Ricardo Heredia's award-winning apple bacon tacos |
San Diego chef Ricardo Heredia has a knack for food competitions. He brought home the title of World Bacon Champion at the 2013 World Food Championships. He repeated in 2014 and also won the whole thing. Although Heredia did not win this year's World Food Championship, his apple bacon tacos recently beat out nearly 1,000 chefs to win the KitchenAid Apple Challenge.
In partnership with Food Network, Food Network Magazine and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, KitchenAid recently named Ricardo Heredia of San Diego as winner of the KitchenAid Apple Challenge, the brand's and Food Network's first-ever hashtag-based social media contest. Heredia's winning recipe for Apple Bacon Tacos was selected by Chef Zakarian from four semi-finalist recipes.
Chef Ricardo cooking up his winning recipe |
"We are truly impressed by the number and quality of submissions we received for this exciting contest," said Beth Robinson, senior manager of brand experience for KitchenAid. "The challenge was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with accomplished home cooks, and for them to share their inspirational and innovative recipes."
Chef Ricardo and Iron Chef Zakarian |
"All of the finalists were successful in creating original and innovative recipes," said Chef Zakarian. "But Mr. Heredia did an exceptional job of showcasing the distinct flavors of the apple in a delicious and inventive dish."
The recipe for Apple Bacon Tacos will be published in Food Network Magazine's December issue, on newsstands nationwide on November 24, and all finalist recipes are available on the KitchenAid blog, The Kitchenthusiast and FoodNetwork.com/AppleChallenge.