Boston, MA, Sept 4, 2007 – For three months, the entries streamed in from across the country, as restaurants, schools and hospitals vied to show their commitment to serving food that’s both nutritious and delicious. Now, in honor of Whole Grains Month in September, the winners have been chosen in each of ten categories of the Whole Grains Challenge.
Virginia Tech is Grand Winner
Grand National Winner is Virginia Tech Dining Services D2 of Blacksburg, VA for running “Whole Grain Boot Camp” in June and July, with two dozen daily whole grains choices, special table cards and posters promoting whole grains, and a bicycle raffled off to one of the many students who submitted whole grain feedback cards.
“Virginia Tech went all-out,” said K. Dun Gifford, President of Oldways, the parent organization of the Whole Grains Council. “Student demand extended their original one-month program to two months, and most of the 30 new recipes and 25 new ingredients will stay on the menu this Fall.”
“We want Americans to have at least one whole grain choice everywhere they eat,” said Bob Brown, chairman of the Whole Grains Council, as he announced the following winners for each category of the Whole Grains Challenge:
| Category | Winners |
| Quick Serve Restaurant | Jersey Mike’s for submarine sandwich rolls containing a full serving or more of whole grain. |
| Casual / Family Restaurant | PF Chang’s China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner, for serving 10,000,000 pounds of brown rice last year – 45% of their diners choose brown rice! |
| Fine Dining | Café Modern, at the Modern Art Museum of Ft.Worth, for offering great choices like tabbouleh and wheatberry bread. |
| Lodging / Catering | FireLake Grill House, Radisson Hotel, Minneapolis, for putting whole grains at the center of their menu. |
| K-12 Public Schools | Colorado Springs (CO) School District 11 and The Energy Zone, Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, for switching kids to whole wheat pizza crusts, hamburger rolls and PBJs on whole grain bread – and even using whole grain breading on chicken nuggets! |
| K-12 Private Schools | Flik Independent Schools at Milton Academy (MA) and Ross School (East Hampton NY) for everything from wheatberry salad to whole wheat phyllo. |
| College / University | Virginia Tech Dining Services D2 (Blacksburg, VA) for its integrated campaign promoting whole grains for health. |
| Workplace | Flik/Compass Group at Merck for daily whole grain salads at the deli and grill, as an alternative to fries or chips. |
| Healthcare | HSC Cafeteria at West Virginia University Hospitals, for using whole grains in everything from paella to chocolate pecan biscotti. |
| Other | University Village Center, a retirement village in Tampa that regularly offers dishes like Seafood Amaranth and Buckwheat Soba Noodle Salad. |
Runners-Up:
QSR: McDonald’s; Fast Casual: Buca di Beppo, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, and Farrelli’s Pizza; Fine Dining: Cherry Valley Country Club (Skillman, NJ), COCO500 (San Francisco CA), and Rialto (Boston MA); K-12 Public: South Seneca (NY) CSD and Clymer (NY) Central School Cafeteria. K-12 Private: Flik Independent Schools at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, NH) and at Westchester (NY) Day School. University: The Ohio State University’s Courtside Café and Juice 2 and Cornell Dining. Healthcare: Holy Spirit Healthcare Center (Putnam, CT)
WHOLE GRAINS MONTH ACTIVITIES
A raft of other activities and programs from the Whole Grains Council (WGC) and its members will help celebrate the first-ever Whole Grains Month. During September, the WGC will launch a total makeover of its informative website at wholegrainscouncil.org, and will bring its educational programs to 12,000 dietitians at the American Dietetic Association’s annual convention in Philadelphia.
Consumers will also be able to find and enjoy whole grains more easily thanks to Whole Grains Month programs planned by the WGC’s 170 members, such as:
• General Mills will launch the use of the Whole Grain Stamp on all 80+ Big G cereals, starting with Cheerios.
• Snyders of Hanover will offer 35 million households a $1-off coupon on its entire multigrain line.
• Vermont Morning is sponsoring a whole grain recipe contest at the Champlain Valley Fair
• Kashi will hold Snack Drive events across the country in September, where consumers can trade in their usual snacks for a healthy Kashi whole grain snack.
• ConAgra Foods School Foodservice is introducing twelve varieties of The Max whole grain pizza to schools – each with a full serving (16g) of whole grain per portion.
For more information about Whole Grains Month activities, the Whole Grains Challenge and the Whole Grains Council, visit www.WholeGrainsCouncil.org or contact Courtney Davis, Communications Director for Oldways and the Whole Grains Council, at 617-896-4888 or Courtney@oldwayspt.org.
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