School foodservice professionals across the country jumped at the chance to share their favorite Idaho potato breakfast recipes in the Idaho Potato Commission's (IPC) first Wake Up to Excellence 2011 Recipe Contest. Stephen Ganser, General Manager at Metz Culinary Management in Elliottsburg, PA won an all expense paid trip to the 2011 School Nutrition Association's Annual Conference (July 10 - 13) for his winning recipe, Idaho Potato Cheesy Biscuit Scramble, a power-packed breakfast that will jump start any student's day.

The recipes we received were innovative, delicious and certainly appealing to students of all grades,said Don Odiorne, Vice President, Foodservice, IPC. With the USDA considering a cut back in the number of times potatoes can be served in schools each week, the Contest clearly demonstrated how important potatoes are to school foodservice operators from both cost and nutrition perspectives. Using thoughtful cooking techniques and healthy added ingredients, potato usage in schools shouldn't be limited at all.



The winning recipe, Stephen Ganser's Idaho Potato Cheesy Biscuit Scramble,
is loaded with nutritious ingredients to get students fueled up for the day!

Idaho Potato Cheesy Biscuit Scramble is an easy-to-prepare, sure-to-be-a-hit breakfast item that provides the perfect combination of protein and carbohydrates that students need to fuel their bodies and minds. Muffin tins filled with dough rounds are stuffed with scrambled eggs, crisp turkey bacon, Idaho potato hashbrowns, then mixed with peppers and onions and topped off with a light sprinkle of cheese. To view the recipe visit website.

The Wake Up to Excellence 2011 Recipe Contest was open to school foodservice professionals only. Recipes had to include fresh or value added frozen, refrigerated or dehydrated processed Idaho potatoes and conform to federal nutrition standards and costs for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The Contest ran from February 1, 2011 through May 31, 2011.

One Grand Prize winner received airfare, hotel accommodations and admission to the annual School Nutrition Association's Conference in Nashville, TN. Five Honorable Mention winners were each awarded $250, and all entrants received an Idaho Potato Spuddy Buddy puppet.

The five Honorable Mentions include:

Minnie Batten's Low-Sodium Breakfast Taco (Shawnee High School, Shawnee, OK)
Sonny Burns' Breakfast Lasagna (Franklin Regional, Murrysville, PA)
Judith Diane Davis' Sizzling Spuds (Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC)
Sylvia Kravitz's Potato Sun Blast (San Diego, CA)
Jo Ann Moor's Eye Popping Potatoes (Shawnee School District, Shawnee, OK)