Five Home Chefs Win Day of Organic Food Shopping and Cooking with Green &

Black's and Celebrity Chef Curtis Stone

    PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Five creative home chefs no
 longer have to wait to be approached in their local grocery stores for a
 chance to cook with Curtis Stone, host of The Learning Channel's "Take Home
 Chef." Green & Black's, a best-selling organic chocolate brand, announced
 today the grand prize winners of the Green & Black's Chocolate Challenge.
 These five winners receive a trip to New York City in June to participate
 in a day spent shopping for fresh, organic ingredients at gourmet New York
 City markets and preparing a delicious, organic meal with Curtis Stone, one
 of People magazine's "Sexiest Men Alive." Winners also receive tickets to
 the James Beard Foundation Awards gala on June 8, 2008, an event commonly
 referred to as the "Oscars of the food world."
 
     Home chefs across the country were invited to showcase their love for
 organic food by submitting an original five ingredients or fewer recipe
 that incorporates at least 2 ounces of Green & Black's(R) chocolate. Recipe
 submissions ranged from espresso and cream truffle cake to empanadas with
 caramel chocolate to beef tenderloin steaks with balsamic-chocolate
 demi-glace. The following entrants were selected by a panel of judges for
 their creative recipes and compelling essays:
 
 

     -- Erika Allen, Cupertino, Calif. -- Organic Banana Chocolate Cherry
        Brownies
     -- Alison Brantley, Polo, Ill. -- Chocolate Basil Shrimp
     -- Melissa Moore, Littleton, Colo. -- Roasted Jalapeno Peppers with Brie
        Cheese, Raspberry Preserves and Dark Chocolate
     -- Sonali Ruder, New York, N.Y. -- Chocolate Espresso Dream Parfaits
     -- Camilla Saulsbury, Nacogdoches, Tex. -- Lemon, Cardamom and White
        Chocolate Fool with Raspberries
 
     "The enthusiasm entrants of Green & Black's Chocolate Challenge have
 for creating organic dishes with our intensely flavored chocolate is
 exciting," said Elizabeth Cheng, Director of Marketing, Green & Black's.
 "Not only have our contest entrants impressed us with their passionate
 essays and creative recipes, we also want to thank them for helping us give
 back to our farmer partners in Belize who allow us to procure the finest
 organic cocoa beans."
 
     During their day of shopping and cooking with Curtis Stone, winners
 will visit Curtis' favorite New York City markets, learn insider tips on
 entertaining and the ins and outs of shopping for great organic ingredients
 and then prepare a delicious meal at the James Beard House. Winners will
 get a taste of what hundreds of established and emerging chefs, including
 Emeril Lagasse, Nobu Matsuhisa, Jacques Pepin, and Charlie Trotter, have
 experienced over the years: the privilege of cooking at the James Beard
 House.
 
     "This will be my first time cooking in the James Beard House kitchen,
 the center of America's culinary community where so many great chefs have
 cooked before, so it will be fun to share that experience with the Green &
 Black's Chocolate Challenge winners," said Curtis Stone. "The entries
 submitted for the Chocolate Challenge were very impressive, so
 congratulations to all who entered, and to the winners, I look forward to
 seeing you in New York City in June. Bring your appetites; we're going to
 be creating some great organic dishes!"
 
     By participating in the contest, all Chocolate Challenge entrants have
 helped the cocoa farmers from whom Green & Black's procures cocoa beans
 used in its chocolate bars under a Fair Trade agreement. In honor of the
 entries received, Green & Black's is donating $100,000 to the Toledo Cacao
 Growers' Association farmers' cooperative in Belize as part of its ongoing
 sustainability efforts. These funds will go toward the planting and growth
 of hardwood trees on farmers' land. The hardwood trees, as part of a
 reinvestment in the indigenous rainforest, will provide three main benefits
 to the farmers: 1) shade that's needed to grow their cocoa plants, 2)
 increased sustainability of the soil due to balanced nutrient levels,
 reduced erosion, and protected watersheds and 3) high value woods that can
 be used by future generations as a cash crop once the trees reach the end
 of their life spans.
 
     For more information about the Chocolate Challenge winners or to view
 their recipes, visit http://www.GreenandBlacks.com.
 
     About Green & Black's
 
     Launched in London in 1991 by Craig Sams and Josephine Fairley, Green &
 Black's entered the U.S. market in 2003 and has become one of the best
 selling chocolates in the natural food channel. The name reveals Green &
 Black's key strengths -- Green for sustainable and Black to symbolize the
 deep, rich, dark brown (almost black) color of the chocolate. Green &
 Black's buys only the very best organic cocoa beans grown under the shade
 of indigenous rainforest trees and alongside other crops. All Green &
 Black's products meet the National Organic Program (NOP) standards set by
 the USDA, thus giving consumers of organic products an assurance that the
 product is from a trusted source and matches the high standards of
 production. For more information, visit http://www.greenandblacks.com.
 
 
 

SOURCE Green & Black's