INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL SETS NEW RECORDS
KNOXVILLE, TN – The International Biscuit Festival celebrated the fourth year of the event with record numbers of guests and the biggest offering of Biscuits in it’s history. Over 20,000 Biscuit lovers flocked to downtown Knoxville to enjoy great food, music and fun. Guests were able to choose from over 20 Signature Biscuit samples prepared by Biscuit makers from across the region.
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant received the most guest votes and was named the People’s Choice Award winner, earning them the coveted Biscuit Sunsphere trophy. Applewood created the delicious Andouille Shrimp and Grits Biscuit.
The Runners Up for the award were Flourhead/ Tomato Head for their Sweetwater Valley Smoked Cheddar and Onion Biscuit, and Tupelo Honey Cafe for the Green-Eyed Monster Pimento Cheese Buttermilk Biscuit. That Biscuit won the award for Best Biscuit Name.
The Critic’s Choice Award went to RT Lodge for their Deep Fried Biscuit with Braised Short Rib and Pickled Onion.
The Best Biscuit Booth Award was given to the Rel Maples Institute of Culinary Arts, who had the Bananas Foster Biscuit.
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant Biscuit is People’s Choice Award Winner!
KNOXVILLE, TENN. – The International Biscuit Festival announced today that Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant won the People’s Choice Award for their Andouille Shrimp and Grits Biscuit at the Biscuit Boulevard tasting area during the 2013 International Biscuit Festival, held Saturday, May 18, 2013 in downtown Knoxville.
The winning Biscuit came out ahead of 20 other Signature Biscuit creations available for sampling by the over 20,000 guests who attended this year’s Festival. The Runners Up in the guest voting were Flourhead/ Tomato Head, for their Sweetwater Valley Smoked Cheddar and Onion Biscuit, and Tupelo Honey Café, who created the Green-Eyed Monster Pimento Cheese Buttermilk Biscuit.
The Critic’s Choice Award went to RT Lodge, for their Deep Fried Biscuit with Braised Short Rib and Pickled Onion.
The Best Biscuit Booth was awarded to the Rel Maples Institute of Culinary Arts at Walters State Community College. They created a Bananas Foster Biscuit.
The International Biscuit Festival celebrates that most perfect of foods – the Biscuit. The International Biscuit Festival was selected the #1 Food Festival in the U.S. by Livability.com. The Festival draws more than 20,000 guests to Knoxville each year for food, music and fun. The Biscuit Boulevard is sponsored by Clayton Bank and Trust.
“We had an amazing selection of Biscuits for our Festival guests to sample.” said John Craig, Biscuit Boss of the International Biscuit Festival. “The voting results were very close among the top choices!” added Craig.
Participants came from across the nation, including the popular Biscuit Love food truck from Nashville, TN, Pillsbury in Minneapolis, MN, and the staff of the Southern Living Test Kitchen in Birmingham, AL. “The growth in the popularity of the Biscuit Festival has attracted new partners,” said Craig. “We are thrilled to have some of the best Biscuit bakers in the nation sharing their craft.”
Participants in the 2013 Biscuit Boulevard included:
Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant
Bella Luna
Benefit Your Life
Biscuit Love Truck
Chick Fil A
Flour Head Bakery
Hilton Knoxville
Latitude 35
The Plaid Apron
Pillsbury
RT Lodge
Sapphire
B97.5
Southern Living Test Kitchen
Tea at the Gallery
Tupelo Honey Cafe
Walters State Community College – Rel Maples Institute for Culinary Arts
International Biscuit Festival Bake-Off Contest Winners Announced
The International Biscuit Festival has announced the winners of the 2013 Biscuit Bake-Off Contest, held May 18, 2013 in downtown Knoxville. Christopher Lowe of Johnson City, TN was named Grand Champion for his “Fire on the Mountain Biscuit.”
“Christopher’s Biscuit was outstanding! He beat out some of the toughest competition we have ever had,” said Chris Kahn, chair of the 2013 Biscuit Bake Off.
Beginning in February of this year, Biscuit bakers from across the country submitted recipes in four contest categories: Sweet Biscuits, Savory Biscuits, Special Biscuits and Student Biscuits. The top three finalists in each category were chosen to bake live in front of a panel of celebrity judges and an audience of Biscuit lovers. The Grand Prize Winner was chosen from the winners of the four Biscuit categories.
Pillsbury® is a sponsor of the International Biscuit Festival and participated in the judging of the Bake-Off Contest.
The complete results are:
Grand Prize Winner – Christopher Lowe – “Fire on the Mountain Biscuit”
First Place – Special Category Christopher Lowe – “Fire on the Mountain Biscuit”
Second Place – Special Category Erin Carlini – “Kimchi Bulgolgi Biscuit”
Third Place – Special Category Kim Stapleton – “Blueberry Peach French Toast Biscuit”
First Place – Student Category Megan Fleming – “’Big Orange’ Biscuit”
Second Place – Student Category Auden Cole – “Auden’s Buttermilk Blaster”
Third Place – Student Category Ava Schott – “The Best Biscuits in the Whole Entire World”
First Place – Savory Category Matt Sandbank – “Paige’s Family Dinner Biscuit”
Second Place – Savory Category James Hayes – “Persuasion Biscuit”
Third Place – Savory Category Sheldon Rudisill – “Ooh La La Onion Biscuit”
First Place – Sweet Category Jackie Hardin –“Lemon Lime Pecan Sticky Biscuit”
Second Place – Sweet Category Susan Reid – “Caramel Apple Biscuit”
Third Place – Sweet Category Tammy Love – “Cinnamon-Vanilla Nut Coffeehouse Biscuit”
INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL PARTNERS WITH SOUTHERN LIVING
KNOXVILLE, TENN. – The International Biscuit Festival announced that Southern Living will be the exclusive media sponsor for the 2013 Festival, to be held in Knoxville, TN on May 16-18, 2013. The International Biscuit Festival celebrates that most perfect of foods – the Biscuit.
