We Have a Winner! Herr’s 2023 ‘Flavored By Philly’ Chip Award Goes To …
The winner not only goes down in history as a fan favorite, they also receive a grand prize of $10,000.
Ed Herr and Joe Corropolese celebrating Tomato Pie-flavored chips being crowned the winner of the Herr’s 2023 ‘Flavored by Philly’ contest / Photography courtesy of Herr’s
If you’ve spent any time on social media since June, you’ve likely seen people posing with bags of Herr’s chips featuring flavors inspired by three of Philly’s most beloved restaurants. It was all part of Herr’s second annual #FlavoredbyPhilly contest, a competition celebrating small local businesses and the flavor they add to our city.
Over the last few months, fans submitted their favorite spots, three finalists were chosen, and food scientists got to work replicating the flavors of each restaurant’s most iconic dishes. At the beginning of this summer those flavors were captured in a series of Herr’s chips made available to local chip lovers who were tasked with voting for a winner.
The three contenders were Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli’s Tomato Pie, John’s Roast Pork’s Roast Pork Sandwich, and Mike’s BBQ’s Korean BBQ Wings. The chosen chip would not only be crowned this year’s ‘Flavored By Philly’ winner, they’d also be awarded a grand prize of $10,000. The person who submitted the nomination would also win $5,000, the runners-up would receive $2,500 and their nominators would be awarded $1,000.
More than 17,600 snack lovers voted and the winner is Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli’s Tomato Pie!
Ed Herr and Joe Corropolese holding a box of Corropolese tomato pie
“We wanted to figure out how can we work with other local family businesses that do food, right,” said Ed Herr, chairman and CEO of Herr’s. “So we created this partnership with folks to highlight the great flavors of Philadelphia.”
And what better flavor to capture the city than Corropolese’s tomato pie, a nostalgic culinary pastime for many throughout the Delaware Valley? It’s a popular dish served at every event from birthdays to game day, and just as it’s a tradition for many local families, it’s a deep-rooted tradition in the Corropolese family – a recipe born from their home kitchen and cherished within the local community.
According to Joe Corropolese, owner of Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli, accurately capturing the subtle nuance and spirit of their tomato pie was a collaborative process between his family and the Herr family. “We gave them some feedback, they went back, they changed it up a little bit, and eventually, we got a chip that everyone liked,” said Corropolese. “I thought they did a pretty good job,” he said, adding that the chip really captured the sweetness of Corropolese sauce.
As for the $10,000 award, Corropolese plans on donating it all to the Ronald McDonald House and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “A few months back, I had a grandson born at CHOP,” said Corropolese. “He had some issues, and CHOP was really great with him and us. So we figured we’d give back a little bit to say thank you.”
