Texas Pete® Kitchen Hero Cook-Off Donation Brings Total of 400,000 Meals to Hungry Children

"The competition is one of our favorite ways to help children each year," says Ann Garner Riddle, Chief Executive Officer of Garner Foods, the parent company of Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce and a Winston-Salem, N.C., food manufacturer. "As we approach another holiday season, we are happy to continue our four-year commitment to No Kid Hungry to feed hungry children."

Nearly one in five children in the U.S. struggles with hunger, according to the USDA. No Kid Hungry, a campaign from the national nonprofit Share Our Strength, is helping to end child hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need, every day.

The Texas Pete^® Kitchen Hero Cook-Off pits top restaurant chain chefs in a competition to prepare their best entrée using Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce products. They present their creation to four top industry judges. One chef is selected as the "Grand Champion" and recognized during the Multi Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) event in Dallas.

This year's winner, Chef Thomas Yun of Applebee's, earned the Grand Champion title, and Garner Foods donated $10,000 in the name of the winning chain to No Kid Hungry. Other participating chefs in the 2016 competition included: Chef Peter Czizek, Vice President of Culinary Innovation and Quality Control, Long John Silvers; Chef Justin Fields, Research and Development, Bonefish Grill; and Chef Nick Pajor, Research and Development, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen.

"For the past four years, the Texas Pete^® Kitchen Hero Cook-Off has turned up the heat on the fight to end childhood hunger, and we are so grateful for their fiery passion," says Diana Hovey, Senior Director of Dine Out for No Kid Hungry, Share Our Strength. "Their compassion for children who can't count on their next meal here in America is evident in their commitment to this special event at MUFSO."

Steve DeCorte, Garner Foods' Executive Vice President of Sales, adds, "I want to thank our participating chefs and their restaurant chains, as well as our judges, for making this event one of the most important in the foodservice industry for hungry children."

This past year, nearly 12,000 restaurants participated in Dine Out for No Kid Hungry, an industry-wide fundraiser wherein customers are encouraged to make a donation in exchange for fun and valuable promotions from participating restaurants. Using proven, practical solutions, No Kid Hungry works with programs and partnerships in all 50 states to ensure kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast, have access to healthy meals in the summertime, and that families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. The Texas Pete^® Kitchen Hero Cook-Off donation supports this work as an industry that is fundamental in the fight against childhood hunger.    

About Garner Foods

Headquartered in Winston-Salem, N.C., Garner Foods is famous for its Texas Pete^® Hot Sauce. Founded in 1929 as a maker of barbecue sauce, the company now sells a full line of hot sauces, wing sauces and seafood cocktail sauce under the Texas Pete^® brand, CHA! by Texas Pete^® Sriracha Sauce and ¡Sabor! by Texas Pete^® Mexican-Style Hot Sauce; and salsa and tortilla strips under the Green Mountain Gringo^® brand. Texas Pete^® and Green Mountain Gringo^® products are sold in supermarkets, military commissaries and convenience stores and are served in restaurants throughout the United States. Learn more at TexasPeteFoodservice.com.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161107/436724

SOURCE Garner Foods