The Pillsbury™ Bake-Off® Competition began in America in 1949. The South African version of this world-famous competition was launched in November last year, and the finals took place on the 21^st of July at the South African Chefs Association’s state of the art kitchens in Johannesburg.   As Leigh Mervitz, the brand manager for Pillsbury at General Mills puts it, “By introducing the Pillsbury™ Bake-Off® to the foodservice industry, we are showing that Pillsbury™ serves both retail and foodservice needs.”

Special guests included Stephen Billingham the President of the South African Chef Association and Craig Leathwhite, Managing Director of General Mills South Africa. Judges Philippe Frydman, Kabelo Segone and Leigh Mervitz awarded points based on taste, appearance, creativity and consumer appeal. In the junior category Andrea Mansfield impressed with her rocky road choc chip cookies, while Suhayl Hamid had the judges swooning over his Pillsbury apple and berry crumble. As runners up they received a complimentary training course from the Southern Sun Centre for Culinary Skills Kitchen. The winner, Kgomotso Rasepae, who blew the competition away with her chocolate tart delight, received a cheque for R5 000.

 

It was Mervitz’s hope that chefs and operators alike could leave the Pillsbury Bake-Off® with an understanding that you can ‘make Pillsbury your own’. Our product is highly versatile and efficient in any kitchen, providing many opportunities for experimentation”. There was plenty of bold experimentation in the senior category with Chani Mare combining fig, pecan and cappuccino to create muffins of exquisite taste and texture. Henrik Jonsson also showed flare with his Canape Menu doing enough to pip Chani for second place. But the day belonged to Gareth Walford whose Carpaccio creation was a work of art. It combined Springbok loin with creamed leek, brie muffin, Pillsbury Ginger Cookie and Pillsbury Madeira Mix, among other ingredients, in a magnificent blend of taste and flavour. He richly deserved first place, and the grand prize of R15 000. 

 

The competition was a great success, and proved Mervitz’s point that “Making Pillsbury your own ensures a quick, convenient solution for creating new and innovative products that are sure to win.”