12-YEAR-OLD FROM WICHITA CROWNED CHAMPION OF NATIONAL KIDS’ COOK-OFF
Get ready, burger lovers, there’s a new kid gourmet burger chef champion! Wichita, Kansas resident, 12 year-old Donovan Duggins has been named the grand-prize winner in the fifth annual Red Robin Kids’ Cook-Off with The Mt. Vesuvius Burger. The winning gourmet burger – made with a beef patty, sesame seed bun, crumbled blue cheese, bacon, Lava Sauce (sweet BBQ sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder, paprika) and provolone cheese– will be sold in Red Robin® restaurants in summer 2011 to benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC). The top 10 burgers that were judged to determine the grand-prize winner during a Championship competition on Thursday, Dec. 9, were selected based on their inventive combination of ingredients, tasty flavor profiles and creative and compelling statements from the kid chefs that described why their burger should win. The top 10 kid finalists were:
· Zack Caison, Amarillo, TX: “Jalapeno Blue Ranch Bacon Burger”
· Gavin Belliveau, Kingston, MA: “The Meatball Burger”
· Malia Grant, Fresno, CA: “Tropical Hawaiian Turkey Burger”
· Isabel Honzay, Chandler, AZ: “Southwest Cobb Burger”
· Megan Casteel, Mesa, AZ: “Gorgonzola Goodness Burger”
· Emily Whitaker, Tualatin, OR: “The Bacon Dill Delight Burger”
· Angela Feltz, Portland, OR: “The Bangin’ Spicy Chicken Artichoke Burger”
· Dominic Staiti, Citrus Heights, CA: “Jalapeno Cornbread Chili Burger”
· Jake Tucker, Chesterfield, MO: “Campfire Burger”
· Donovan Duggins, Wichita, KS: “The Mt. Vesuvius Burger”
The grand-prize-winning burger sales from the fourth annual Kids’ Cook-Off resulted in a donation of $50,000 to NCMEC to support child safety initiatives. Since 2005, Red Robin has donated nearly $400,000 to NCMEC through the Cook-Off and other Red Robin® restaurant programs.
Ben Folds - Judge NBC's "The Sing Off"
NBC'S A CAPPELLA SINGING EVENT 'THE SING-OFF' RETURNS FOR A SECOND SEASON WITH HOST NICK LACHEY, PREMIERING MONDAY, DECEMBER 6 Ten Groups from Across the Country will Compete for the Grand Prize of a Sony Music Recording Contract and $100,000 Five-Night Holiday Event Series to Feature Returning Celebrity Judges Ben Folds (Ben Folds Five), Shawn Stockman (Boyz II Men) and Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls) with a special performance by 2009 winner, Nota Widely known for his prowess as a pianist, Ben Folds began his career in music as a drummer, and he is also adept at guitar and bass. Ben Folds first found mainstream success as the leader of the critically acclaimed, platinum-selling Ben Folds Five. He has gone on to have a very successful solo career, recording four studio albums in addition to a pair of records documenting his renowned live performances and a remix record. "Lonely Avenue," a collaboration with English novelist Nick Hornby, was recently released on Nonesuch Records. The album features music and vocals by Folds and lyrics by Hornby, with string arrangements by influential pop string arranger Paul Buckmaster (David Bowie, Elton John, Leonard Cohen). GQ UK says, "'Lonely Avenue' is a fantastic album... the melodies soar in time-honoured Folds style, the lyrics are subtle and lovely and deftly done." In 2009, Folds served as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition "The Sing-Off," a role he will reprise this December on the show's second season. Folds previously collaborated with Hornby on a song for the Folds-produced William Shatner album "Has Been," which the Huffington Post called "one of the few records in recent memory that dared to tell the unvarnished truth about the human condition." Folds also has a special relationship with symphony musicians, having performed with some of the world's greatest orchestras including a record-breaking sold-out Australian symphonic tour in 2006; repeatedly sold-out nights both at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and at the Boston Pops with conductor Keith Lockhart; along with several full-house residencies at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Gurpareet Bains - Chef and Nutritional Therapist
Chef and nutritional therapist Gurpareet Bains made waves last year when he created “the world’s healthiest meal,” a delicious chicken curry with blueberries and goji berry pilau—the nutritional equivalent of 49 bowls of spinach. Bains continues to mesh great taste and disease-fighting ingredients in his innovative dishes, including those in his delicious new book, *Indian Superfood: Superfood + Superspices = Indian Superfood* (Absolute Press). He will share his insights into how to incorporate antioxidant-rich Indian cuisine into one’s diet to help combat and prevent illness—with mouthwatering recipes like Salmon and Potato Biryani with Cherry Tomatoes and Ginger-Infused Yogurt with Honey and Pomegranate.
