Pennsylvania wraps up finalist spot

By Matt Snyder
THE HERALD (SHARON, Pa.)

GROVE CITY, Pa. Tue, May 13 2008

— Grove City’s Scott Hatfield has been cooking as long as he can remember, but even he was surprised to become one out of tens of thousands chosen as a Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist.
Hatfield said he thought the contest would be a waste of time, but his wife Sarah convinced him to submit a recipe for samosa taquitos.
The samosa taquitos are wrapped in a tortilla because the samosa – a traditionally deep-fried Indian appetizer – needed a bakeable wrap.
Hatfield figured there was no way he’d become a finalist.
“But I was wrong,” he said.
His samosa taquitos, complete with an apricot chutney sauce, are among 100 finalists that will compete April 13 through 15 in Dallas for the $1 million grand prize, according to Pillsbury.
Hatfield, a Kentucky native who’s a software designer at Grove City College, said his interest in cooking started young, but he’s had no formal training.
“My mom taught me to cook,” he said. “I‘ve always enjoyed cooking.”
Hatfield said his wife still does most of the cooking at home, but he likes it as a hobby. “I do like to take on cooking projects like baking bread. I like to spend an afternoon cooking. I like to do a lot of grilling, smoking.”
The 100 recipes were chosen from among consumers’ best original entries in five categories: Breakfast & Brunches, Pizza Creations, Entertaining Appetizers, Old El Paso Mexican Favorites and Sweet Treats.
Finalists had to use at least two different eligible products in their recipes, with at least one ingredient from a primary list of products and a second from either the primary or secondary list.
The Hatfields are both fans of Indian food.
“We played with it until we thought it tasted good, and baked it instead of deep frying it since it’s a bakeoff contest.”
They were careful not to go too spicy, and went with an apricot chutney for the sauce because of a particular preserve that Smuckers makes.
Just for being a finalist, Hatfield won $100, a free microwave, and airfare to the Dallas competition. He said and his wife will fly to the event. “I guess it will be sort of a vacation.”


Matt Snyder writes for The Heral;d in Sharon, Pa.

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To view finalist recipes, and vote for a favorite, go to www.Pillsbury.com

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