Greenhouse Grille's Black Bean Sliders
A recipe by a Fayetteville chef recently won the second annual US Foods Next Top Product Contest.
Beating more than 1,000 recipe submissions, Chef Jerrmy Gawthrop, of Greenhouse Grille, competed against seven Next Top Product regional winners to earn the top spot. His black bean slider will join the US Foods product lineup for distribution to chefs everywhere this year, and Greenhouse Grille earned $20,000 in cash and prizes.
“The black bean slider was created to fill a void we saw in the market for a healthy, vegetarian burger that also tastes delicious,” Gawthrop said. “This recipe has been wildly popular among our customers at the Greenhouse Grille, and I’m thrilled that soon chefs nationwide will have a chance to add it to their menus.”
Judges scored the winning dish based on set criteria. In addition to taste, US Foods also sought an appealing product that its customers would be excited to cook with in their own kitchens. Greenhouse Grille primarily uses the product as a slider, but the black bean cake also can be used in a variety of ways, such as a kid’s burger, side item, add-on for a salad or a brunch dish.
The Next Top Product contest, open to more than 250,000 food-service professionals across the country, aimed to find the best new product for chefs by inviting US Foods customers to submit their favorite bakery, hot appetizer, sauce or dips and spreads recipe. Competitors participated in three rounds of competition, including a social media round seeking online votes from the supporters of the 54 semifinalists. The chefs whose recipes received the most votes in each of the eight regions moved on to the final head-to-head cook-off at the World Food Championships, a four-day high-stakes culinary competition held in November in Las Vegas.
“The Next Top Product contest allows our talented customers to share their most successful recipes and helps US Foods ensure we’re offering products that will keep our customers ahead of the trends,” said Stacie Sopinka, vice president of product development and innovation for US Foods. “Chef Jerrmy and Greenhouse Grille’s recipe is a delicious dish that will be ideal for kitchens across the country to have on hand.”
Gawthrop and Clayton Suttle, who have served as owners of Greenhouse Grille for seven years, plan to invest the winnings into the kitchen by updating old equipment to take the restaurant to the next level. They describe the cooking style as seasonally driven and creatively improvisational. The restaurant, which focuses on “creating conscious cuisine,” is known for using locally sourced ingredients to create dishes that are a “fresh fusion” of flavors.
New Year's Delights
Fayetteville’s Greenhouse Grille chef and US Foods Next Top Product Contest winner Jerrmy Gawthrop (shown here with business partner Clayton Suttle) shares new recipes to brighten any day of the new year.
