Celebrity Chef Art Smith Spills The “Juicy Details” About SweeTango Writing Contest

Writer who best captures the sensation of biting into a superior SweeTango apple wins $5,000 prize

LAKE CITY, Minn., Sept. 26, 2012 –– Apple lovers are raving about SweeTango, calling the new variety the “BEST APPLE EVER!” and telling friends: “Yum!!! You’ve got to try SweeTango!”

The growers behind this highly anticipated apple know their fans can do better than capital letters and exclamation points. That’s why Next Big Thing, A Growers Cooperative is launching the “Juicy Details” writing contest.

The rules are simple: Describe the sensation of biting into a SweeTango apple in 50 words or fewer. Whoever best captures SweeTango’s superior eating experience wins $5,000 and gets their description featured in stores for all the world to see.

Celebrity Chef Art Smith, who knows a thing or two about taste, will help pick the winner.

“I often find that preparing a dish is the easy part. Describing the flavors and textures is the real challenge,” Smith said. “SweeTango is a superior apple that deserves the perfect description. Who better to create that description than SweeTango’s biggest fans?”

Smith is a restaurateur, author, philanthropist, activist and reality show contestant. He will pour over all the entries, looking for the one that best evokes the distinct flavor, texture and overall joy that is SweeTango. The winning writer will receive a grand prize of $5,000 and a box of SweeTango apples. The winner also will have their delicious description featured in stores during the 2013 season.

“Chef Smith is a true arbitrator of taste and we’re excited to have him help select the winner of the Juicy Details contest,” said Tim Bryne, president of Next Big Thing, A Growers Cooperative. “We can’t wait to see how our fans describe the experience of biting into a delicious SweeTango apple.”

Three runners-up also will receive a 12-pack of SweeTango apples. The Juicy Details contest will be open through October 12, 2012 to residents of the United States and Canada over the age of 18, excluding the province of Quebec.

SweeTango, the most celebrated apple variety in years, has won over sophisticated foodies and casual fans alike. SweeTango is crisp and juicy with a smooth texture. The flavor is rich and vibrant. Sweet notes framed by bright acidity gratify with every crisp bite.

Introduced in limited quantities in 2009, SweeTango is a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties. SweeTango, an early season variety, is available in stores nationwide this fall. The apple’s flavor is nurtured by the finest apple growers in the world. Featured in the 2011 food issue of The New Yorker magazine, SweeTango was developed by expert apple breeders and is grown by committed family-run orchards.

For more information on how to enter and win the Juicy Details contest, please visit http://www.sweetango.com or check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SweeTango or Twitter at www.twitter.com/SweeTango.

About Next Big Thing
Headquartered in Lake City, Minn., Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative is a 45-member cooperative of family growers, spread over five time zones from Nova Scotia to Washington State, that will grow and market managed varieties of apples, beginning with SweeTango®.

SweeTango is a registered trademark of the University of Minnesota for fruit of the Minneiska cultivar.