Catherine Ralston, Age 12, of New Albany, Ohio Takes the Cake at Hasbro's Easy-Bake 2009 "Baker of the Year" Contest
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May. 7, 2009--
Catherine Ralston, a 12 year-old from New Albany, Ohio was named the
EASY-BAKE 2009 “Baker of the Year” today after baking her delicious
“Queen of Hearts Strawberry Tart” for a panel of toy, parenting, and
culinary experts at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in WALT DISNEY
WORLD® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. This announcement concludes
a search, started last summer, by Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) and the
EASY-BAKE brand, that combed America's kitchens looking for the next
“Baker of the Year."
Assisted by her "sous chef" mom, Teresa, Catherine set the hearts of the
judges aflutter with her “Queen of Hearts Strawberry Tart,” a mouth
watering marriage of fresh strawberries and EASY-BAKE sugar cookie mix.
"Wow, I can't believe I'm the 2009 EASY-BAKE 'Baker of Year!' I love to
cook and had so much fun baking with and spending time with the other
kids," said Catherine. "I especially love that I got to share this
experience with my mom, the person who taught me to cook!"
"We are happy and proud for Catherine, the new EASY-BAKE 'Baker of the
Year.' Her recipe ‘Queen of Hearts Strawberry Tart’ was the perfect
combination of strawberries, EASY-BAKE sugar cookies and lemon curd
which really impressed all the judges," said Kim Losey, official judge
and Senior Brand Manager Global Marketing and Development, Hasbro's
EASY-BAKE Brand. "We are proud of all our finalists who worked so hard
to create such tasty and unique recipes using the EASY-BAKE Oven."
In addition to the coveted EASY-BAKE 2009 “Baker of the Year” title,
Catherine received a culinary-inspired trip for four to San Francisco,
CA, where the group will visit local food-related sites and attractions.
Catherine was selected from seven finalists representing different
states across the country. These budding bakers met just yesterday, when
they arrived at WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort for the final competition. The
finalists are: Drew Adams, 9 years old from Elizabeth, West Virginia;
Elizabeth Adams, 12 years old from Elizabeth, West Virginia; MaCall
Prengel, 10 years old from Olympia, Washington; Morgan Sartor, 8 years
old from Portland, Connecticut; Taylor Spallanzani, 11 years old from
Morganville, New Jersey; and Hannah Toomey, 11 years old from Allentown,
Pennsylvania. They each received a $500 VISA gift card and a one-year
supply of EASY-BAKE brand mixes. All finalists will have their recipe
and a photo of their creation appear on the EASY-BAKE website.
At the finalist competition, each aspiring chef worked at a personal
bake station equipped with EASY-BAKE Ovens, cooking utensils, and all
the ingredients needed to whip-up their recipe. Helped along the way by
their "sous chefs" - mom or dad - the finalists spent the morning baking
their creations, the best of which was submitted to a panel of judges.
Esteemed judges included Chris Byrne, aka The Toy Guy ®, Content
Director TimetoPlayMag.com; Joe Hardiman, President, Orlando Culinary
Academy Le Cordon Bleu Program; Yoly Lazo, Pastry Sous Chef, BoardWalk
Bakery at Disney'sBoardWalk Resort; Kim Losey, Senior Brand
Manager Global Marketing and Development, Hasbro's EASY-BAKE Brand;
Elizabeth Werner, Chief Toy Officer, iVillage.com and her daughter
Simone, age 7. The panel judged the seven entries on the following
criteria: creative use of ingredients, presentation, ease of
preparation, and taste.
The real "icing on the cake" for the winner and remaining finalists came
after the EASY-BAKE event, when they acted as honorary grand marshals
for the 'Celebrate a Dream Come True' parade inside the WALT DISNEY
WORLD® Resort's Magic Kingdom park.
Being chosen as a finalist in the EASY-BAKE 2009 "Baker of the Year" was
not a "piece of cake." Contestants entered their favorite original
recipes using one or more EASY-BAKE mixes. Entries were submitted online
at www.easybake.com
or via mail with a photo featuring their creation, themselves, and their
"sous chef." All EASY-BAKE 2009 “Baker of the Year” contest entries were
judged based the same criteria used at the finals: creative use of
ingredients, presentation, ease of preparation, and taste.
For additional details on the EASY-BAKE 2009 “Baker of the Year” contest
and the official rules and conditions, log onto www.easybake.com.
About The EASY-BAKE Classic Oven & Snack
Center
Since 1963, Hasbro's EASY-BAKE Oven has been cooking up culinary
inspiration in hearts and homes across America. The beloved EASY-BAKE
Oven & Snack Center is back in its original aqua color! The classic
side-loading oven that bakes with a light bulb returns to let
bakers-in-the-making whip up tasty snacks for friends and family,
including cakes, brownies, cookies, and much more. The oven comes with
three different mixes, two baking pans, two utensils, a pan pusher, two
warming cups and recipes/instructions. One 100-watt standard light bulb
is required but not included.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) is a worldwide leader in children’s and family
leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and
entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and
most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a
brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a
range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to
high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS,
PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS
OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.
© 2009 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: Hasbro, Inc.
Litzky Public Relations
Marni Bahniuk/Kaylie Nelson
201-222-9118
mbahniuk@litzkypr.com
knelson@litzkypr.com
