National pizza giant and Asheville favorite Mellow Mushroom has released its second annual “Homegrown Picks” menu, which will be available at all Mellow Mushroom locations through June 30.
The special menu is culled from a poll of Mellow Mushroom employees at its 170-plus locations, in which servers, bartenders, prep and line cooks suggest new food and beverage concepts for the franchise.
Using in-house ingredients, employees submit their favorite “signature dishes” and specialty recipes. Submissions include recipes for pizza, calzones, appetizers, and cocktails, among other available dishes. These recipes are then evaluated by an expert panel based on taste, presentation, and originality, according to Mellow Mushroom’s official press release on the new menu.
2015’s competition featured over 100 recipe submissions. Nine finalists were selected by the panel of judges, and will be served throughout June at the pizzeria. The grand prize for cocktails was awarded to Keith Redmond—a bartender at the Mellow Mushroom location in nearby Anderson, South Carolina—for his “St. Mellow” blend of Prosecco, St. Germain elderberry liqueur, Absolut Citron, and Peachtree Schnapps, and a splash of soda.
Greenville, North Carolina’s Larry Guzman was also selected for his “South of the Border” Pizza submission, which features an olive oil and garlic base, topped with mozzarella cheese, all-natural spiced chicken, and fresh vegetables and herbs.
In addition, this year’s contest featured a special “guest entry” from a non-employee. The winning recipe in that category—Rachel Baldwin’s Tempah-Rary Insanity Pizza—will be available later this summer during the Forecastle Festival July 17-19 in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The home grown picks is a great opportunity for our front line team members to showcase their creativity and get much deserved recognition in front of their peers and our guests,” says Annica Kreider, VP of Brand Development for Mellow Mushroom, in the company’s official press release.
For more information on the competition and a complete list of 2015 finalists included on the menu, check out Mellow Mushroom’s official press release below or visit mellowmushroom.com.
Press Release:
Mellow Mushroom Releases 2nd Annual Employees-Only Menu
ATLANTA, GA – Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers releases its 2nd annual Homegrown Picks menu, consisting of new food and beverage concepts from its own employees.
Mellow Mushroom polled servers, bartenders, prep and line cooks from over 170 locations to curate the new Homegrown Picks Menu, which will be available nationwide through June 30th.
Team members each have a signature dish that they make for friends and family visiting the restaurant. Mellow Mushroom launched the Homegrown Challenge, calling for the best pizza, calzone, appetizer and cocktail recipes from their employees using entirely in-house ingredients. More than 100 recipes were submitted and judged on taste, presentation and originality.
“The home grown picks is a great opportunity for our front line team members to showcase their creativity and get much deserved recognition in front of their peers and our guests,” states Annica Kreider, VP of Brand Development. She continues, “We were also excited to include a guest creation this year. Our guest submission will be served later this summer from our Bake Bus at Forecastle, one of the nations’ premier music festivals.”
Each of the nine finalists that now comprise the Homegrown Picks menu, was judged by an expert panel to determine an overall food and cocktail winner.
New menu items include:
Pineapple Express Pizza (Brittany Miracle; Hyde Park, OH) – Signature Mellow dough with an olive oil and garlic base, topped with mozzarella cheese, ham, pineapple with light jalapenos. The pizza is finished with fresh bruschetta, basil and a swirl of rich balsamic glaze.
South of the Border Pizza (Larry Guzman; Greenville, NC) – Signature Mellow dough with an olive oil and garlic base, topped with mozzarella cheese, spiced all-natural chicken, onions, light jalapenos and fresh tomatoes, finished with a zesty jalapeno lime aioli and fresh cilantro.
Tempeh-Rary Insanity Pizza (Rachel Baldwin, Winning Guest Entry) – Signature mellow dough with an olive oil and garlic base, mozzarella cheese, crumbled grilled tempeh, mushrooms, pineapple and artichoke hearts, finished with a swirl of pesto.
Buffalo Chicken Dip (Mike Mitchell; Tallahassee, FL) – Bites of all-natural grilled chicken in a creamy Buffalo sauce, the dip is topped with Applewood smoked bacon, fresh tomatoes, chives and mozzarella. Served with toast points and celery for dipping.
Hot Dang Shrimp (George Paul Klopp; Kennesaw, GA) – Grilled all-natural shrimp tossed in a spicy butter sauce and drizzled with a savory cool and creamy house-made sauce.
The Thoroughbred (Christi Bradford; Murfreesboro, TN)– This cocktail features Marker’s Mark Bourbon combined with the summer flavors of DeKuyper, Amaretto, Peachtree Schnapps, Monin Blood Orange and fresh mint, complemented by Mellow’s house-made sour.
Mel’s Mango Cocktail (Amanda Kiely; Kennesaw, GA) – American Harvest Organic Spirit combined with the seasonal flavors of Monin Mango, fresh cucumber and basil mixed with Mellow’s house-made sour.
Ramble on Rosemary (Kara Mackinder; Bowling Green, KY) – St.-Germain elderflower liqueur, Hendrick’s gin, fresh lemon juice and rosemary simple syrup topped off with Sprite for a slightly savorty and sweet flavor.
St. Mellow (Kieth Redmond; Anderson, SC) – Prosecco, St.-Germain elderflower liqueur, Absolut Citron and Peachtree Schnapps finished with a splash of soda.
For more information please visit mellowmushroom.com.
About Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers (www.mellowmushroom.com) was founded in 1974 in Atlanta, Georgia. This franchise, operated under Home-Grown Industries of Georgia, Inc., is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For 40 years, Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers has been serving up fresh, stone-baked pizzas to order in an eclectic, art-filled, and family-friendly environment. Each Mellow is locally owned and operated and provides a unique feel focused around great customer service and high-quality food. For more information on Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers, like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mellowmushroomHQ, follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MellowMushroom, and follow us on Pinterest at https://pinterest.com/mellowmushroom.
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