Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

+ F I R S T A N N U A L + BROWNIE EATING CONTEST

+ F I R S T A N N U A L + BROWNIE EATING CONTEST | SQUANSTRONG'S TAILGATE ON THE SQUARE | SATURDAY, 15 JUNE 2013 4PM-8PM MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY CHOCOLATE BAR PRESENTS THE 1ST ANNUAL BROWNIE EATING CONTEST | SQUANSTRONG'S TAILGATE ON THE SQUARE | SATURDAY, 15 JUNE 2013 | 4PM-8PM | MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY MANASQUAN, NEW JERSEY: Gather your Brownie Troop! The 1st Annual Chocolate Bar Brownie Eating Contest takes place in Manasquan, New Jersey as presented by SquanStrong during their Tailgate on the Square event Saturday, 15 June 2013 from 4pm until 8pm at Manasquan Square located in the center of town. Children ages 12 years and under jonzing for a sugar rush will compete at 5pm. Teens & adults ages 13 to 100 compete at 6pm. All proceeds from the event will benefit SquanStrong of which 100% supports efforts to repair, rebuild and restore our beach community. Brownie eating contestants go head to head to see who can swallow the most brownies in 5 minutes. No ordinary brownies, Chocolate Bar has copped more gold than Midas as the award winner in 10 brownie taste tests. Built by hand, these bad boys are not too moist or too cakey and are ready for competitive consumption. Champions who wish to enter the contest should email alison@chocolatebarnyc.com for rules and entry applications. A $10 entry fee will be directed to SquanStrong. Interested media who wish to cover the event or interview SquanStrong founder Dana Phelps Connelly or Chocolate Bar owner Alison Nelson please contact WORKHOUSE, CEO Adam Nelson via email at nelson@workhousepr.com The 5-minute, all-you-can-eat brownie contests features eaters from around the world. Adults and kids compete separately for the boss title of SUGAR DADDY Adult Brownie Eating Champion and KID CHOCOHOLIC Brownie Eating Champion. Hundreds are planning to attend the event. For these fans, the Squan Strong Tailgate in the Manasquan square offers pulled pork sandwiches from Bitter Bob's BBQ, DJ's and a rocking beer patio. To purchase Tailgate Passes Parking Passes head to Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar located at 140 Main Street on Parker Avenue. Cash is accepted or a check can be made payable to SquanStrong. Tickets are $50 WHAT: Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar Brownie Eating Contest WHEN: Saturday, 15 June 2013 WHERE: Manasquan Square | Center of Town | Manasquan, New Jersey TIME: 4PM SquanStrong Tailgate begins 5PM Kid's Championship 6PM Adult's Championship FEE: Tailgate Tickets $50 | Eating Contest Entry Fee $10 You think you know how to tailgate? Well, here's your chance to prove it. Buy a parking pass for $50 and plan your best tailgate. You get (2) two parking spaces to spread out and show your spirit. Need more information on SquanStrong? Visit Facebook FROM THE NORTH Parkway South to exit 98. Take Route 34 South to circle. Go halfway around circle and continue south on Rt 34. Take "MANASQUAN" exit (Jug handle) to yield sign. Turn right. This is Atlantic Ave. Stay East and go halfway a r o u n d circle, continue east on Atlantic Ave. At the "T" in the road (high school on your left), go right onto Broad Street. Go 1/2 mile until stop sign. Turn left onto Main Street. Continue east until the traffic light. Manasquan Borough Hall is on the right side of Main Street past the intersection. FOR THE BEACH: After turning left on Main Street, continue east all the way to First Avenue. FROM THE SOUTH Take Parkway North to exit 90. Go right at stop sign on to Chambers Bridge Road. Stay in left lane. After McDonalds, make your first left on to Rt. 70 east. Stay on this road for at least 5 minutes. Go over bridge (Peterson's Restaurant is on your left). Continue east on Rt. 70 to circle. Go halfway around circle, taking Rt 35 North. Continue to next circle and go only one quarter around circle (right). This is Atlantic Avenue. Continue on Atlantic Avenue to the "T" in the road (high school is on your left), go right onto Broad Street. Go 1/2 mile until stop sign. Turn left onto MainStreet. Continue east until the traffic light. Manasquan Borough Hall is on the right side of Main Street past the intersection. FOR THE BEACH: After turning left on Main Street, continue east all the way to First Avenue. DIRECTIONS FROM WESTERN NEW JERSEY Take Route 195 East until the end (Changes to Rt. 138 approximately one mile before end). Take Route 35 South approximately 4-5 miles to the Manasquan Circle. Go 3/4 around the circle and take Atlantic Avenue East to the end (approx. 1 mile - High School will be on left). Make a right onto Broad Street to end. Then make a left onto Main St. Continue east until the traffic light. Manasquan Borough Hall is on the right side of Main Street past the intersection. For the Beach: After turning left on Main Street, continue east all the way to First Avenue. SQUANSTRONG Community is a group of people working towards a common goal. We call ourselves SquanStrong. Regardless of your zip code, we welcome you to our community and embrace your involvement. What started as a one day coat & supply drive has launched into so much more. Feeding several hundred people per day, filling supply needs of our communities, sending work crews to help move, demo or clean, being a support system and so much more. We started as what seemed helpless. We now are SquanStrong. We are a 501c3 non profit organization and give 100% of our proceeds right back to our community. SquanStrong merchandise with any of our logo designs supports our efforts to continue to repair, rebuild & restore our community. 100% of the proceeds go right back into our neighborhoods. For any requests, please email and include your FEMA # in the subject line. For volunteer opportunities, please email and put volunteer and a tentative date in the subject line. CHOCOLATE BAR Chocolate Bar: Award-winning candy store for grown ups located at 140 Main Street on Parker Avenue. A native New Yorker, Chocolate Bar founding owner, Alison Nelson, sipped her first cup of coffee with her father at the age of 8 and put herself through college on the tips of customers while waiting on tables at top-notch New York coffee shops. She launched Chocolate Bar twelve years ago and since that time she has been named one of Gourmet News Magazine’s influential “20 under 40”, in 2006, she was named one of Crain’s Business “40 Under 40” and in 2007 received the Inc. Magazine’s award for one of the “Fastest Growing Private Company’s in America”. Her book Chocolate Bar: Recipes and Entertaining Ideas for Living the Sweet Life won the 2005 Gourmand World Cookbook award. Visit www.chocolatebarnyc.com

DeLauro Statement on Sale of Smithfield Foods to Chinese Company

Shuanghui International Foods Has History of Tainted Food NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released the following statement today on the announcement Shuanghui International agreed to buy Smithfield Foods. DeLauro is a longtime advocate for ensuring America’s food supply is safe for consumers and is a former Chairwoman of the subcommittee responsible for funding the Agriculture Department. “This potential merger raises real food safety concerns that should alarm consumers. We know that Chinese food products have been a threat to public health and that Shuanghui was found to have produced and sold tainted pork. This merger may only make it more difficult to protect the food supply. I have deep doubts about whether this merger best serves American consumers and urge federal regulators to put their concerns first. I will be in touch with regulators throughout this process to ensure the public health and safety of the American public is safeguarded.”