffin or Bagel, but with a local twist or ingredient that reflected the hometown they were representing.

Murphy, of Charlie Parker's Diner, received enough votes on ThomasBreakfastBattle.com to advance in all five rounds of the competition, which narrowed the pool each week based on the number of consumer votes. Murphy is taking home the title of "Hometown Breakfast Battle Grand Champion," and the prize of $25,000, for his Breakfast Horseshoe on a Thomas'^® Original English Muffin — a twist on an iconic Springfield dish that uses eggs, hash browns, bacon, cheese sauce and sausage gravy.

All 135 recipe submissions, which are still accessible on the contest website, were designed with the consumer in mind, providing them with 135 fun and innovative ways to enjoy Thomas' products. Hundreds of thousands of votes were cast throughout six weeks of voting, as chefs and their supporters shared the contest's hashtag, '#ThomasBreakfastBattle', on social media, with governors, professional athletes and Billboard chart-topping singer/songwriters spreading the word.

"With 2015 marking the 135^th anniversary of the Thomas' brand, we knew we had to celebrate in a big way, and wanted to do so with the help of hometown chefs who have fans and followings nationwide," said Jon Silvon, Senior Marketing Director of Thomas'. "It was exciting to celebrate with the millions of consumers across the U.S. who have made our English Muffins and Bagels a staple at the breakfast table all these years. Congratulations to Mike and his hometown of Springfield!"

Thomas' dates back to 1880 when Samuel Bath Thomas created his original English Muffin in New York City using a secret process that included griddle baking to create a Nooks and Crannies^® English Muffin. The company has since added bagels and breakfast breads to its breakfast offerings. Today, Thomas' sells the #1 English Muffin and #1 grocery bagel in the U.S. For a full list of Thomas' products and where to buy them, please visit www.ThomasBreads.com.

About Bimbo Bakeries USA
Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 22,000 U.S. associates operates more than 60 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold^®, Bimbo^®, Boboli^®, Brownberry^®, Entenmann's^®, Freihofer's^®, Heiner's™, Marinela^®, Mrs Baird's^®, Nature's Harvest^®, Oroweat^®, Sara Lee^®, Stroehmann^®, Thomas'^®, and Tia Rosa^®. BBU is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B. de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 22 countries.