“We are thrilled to have Southern Living as a partner in the Festival,” said John Craig, Biscuit Boss of the International Biscuit Festival. “Biscuits and Southern Living are touchstones of Southern culture.”
Southern Living celebrates the best of life in the South, covering the best in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 16 million consumers each month, the
Southern Living brand connects consumers with the region’s rich culture through a variety of media platforms and branded products. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the largest content companies
“We will never give up on our quest to discover or formulate the world’s most perfect biscuit. It’s one of our culture’s simplest, most satisfying soul foods,” said Lindsay Bierman, editor of
Southern Living. “The Festival celebrates our passion for one of the great pillars and joys of Southern cooking.”
Southern Living will have a major presence at the Festival, with Southern Living staff doing demonstrations on the Biscuit Bake-Off Stage. There also will be a Southern Living pavilion on the Biscuit Boulevard tasting area with samples of Biscuit recipes straight from the Southern Living Test Kitchen. Hunter Lewis, Southern Living‘s new Executive Editor, will also be featured at the Festival’s Southern Food Writing Conference, along with Top Chef’s Hugh Acheson, CNN’s Kat Kinsman and author Julia Reed, among many others on May 16th and 17th.
INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL 2013 BISCUIT BAKE OFF INVITES RECIPE SUBMISSIONS
KNOXVILLE, TENN. – The International Biscuit Festival has begun accepting recipe submissions for the 2013 International Biscuit Festival Biscuit Bake Off, to be held May 18, 2013 in downtown Knoxville. The International Biscuit Festival was recently selected the #1 Food Festival in the U.S. by Livability.com. The Biscuit Bake Off is one of the “must see” events of the Festival!
Want to be a part of this year’s Bake Off? Send us your best Biscuit recipe and enter to win it all! Last year’s champion, Elizabeth Blanchard from Spartanburg, South Carolina won with her Cajun Tater Biscuits. Elizabeth said of the Bake Off: “It was a wonderful experience for me and my family. Everyone was extremely helpful and encouraging. It was a remarkable day full of memories!”
The four categories of competition are Sweet Biscuits, Savory Biscuits, Special Biscuits and Student Biscuits. The Special category is for those Biscuits that are over the top and incredibly imaginative. The Student category features the next generation of bakers and is for entrants 18 and younger. Each category will have three finalists chosen from all of the submitted recipes and those bakers will be invited to bake live in front of our panel of celebrity judges and an audience of Biscuit lovers. The Grand Prize Winner will be chosen from the winners of the four Biscuit categories.
“We have had a tremendously creative selection of Biscuit entries for the first two years of this fun, fun festival. We anticipate the 2013 season of competition to be even more original, outrageous and delicious,” said Chris Kahn, chair of the 2013 Biscuit Bake Off.
Bake Off applications are available online at Biscuitfest.com. Submissions will be accepted from February 1, 2013 until midnight on April 22, 2013. Finalists will be notified and scheduled for the live competition at the Festival in downtown Knoxville, TN.
For more information about the International Biscuit Festival, go to biscuitfest.com or contact Chris Kahn at chris@biscuitfest.com.
INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL 2013 DATES ANNOUNCED!
The International Biscuit Festival has announced dates for the 2013 event. The main day of the Festival will be Saturday, May 18th, 2013 from 8 am to 5 pm.
This year’s Festival will be preceded by a two-day Southern Food Writing Conference on Thursday, May 16th and Friday, May 17th. Well known food writers, bloggers and personalities will lead sessions on various aspects of writing and Southern food. The conference is open to writers, readers, bloggers and food enthusiasts.
THE INTERNATIONAL BISCUIT FESTIVAL SELECTED BEST FOOD FESTIVAL!
The International Biscuit Festival was selected the Best Food Festival in the nation by Livability.com. Topping the recently released Top 10 list after only it’s second year, the Biscuit Festival rises above a number of great food events occurring across the United States.
“Songs are written about it. Stories revolve around it. What better thing to celebrate than food? And what better way to celebrate than a community-wide festival, bringing together favorite foods and local culture?
Turns out, the saying is true, “You are what you eat.” Communities can be defined by their food. Whether it’s comfort food from the heart of the South or a chili kick from Colorado, food can turn a small town into a tourist destination or earn a big city high praise. And that, friends, is cause for celebration.
From the weird and wacky RC and Moonpie Festival to the elegant Oregon Truffle Festival, we’ve scoured the country to give you a taste of some of the best food fests in the most livable cities. So go on, dig in.”
The complete Top 10 Food Festivals list:
1. The International Biscuit Festival Knoxville, TN
2. Loaf ‘N Jug Chile & Frijoles Festival Pueblo, CO
3. Dudie Burger Festival Tupelo, MS
4. Barbecue Festival Lexington, NC
5. RC and Moonpie Festival Shelbyville, TN
6. Happy Harry’s RibFest Fargo, ND
7. Soul Food Cook-off Muskogee, OK
8. Gingerbread House Festival Provo, UT
9. Oregon Truffle Festival Eugene, OR
10. Tomato Festival Newark, OH
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The staff of Livability has spent more than 20 years finding the good stuff in small to mid-sized communities all across America. The result? A resource of more than 500 of America’s best places to live, work, play, explore and belong.
