In Its 6th Annual #LardLovers Recipe Contest, Coast Packing Shares the Flavor, Looking Back at Time-Tested Creations to Help Showcase the Company’s Centennial
With Full Complement of Fall Prizes, Quest is On for Creative Lard-Themed Interpretations of Family Classics
VERNON, Calif. (November 18, 2022) – In a tribute to the staying power of comfort food, Coast Packing Company, the largest supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S., has unwrapped its 6th Annual #LardLovers Recipe Contest, calling for unique, unpublished recipes that use lard, in dishes sweet or savory.
Entries are being accepted now until midnight on Thursday, December 8. New this year is Coast’s Centennial Edition ”Share the Flavor” tribute. Complementing the recipe and a photograph, entries must include an essay of 50-200 words on the following: “What do animal fats mean to you: a rich tradition, a fond memory, or a sweet recipe? However, you define your flavorful moment, we want to hear from you. Share your sweet story, family recipe, or treasured memory cooking with lard.” To enter, contestants can use the online form. The contest is open to those 21 and over, and no purchase is necessary to enter.
A showcase of what the venerable animal fat can do in the hands of talented home chefs, Coast Packing’s #LardLovers Contest draws its inspiration from the annual December 8 observance of #NationalLardDay, organized by the Healthy Fats Coalition — a celebration of a traditional, flavorful animal fat, pure lard, derived from pork, that is enjoying a resurgence within America’s food culture, in restaurants (especially those featuring ethnic specialties), fast food operations and home kitchens.
Prizes will be awarded for First, Second and Third Place: This year’s prize lineup:
1st Prize, Family Traditions Bundle (MSRP $425)
2nd Prize, Family Dinners Bundle ($380)
3rd Prize, Heirloom Recipes Bundle ($145)
The total approximate retail value of all prizes combined is $950. All submissions will be posted on the Coast Packing website, preferably accompanied by images of the resulting dishes. Judging the contest is Greg Hozinsky, Coast’s Corporate Chef, who will select winners based on flavor, creativity/originality and visual appeal.
“Timed with National Lard Day, we at Coast are delighted to sponsor the Sixth Annual #LardLovers Contest,” said Eric R. Gustafson, Coast Packing CEO. “The color, texture and flavor that lard imparts make it a vastly superior alternative to heavily processed, industrially-produced cooking oils. Lard is the one ingredient that never fails to speak ‘flavor,’ even as it brings out the best in everything it touches.”
“There’s a reason certain ingredients are traditional — they have stood the test of time, in part by providing better taste than the non-traditional alternatives,” Gustafson said. “On National Lard Day, taste the difference yourself! It’s even better if you can do so from the comfort of your own kitchen, so break out that secret family recipe and join the #LardLovers Contest. To all who participate –thanks for joining us in praising the lard.”