Local Foodie Wins National ‘Create a New Kolache’ Contest!
(KATY, Texas – July 11, 2018) – With dreams of dough and a flair for flavor, a Houston-area foodie wins the coveted top prize in the national “Create a New Kolache” contest. Andrew D’Amico, a welding engineer from Katy, Texas, becomes the Kolache King with his culinary creation — “Yes, Please!” a pastry stuffed with mac-n-cheese, brisket, and jalapenos. D’Amico beat out more than a thousand customer entries from 21 states to win the grand prize of a kolache and coffee every day for a year!
“Wow! I thought I had no chance in the world, to be honest,” exclaimed D’Amico, a father of two young children who LOVE walking down the road to their local Kolache Factory store. “I’m putting this on my resume!” He figured he would try to feed their habit by entering the contest. “I sat at my desk thinking about ideas and I kept recalling one of my favorite late-night snacks in college, mac-n-cheese and chili, so this is just a twist on that. My family is thrilled with free kolaches for a year and my co-workers are pretty impressed too. My new nickname at work is Mac-n-Cheese.”
The Kolache Olympics is an annual contest sponsored every year by the Kolache Factory, a national bakery-café chain with 26 company-owned and 29 franchise stores. Each year, Kolache Factory employees from all over the country submit new flavor ideas. This year, for the first time, customers participated in the Kolache Olympics, too, as part of the nationwide “Create A New Kolache Contest.”
Kolache Factory customers from 21 states joined the fun, conjuring up new kolache flavors from “Mac-n-Cheese” to “Everything but the Kitchen Sink,” and submitting their ideas in an online entry form. VIP judges tested the top five finalist flavors and picked the winner at the Kolache Olympics, held July 10 in Katy, Texas.
“This was so much fun, and we are thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm for our beloved kolaches,” said Kolache Factory Chief Operating Officer Dawn Nielsen. “We wanted to engage our loyal customers to be part of the Kolache Olympics and the rich history of this Czech-inspired pastry and they wowed us with their creativity and passion!”
D’Amico, the grand prize winner, will receive a free kolache and small coffee every day for a year. The other four finalists win free breakfast for six months. The finalists include “The Cuban” by Susan Gott in Virginia Beach, Virginia, “Irish Delight” by Amanda Heim in Powdersville, South Carolina, “Country Fried Steak & Gravy” by Stephen Lindsey in St. Louis, Missouri, and “Curry Chicken” in Greenwood, Indiana.
“We had so many unique, mouth-watering ideas it was hard to narrow it down to five finalists. But we are confident our customers will love the ‘Yes, Please!’ kolache. It won by a landslide!” says Nielsen, of the cheesy concoction with a kick. It will be put into a future Flavor of the Month rotation at Kolache Factory stores nationwide. The Kolache Olympics winners from employee submissions were Pineapple Coco Cream and Southwestern Omelet. They will also join the chain’s Flavor of the Month rotation.
About the Kolache Factory
Kolache Factory was founded in 1982 in Houston, Texas, by John and Jerri Banks, who identified a need for a fresh, high-quality breakfast that could be eaten “on the run.” The Bankses encouraged consumers to try the high-quality, fresh pastries filled with fruits, meat and cheeses and soon they were in high demand for business meetings, family breakfasts, on-the-go lunches and afternoon snacks. Kolache Factory has been recognized as one of the Top 5 Drive-Thrus in America by Food Network, one of the fastest growing companies in Houston and one of the top 50 food service bakeries in the United States by Modern Baking magazine. In addition, Franchise Times magazine recently named Kolache Factory one of the 300 biggest brands in franchising by worldwide sales in 2017. In addition, Entrepreneur magazine named it among the top 200 food-based franchises in 2017. Kolache Factory is privately owned and operated and headquartered in Katy, Texas. For more information please visit www.kolachefactory.com.