Sweet or Savory, Coast Packing’s #LardLovers Recipe Contest Is On a Quest for Maximum Flavor

You’ve got a little more than a month to dig out that amazing family recipe – you know, the one that uses lard so creatively that it’s been handed down through the generations – and submit it to Coast Packing Company’s first-ever #LardLovers Recipe Contest (https://coastpacking.com/lardlovers/).

Coast Packing, the West’s largest supplier of healthy animal fat shortenings, knows (as do so many home cooks) that lard is what makes dishes from pie crusts to breads and cookies, from fried chicken to tamales, fantastically flavorful.

Contest entries will be accepted online through midnight Friday, November 3.  To enter, contestants can use the online form posted at https://www.coastpacking.com/lardlovers/.   Alternatively, entries can be submitted via Facebook: https://goo.gl/qCigJg.

The judging panel includes Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW’s popular “Good Food” radio feature and longtime Los Angeles restaurateur; OC Weekly editor Gustavo Arellano, author of Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America; and LA Weekly food editor Katherine Spiers, host of the podcast “Smart Mouth.” The lineup of prizes, with identical awards in both the sweet and savory categories, includes the following:

• First place: KitchenAid® Professional 600™ Series 6 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer (estimated $600 retail value)
• Second place: Le Creuset Stoneware 6-piece Heritage Bakeware Set (estimated $250 retail value)
• Third place: Gotham Steel Titanium Ceramic 9.5” Non-Stick Copper Deep Square Frying Pan (estimated $50 retail value)

“Lard is the one ingredient that never fails to speak ‘flavor,’ even as it brings out the best in everything it touches,” said Ernest Miller, Coast’s Corporate Chef.  “Lard is traditional, authentic and true to its roots and culture. There’s a reason certain ingredients are traditional — they provide better taste and quality than the non-traditional alternatives.”

Winners will be announced on December 8, the first (unofficial) National Lard Day.  The first official observance is set for December 8, 2018, according to Chase’s Calendar of Events (https://2017chasescalendarofevents.com/index.php).   The contest is open to those 21 and over, and no purchase is necessary to enter.

Members of the Coast Packing Co. staff will determine the finalists in each category.  Recipe finalists will be determined based on creativity, visual appeal and ease of execution (how easy is this recipe to make by the average home cook).  Recipes determined to be finalists will be prepared (cooked) by Coast Packing Co. staff.  The top three winning recipes in each category will then be determined by the panel of food journalists based on creativity, visual appeal and flavor.

About Coast Packing Company

Now marking its 100th year in business, Coast Packing Company (www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings – particularly lard and beef tallow — in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in diverse ethnic markets – from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, supplier relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (https://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via social media on Facebook at www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.