John Castro, executive chef at Winston’s and culinary instructor at Sullivan University, has entered a contest, the Hometown Breakfast Battle, sponsored by Thomas’s English Muffins, hoping to beat out the 135 other chefs competing for the $25,000 first prize.
It is the 135th anniversary of the Thomas’s brand, which is known for its English muffins and bagels. The contest is part of its celebration – and a good PR ploy for its brands. The chefs competing must create an original breakfast dish using Thomas’s products.
Castro has created the Bluegrass bagel — a toasted Thomas’s onion bagel with beer cheese, bacon, egg and shredded potatoes. The contest is one of those people’s choice things, where fans cast on-line votes, which will determine the semi-finalists, whose dishes will then be judged by a panel of food experts. People can vote here for Castro daily through Sunday, Sept. 27. Voting also enters you to win daily prizes and a $10,000 grand prize.
If Castro wins, he will donate a portion of the $25,000 to Sullivan University to start a scholarship fund and provide financial assistance to students, according to the release. He also plans on donating all Thomas’s product he receives to area food banks.
