Dessert takes top award at Pillsbury Bake-Off

Roberta Sonefeld took home first prize for her sweet concoction

February 29, 2000
Web posted at: 1:55 p.m. EST (1855 GMT)

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- Bobbie Sonefeld knows the sweet smell of success. Her Cream Cheese Brownie Pie earned her the $1 million grand-prize in the 50th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off, announced Tuesday.

One-hundred Bake-Off finalists spent all day Monday stirring, chopping, cooking, and hoping their recipe would be chosen as the very best.

The contest, which began in 1949, has changed with the times. Homemakers are no longer the only competitors. Now there are women and men from all walks of life, older adults and even children vying to have their dish chosen as the best.

The contest has also gone high-tech, with all the competing recipes posted on the Internet before the first dish was even mixed. Contestants were also able to submit their recipes via the Web.

	THE RECIPES
The winning recipe:Cream Cheese Brownie Pie by Bobbie Sonefeld of South Carolina 50th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest 100 recipes from 100 finalists

All competing recipes fell into one of four categories: Easy Weeknight Meals, Yummy Vegetables, Fast and Fabulous Desserts and Treats, and Casual Snacks and Appetizers. Sonefeld's winning entry competed in the dessert group.

One finalist in each of the other three categories took home $10,000. Lorraine Maggio won for her Ham and Swiss Crescent Braid -- an Easy Weeknight Meal; Judith Mettlin's Island Paradise Salad earned her the honor in best Yummy Vegetables; and Pesto Crescent Twists with Feta Spread got Judy Wood the dough in the Casual Snacks and Appetizers category.

Three semifinalists in each category won $2,000 each. And one contestant, Pat Parsons, will get a new kitchen valued at $5,000 for having the most innovative recipe, Guess Again Candy Crunch.

The road to the Bake-Off championship is a long one. The competition actually began in late September of 1999, when hopeful chefs began submitting their recipes by mail and on-line.

Donene Turner of Vandalia, Michigan tempted judges with her entry, Pear and Currant Pie

All submissions received a detailed evaluation. First, Pillsbury checked to make sure that none of the recipes had been previously published or won any other national contests. Then the recipes were taken to consumers. Without knowing these were Bake-Off entries, consumers rated each dish for general appeal and quick and easy preparation. From those ratings, the finalists were selected.

On December 15th, Pillsbury notified 100 contestants that they would be participating in the Bake-Off.

The contestants received a trip to San Francisco for the competition. There, they were given enough supplies to make their specific dish three times, one for photography, one to share with others, and of course the best for the judges.

Pillsbury celebrated the 50th anniversary of the well-known contest this year, though the actual anniversary fell in 1999. The competition is only conducted every other year, and there was no contest last year.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, Pillsbury has also created the Bake-Off Contest Hall of Fame recognizing 10 recipes and creators from past competitions. The honorees were chosen by Pillsbury's test kitchens "based on consumer popularity throughout the past 50 years."

50th Anniversary Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest

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