Today, IHOP announced that six-year-old Brody Simoncini of Worcester, Massachusetts has been selected as this year’s IHOP Kid Chef Champion. Part of the IHOP Free Pancake Day campaign, the Kid Chef competition is an annual event that invites kids ages 6-16 treated at a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital to dream up their best pancake creation. Brody earned this year’s top honors with his Oreo Oh My Goodness pancake recipe—two hot, fluffy Buttermilk pancakes made with Oreo cookie pieces, cupcake icing, and whipped topping.

For the Simoncini family, this pancake recipe holds a special meaning. Born with a rare abdominal wall defect, Brody underwent multiple, lifesaving surgeries over the course of five years, including open heart surgery and an induced coma. For the first few years of his life, he was on a feeding tube and required therapy to learn to eat on his own. Oreo cookies were the first solid food that his family chose to give him. Today, he’s a healthy, active first-grader, and the newest IHOP Kid Chef Champion.

Guests can get a taste of Brody’s winning pancake at IHOP Restaurants nationwide from February 25—April 14, 2019. Best of all, $1 from the sale of every Oreo Oh My Goodness pancake stack or combo benefits the IHOP Free Pancake Day Charity partners.

“We’re thrilled to announce Brody Simoncini as this year’s IHOP Kid Chef Champion,” says Stephanie Peterson, head of communications, IHOP. “Brody created an out-of-this-world recipe with his Oreo Oh My Goodness pancakes and we can’t wait for guests to try them. For the first time ever, the winning Kid Chef creation will be featured on a limited-time menu at IHOP restaurants nationwide. Not only are these pancakes delicious, but they also do a lot of good for our charity partners since $1 from the sale of every Oreo pancake stack and combo benefits our Free Pancake Day charity partners, including Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.”

Last month, IHOP announced its 2019 Kid Chef Team and invited three finalists, including Brody, to visit the IHOP Test Kitchen outside of Los Angeles, Calif, and to cook their pancake recipes. The event kicked off the IHOP Free Pancake Day campaign, which takes place on Tuesday, March 12.

“The Kid Chef competition is such a special way to celebrate our long-standing partnership with IHOP and to kick off the brand’s annual Free Pancake Day campaign,” says John Lauck, president & CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “Stories like Brody’s are only possible because of the generous support CMN Hospitals receives from companies like IHOP, its franchisees and its guests.”

This year’s IHOP Free Pancake Day: Flip it Forward for Kids event will take place at restaurants nationwide on Tuesday, March 12 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with select locations participating until 10 p.m. For one day only, guests can get a free short stack of Original Buttermilk pancakes and, in return, help kids fighting to overcome illnesses by donating to its charity partners, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Easily the most anticipated food holiday of the year, IHOP Free Pancake Day has become a pop-culture phenomenon. Guests can participate in the campaign and help IHOP reach its $4 million fundraising goal by:

• Visiting any IHOP restaurant on Tuesday, March 12, 2019 during event hours to enjoy a free stack of IHOP’s world-famous Original Buttermilk pancakes and donate to a featured charity.
• Purchasing a wall sticker now through March 12, 2019 to show support. Guests who buy a $5 wall icon will receive a $5 coupon good for a future purchase of $10 or more (valid at participating restaurants only.)
• Making an in-restaurant cash contribution or on-check donation at any IHOP restaurant between now and March 31, 2019.
• Purchasing Brody’s Oreo Oh My Goodness pancake: a dollar from every Oreo Oh My Goodness pancake sold goes to Children’s Miracle Network, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or Shriners Hospitals for Children.