Thomas'® Hosts Hometown Breakfast Battle Contest To Celebrate Its 135th Anniversary

HORSHAM, Pa., Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- All over the United States, breakfast is hot — and we're not just talking about the pancakes on the griddle. In recent years, breakfast and brunch popularity have been on the rise, and the nation is trending more toward waking up to smell the bacon — and the eggs, cheese, English Muffins, bagels and any other menu items designed to help you start the day better. That's why Thomas' Breads, a staple at the breakfast table for 135 years now, is celebrating the most important meal of the day and its anniversary milestone with its first nationwide chef contest. The Hometown Breakfast Battle pits 135 chefs from 135 cities across the country against each other, as they battle it out for America's best breakfast recipe.

With breakfast moving beyond the basic bacon and eggs, and menus getting more creative, Thomas' sought America's favorite hometown chefs and challenged them to create an innovative and approachable breakfast recipe that consumers can make at home. The chefs — who work in kitchens spanning high-end steakhouses to down-home diners, and have accolades ranging from James Beard Awards to readers' choice "Best Chef" recognitions — were asked to utilize a Thomas' English Muffin or Bagel to create their recipe, but with a local twist or ingredient, such as Bangor's "Lobster and Spinach-stuffed French Toast"; Wichita's "Kansas BBQ Beef Benedict"; or Santa Fe's "Green Chile Muffin Quiche."

The recipes and information about the chef are housed on the contest website, www.ThomasBreakfastBattle.com, where consumers can vote for their favorite over the course of six weeks. 

Timed in conjunction with National Breakfast Month, voting will begin September 14, with round one spanning two weeks, which will narrow the contest from 135 chefs to just 16. Four more rounds over the course of four weeks will yield eight winners, then four, then two, before the chef with the most votes will be crowned "Thomas' Hometown Breakfast Battle Grand Champion," also winning the grand prize of $25,000.

Consumers can vote three times daily in round one, and once daily in subsequent rounds. Voters will also be automatically entered into a random drawing to win free Thomas' products each day and the consumer grand prize of $10,000 at the end of the contest.

"While we will have one winning chef at the end of Thomas' Hometown Breakfast Battle, the real winners here are the consumers who will have access to 135 breakfast recipes from some of our country's most beloved chefs," said Jon Silvon, Senior Category Director, Breakfast Portfolio, Thomas' Breads. "After 135 years, consumers will be offered 135 new ways to eat Thomas' iconic English Muffins and Bagels, as these cooking pros showcase how easy and fun it is to add some local flair and approachability to your morning menu, using our products as the main ingredient."

Thomas' Breads dates back to 1880 when Samuel Bath Thomas created his original English Muffin in New York City using a secret process that included griddle baking to create a muffin filled with Nooks and Crannies goodness. The company later added bagels to its breakfast offerings. Today, the Thomas' English Muffin is the #1 selling English Muffin and a favorite breakfast product in America. For a full list of Thomas' products and where to buy them, visit www.ThomasBreads.com.  

About Bimbo Bakeries USA
Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 22,000 U.S. associates operates more than 60 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold®, Bimbo®, Boboli®, Brownberry®, Entenmann's®, Freihofer's®, Heiners ®, Marinela®, Mrs Baird's®, Nature's Harvest®, Oroweat®, Sara Lee®, Stroehmann®, Thomas'®, and Tia Rosa.® BBU is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 22 countries.

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SOURCE Bimbo Bakeries USA

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