MINNESOTA FIREFIGHTER CROWNED AMERICA’S “HOTTEST” FIREHOUSE COOK

Cooks Up $10,000 Grand Prize in Fifth National TABASCO^® Cook & Ladder^® Competition

NEW YORK, February 3, 2009 – Firefighter Tracy Moore with the Minneapolis Fire Department (Engine 5) was crowned “America’s Hottest Firehouse Cook” in the fifth national TABASCO^® Cook & Ladder^® Competition held in New York City.

1st Place: Tracy Moore

2nd Place: Laura Ketelhut

3rd Place: Jason Everett

Moore cooked up her favorite recipe – Mount TABASCO® Chocolate Lava Cake – to go head-to-head with the culinary talent of nine other firefighters from around the country and to claim the $10,000 grand prize.

“When I heard my name announced as grand prize winner, I literally jumped in the air,” said Moore. “I’m so happy to have won for myself and for my firehouse. I look forward to sharing the $10,000 with them.”

Moore will use her prize money to fund a long-anticipated Mount Kilimanjaro climb. Her firehouse will vote on the best use of its share of the money. Ideas range from purchasing new workout equipment, to a fire hose-tester, to bird feeders for outside of the station.

Second place and $5,000 went to Laura Ketelhut with the Fond du Lac Fire Department in Wisconsin for her Chipotle Mac-n-Cheese. Third place and $2,000 went to Jason Everett with the Vashon Island Fire & Rescue in Washington for his Southwestern Chipotle Cioppino.

All prize money is split evenly between each of the firefighters and their respective firehouses.

Recipes were judged on the following criteria: originality and creativity, taste, use of one or more TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauces, recipe clarity and presentation. Contestants prepared their dishes for a judging panel that included Tony Simmons, executive vice president of McIlhenny Company and fifth generation McIlhenny family member; Sara Moulton, executive chef of Gourmet magazine, host of Sara’s Weeknight Meals on PBS, and food editor at Good Morning America; Gretchen VanEsselstyn, editor in chief of Chile Pepper magazine; James Oliver Cury, executive editor of Epicurious.com; and Rett Blankenship, a Dallas, Texas firefighter and the 2007 grand prize winner.

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