Kellogg’s Away From Home, in partnership with Southern Smoke Foundation, announced the top two finalists of their “I’m Not Chicken” Challenge. The contest challenged independent chefs and operators in Atlanta, one of the most “chicken-obsessed” cities in the U.S., to try new plant-based Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms Homestyle Chik’n Tenders by creating unique, crave-worthy dishes for a chance to win $10,000, a three-month supply of the just-like-meat Chik’n Tenders and help support the restaurant industry.
“Atlanta’s chicken-loving chefs truly showed us that they’re ‘not chicken’ by sharing their dishes using Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders,” says Dara Schuster, Senior Director of Marketing at Kellogg Company. “These two finalists really showcased their creativity, and we hope they inspire other chefs and operators to show they’re not afraid to play and experiment with plant-based ingredients. The Chik’n Tenders deliver a just-like-meat plant-based experience with a pull-apart texture that consumers are craving, combined with an easy preparation process for back-of-house and we are delighted the participating chefs decided to try it for themselves.”
The contest’s top two recipe concepts came from Chef Angel Joseph of The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, GA, and Chefs Megan and Mandy Brock, owners of M&M’s Comfort Zone’s in Atlanta, GA:
Chef Angel Joseph, who focuses on sharable tapas-style plates, created a Honey Ginger Beer Glazed Vegan Crispy Chick’n Tender paired with Smoked Coconut Sticky Rice and garnished with Toasted Sesame Seed Fresno Parsley and a spicy mango purée.
Chefs and sisters Megan and Mandy Brock, known for their soul food-inspired dishes at their restaurant in the East Atlanta Village neighborhood, opted for a Vegan Hot Hunny Chick’n Sandwich, which features a sweet and spicy glaze on a toasted hoagie drizzled with House Herb Dressing.
Contest submissions were judged by chefs Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan in Atlanta and Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans, both known for their creative menus featuring Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders. The recipes were evaluated based on crave-worthiness, creativity and originality, menu description and visual appearance.
“I was incredibly impressed by the creativity behind these recipe concepts featuring such different flavors and textures and I love how these chefs put their own crave-worthy spin on Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders,” says Chef Mason Hereford, Turkey and the Wolf.
Starting Nov. 16 at 9 a.m. (CDT), the public can vote via an Instagram poll on the Kellogg’s Away From Home Instagram story for 24 hours to decide which concept is the most crave-worthy and ultimately crown the grand prize winner of the challenge. The winner will be announced on the Kellogg’s Away from Home Instagram page on Dec. 2.
The “I’m Not Chicken” contest was open to chefs or restaurant operators of independent restaurants (between 1-20 units) with a public menu (excluding catering and/or private clubs) located in Georgia and they entered the contest by posting their Incogmeato Chik’n Tender menu concepts to their Instagram feeds using #IncogmeatoContestEntry.
As part of the contest, Incogmeato will donate $10,000 to its charity partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation, to directly benefit the Atlanta food and beverage industry and help accelerate the restaurant industry’s recovery.
