From Deseret News archives:
Million-dollar question: What would you do if you won the Pillsbury Bake-Off?
A million-dollar recipe is bound to grab attention, even if it's as simple as making a pie with granola bars or simmering chicken thighs in salsa.
In 1998, the winning Salsa Couscous Chicken sparked a run on Old El Paso salsa. Winner Ellie Mathews couldn't find any in her hometown of Seattle to demonstrate her recipe on local TV. The Pillsbury Co. had to ship her out a case.
Some recipes become classics, appearing in cookbooks and potlucks across America and on the Internet at Pillsbury.com. But what happened to their creators after the flurry of TV appearances and news stories died down?
The Deseret Morning News tracked down four past winners and asked how the Bake-Off changed their lives.
Even so, for one recipe, it adds up to a huge chunk of change.
KURT WAIT
Kurt Wait, of Redwood City, Calif., was the first million-dollar winner (in 1996) and the only male grand-prize winner, with his Macadamia Fudge Torte.
"It was one of the best days of my life," recalled the financial analyst in a telephone interview. "Anybody has to be surprised, because you only have one-in-a-hundred chance. Getting in the finals is the toughest part, because there are thousands of entries."
Wait said he still does a lot of cooking, adding, "I just cooked dinner tonight. But I don't do the gourmet stuff. And that's what the Bake-Off is doing, they're looking for what America really cooks. That makes a lot of sense."
Wait has dabbled in contests before and after the big win. In 1994, he won the grand prize in Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger contest, and in 2007 he won a $5,000 prize in the National Beef Cook-Off.
"I still compete a little bit, but I'm pretty busy with work," he said.
No, he didn't quit his day job. "A million dollars sounds like a lot, and it certainly made my life better, but it doesn't go far these days," he said. "I put some away for my boy's college and some for retirement and some on the house. I didn't overdo."
Recent comments
Interesting article! It's fun to think about...
Tracy | April 9, 2008 at 3:16 p.m.
I would eat out ... a lot!
Anonymous | April 9, 2008 at 12:53 p.m.
I plan on winning the pillsbury bake off with my delicious white...
Sebastiain in S.F. ; ) | April 9, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.
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