GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It was Ann Elkina's "Braised Beef in Red Wine" that brought home the grand prize in a Michigan-wide recipe contest. Elkina won $2,000 worth of Le Creuset cookware, a $250 Spartan Stores gift card and kitchen bragging rights in Spartan Stores' and Tender Ridge® Angus beef's Share and Tell recipe contest. Six runners-up also took home $1,500 in prizes, each winning a $250 Spartan Stores gift card. Elkina is a food blogger from Farmington Hills, Mich., who writes Annabella's Kitchen, AnnabellasKitchen.blogspot.com. Her winning recipe and those of the runners-up will be available online at RecipeShareAndTell.com.

"Ann's special preparation of top blade steak set her recipe apart as one that I would enjoy making and hopefully one that many Michigan families can enjoy eating," said Chef Chad Schafer, Tender Ridge Angus beef chef and recipe contest judge. "There's nothing like a rich, flavorful dish to remind us of the joy we take in cooking and sharing food."

Chef Schafer chose Elkina's recipe as the winner from a field of strong entries. Entrants were asked to incorporate one cut of Tender Ridge Angus beef and one Spartan brand product ingredient into their recipes. Once they had included these ingredients, entrants could let their cooking style shine and demonstrate their unique appreciation for great food.

In addition to the seven winning recipes selected by Chef Schafer, the first 100 cooks who entered recipes in the contest received a yearlong subscription to Food Network Magazine.

"We were impressed with so many of the flavorful recipes entered in the contest," said Matt Glanzer, Tender Ridge Angus beef brand manager. "It was an opportunity for us to see the passion and pride Michigan cooks take in making family meals. Tender Ridge Angus beef is proud to be a key ingredient in those meals."

About Tender Ridge Angus beef

Tender Ridge Angus beef is available exclusively in Michigan at Spartan Stores. Tender Ridge Angus beef is grain-fed, hand-selected and aged to ensure consistent tenderness.

About Spartan Stores

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Spartan Stores, Inc., (Nasdaq:SPTN) is the nation's eleventh largest grocery distributor with 1.4 million square feet of warehouse, distribution, and office space located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company distributes more than 40,000 corporate and national brand products to approximately 370 independent grocery stores in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and to our 97 corporate owned stores located in Michigan, including Family Fare Supermarkets, Glen's Markets, D&W Fresh Markets and VG's Food and Pharmacy.

SOURCE Tender Ridge Angus beef