Leading Restaurant Chain Employee Whisks Away the Competition, Lands Coveted Prize of Top Apple Chef

NEWTOWN, Pa. — Aug. 26, 2014 — The Rose Group, a leading franchisee of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and Corner Baker Cafe restaurants, announced today the finalists and winner of its 4th Annual Top Apple Chef competition. Recently, nine Applebee’s employees were named regional winners, allowing them to compete for the coveted title of Top Apple Chef. The participants were challenged to showcase their creativity and imagination in the kitchen and dish out their culinary creations to a panel of company judges.

“We were incredibly impressed with this year’s line-up of talented employees who showcased their culinary skills throughout our Top Apple Chef competition,” said Jeff Warden, president and CEO of The Rose Group. “Our chefs are limited to following the recipes of menu items, so as a spin off of the famous Food Network show, we started this contest as a way to breakout of the traditional franchisee mold and allow employees to express their creativity in a fun way that goes beyond the normal work environment.”

What stands out to the judges is a contestant’s ability to take risks with ingredients that would not typically be blended together and turn them into a mouth-watering recipe with an impressive presentation. This year, the finalists spiced up the competition by mixing unconventional ingredients – such as pairing strawberry and maple flavors with fish – and creating mouthwatering, gourmet specialties that kept the judges wanting more.

The following nine employees were selected as regional finalists for their respective district and invited to participate in the championship:

· Keith Bean, cook from Catonsville, Md., created The Ultimate Potato

· Carlie Gollhardt, server from Aberdeen, Md., created a Tuscan Turkey Wrap

· Aimee Downes, cook from Easton Commons, Md., created a Mediterranean Chicken

· Mark McCoy, cook from Audubon, Pa., created a Quesadilla Pizza

· Zach Water, cook from Newtown, Pa., created Grilled Hawaiian Salmon

· Roberto Ruiz, cook from Hamilton, N.J., created Tropical Shrimp & Rice

· Pablo Diaz, cook from Kennett Square, Pa., created Citrus Salsa Salmon

· Ed Spellar, cook from Allentown, Pa., created a grilled ham and ciabatta bun combination called the “D-LEX”

· Matt Gondeck, cook from Scranton, Pa., created Summer Essance Salmon

The Rose Group’s “culinary experts” had the opportunity to taste and judge nine dishes prepared by the finalists. After lengthy deliberations – the panel declared Aimee Downes, from the Easton Commons Applebee’s, the Top Apple Chef Champion with her pancake-inspired Mediterranean Chicken. Downes captured the judges’ vote by introducing pancake batter to a Mediterranean-inspired chicken recipe, topping off her winning dish with red peppers and a drizzle of a balsamic glaze. The runner up was Matt Gondeck with his rendition of Summer Essence Salmon, where he grilled the salmon in a sauce combination that mixed strawberry vinaigrette and maple flavors.

In addition to life-long bragging rights, each finalist took away a specialty chef knife, cash prizes and an engraved plaque to be displayed in their stores. Downes took home an additional cash prize as well as a flat screen TV and the Top Apple Chef trophy.

This year’s panel of judges included: Jeff Warden, CEO of The Rose Group; Harry Rose, chairman of The Rose Group; and Jon Weber, Rusell Lambe, and Mary Burdenski from ASI.

The Rose Group’s Top Apple Chef contest was open to all Applebee’s employees and consisted of four rounds: store finals, district semi-finals, district championships, and the annual Top Apple Chef Championship. In each round, contestants went head-to-head and displayed superior performance – but ultimately – the most creative and inspiring dishes, and the chefs who created them, advanced to compete for the title of Top Apple Chef. The 4th Annual Top Apple Chef Championship was held at the Newtown, Pa., Applebee’s location.

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About The Rose Group

The Rose Group, headquartered in Newtown, PA, is the 43rd largest restaurant franchise company in the United States. They currently own and operate 57 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants in Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey and Delaware. The company is the first franchisee for Corner Bakery Cafe, operating six cafes in Eastern Pennsylvania and two in New Jersey. The Rose Group also co-owns and operates three Shannon Rose restaurants, an independent Irish pub and restaurant in North Jersey. More information on The Rose Group can be found on their website at www.therosegroup.com.