Oct. 21--Southern Biscuits and Gravy was the winning flavor in Lay's Potato Chips Do Us A Flavor contest, which pitted this riff on a Southern cuisine classic against other flavored chips: Greektown Gyro, West Coast Truffle Fries and New York Reuben.
Hailey Green, identified by Lay's as a travel agent from Noblesville, Ind., will win either a $1 million grand prize or 1 percent of her flavor's net sales as tallied through July 15, 2016 -- whichever is higher. The chips will remain on store shelves following the completion of the contest, according to Lay's.
The contest asked for ideas inspired by regional flavors. Consumers were then asked to vote online and in social media for their faves from July 27 through Oct. 18.
Southern Biscuits and Gravy may have been the top vote-getter, but it did not win a taste test conducted this summer by the Trib's Kevin Pang, who dismissed that chip as "a novelty act of what flavors seasoning salt can replicate." (Greektown Gyro was his favorite.)
The creators of the three other flavor finalists in this year's contest will each receive $50,000 in prize money, and the company said it will look to bring one or more of these flavors back on a limited basis.
Past winners were Cheesy Garlic Bread (2012) and Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger (2014).
