Englewood Cliffs, NJ–(HISPANIC PR WIRE)–December 3, 2007–Unilever is proud to announce that Karelys Leal of Houston, Texas has won the national 2007 Desafío del Sabor (The Flavor Challenge) competition. In its second year, the Desafío del Sabor competition, Unilever’s Hispanic-focused promotion, offered self proclaimed “chefs” with the opportunity to show off their talent in the kitchen and in front of the cameras during live auditions which were held across the country.
“Desafío del Sabor has continued to be a success in celebrating Hispanic’s love for cooking and we are thrilled with the number of participants that we saw in this year’s auditions,” said Joseph Vizcarra, Multicultural Integrated Marketing Manager, Unilever United States. “We look forward to extending the Desafío del Sabor campaign into 2008 with new and exciting activities that will involve the entire family.”
The grand prize winner was announced at the end of a challenging cook-off finale that aired on Galavisión, the nation’s leading Spanish-language cable television network, on December 1st, during which Karelys prepared the winning dish Chicken a la Guacamaya. Karelys won $25,000, an all expense paid trip for two to the 20th annual “Premio Lo Nuestro a la Música Latina” (Lo Nuestro Latin Music Awards) show in Miami, VIP and Red Carpet treatment, and the opportunity to have a recipe featured on desafiodelsabor.com. Gema Benuikoff of Lake Elsinore, CA was the runner-up. Finalists were judged on their creativity in creating a delicious meal using ingredients that were revealed at the beginning of the cook-off.
To participate in the Desafío del Sabor Cooking Challenge, Hispanic consumers auditioned by tapping into their inner celebrity chef and demonstrating how they would prepare their favorite recipe on camera. Consumers in Miami, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Phoenix participated for the chance to compete in a nationally televised finale cook-off for a grand prize of $25,000 and a chance to play to win $1 million.
“Desafío del Sabor has given me an incredible opportunity to achieve one of my biggest dreams – cooking on national television – and I feel honored to have been selected from so many talented participants from across the country,” said Karelys Leal, 2007 Desafío del Sabor winner. “It’s a blessing to receive national recognition for something that you love to do and I applaud Unilever for giving Hispanics a chance to participate in a competition that focuses on something so near and dear to our traditions…cooking.”
The campaign is supported by several leading Unilever brands including Knorr, Ragu, Lipton and Hellmann’s. Visit desafiodelsabor.com for more information on Desafío del Sabor and learn how you and your family can participate in 2008 Desafío del Sabor activities.
About Unilever
Unilever [NYSE: UL, UN], one of the world’s largest consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day, around the world, consumers make 150 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. The company has a portfolio of brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
In the United States these brands include recognized names such as: Axe, “all,” Ben & Jerry’s, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave, Sunsilk and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever in the United States employs approximately 13,000 people in 60 office and manufacturing sites in 24 states and Puerto Rico – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2006. For more information visit http://www.unileverusa.com.
