Avondale Estates, GA — Kellogg’s Away From Home, in partnership with Southern Smoke Foundation, has announced that Angél Joseph, chef at The Lost Druid Brewery in Avondale Estates, won the “I’m Not Chicken” Challenge.

The contest challenged chefs and operators in Atlanta to try plant-based Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms Homestyle Chik’n Tenders by creating unique dishes for the opportunity to wine $10,000, a three-month supply of the chik’n tenders and help support the restaurant industry, according to a press release.

“Chef Angèl Joseph really showcased his creativity with this flavorful menu concept and clearly the voters agreed,” said Dara Schuster, senior director of marketing at Kellogg Company. “His dish proves that cooking with plant-based doesn’t have to be boring. Using Chik’n Tenders offers a plant-based experience like no other, delivering a just-like-meat texture that consumers crave.”

Joseph created a honey ginger beer glazed vegan crispy chick’n tender paired with smoked coconut sticky rice. The dish is garnished with toasted sesame seed fresno parsley and a spicy mango purée. This dish was inspired by Joseph’s Caribbean and Asian background.

“Food is my passion – it’s what I love, it’s who I am, it’s what I do. I wake up every day excited about creating something new in the kitchen and winning this challenge only increases my excitement,” Joseph said. “The Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders definitely give me ‘real chicken’ vibes. My customers loved the dish and it actually sold out the first day it was on the menu. They’re excited to have a delicious vegan option and I’ve been receiving nothing but positive reviews.”

Kellogg’s also awarded “I’m Not Chicken” finalist chef and restaurant owner Amanda Brock $5,000 and a three-month supply of Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders to use for her soul food-inspired restaurant, M&M Comfort Zone located in the East Atlanta Village neighborhood. She created a vegan hot hunny chick’n sandwich, which features a sweet and spicy glaze on a toasted hoagie drizzled with House Herb Dressing.

“I always wanted to have vegan option and the Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders cooked up perfectly, had a lot of flavor and were very easy to work with, which is helpful when you’re a small business and trying to do several other things at once that may take up more time,” Brock said. “People loved the sandwich and I was overwhelmed by the amount of support we received from the community. It’s been an amazing experience and I’m excited for what’s to come.”

Dishes submitted to the contest were judged by chefs Pinky Cole of Slutty Vegan in Atlanta and Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf in New Orleans. Both chefs are known for their creative menus featuring Incogmeato Chik’n Tenders. The recipes were evaluated based on crave-worthiness, creativity and originality, menu description and visual appearance.

Voters chose the winning recipe concept via a 24-hour Instagram poll on the Kellogg’s Away From Home Instagram story. As part of the challenge, Incogmeato also donated $10,000 to the Southern Smoke Foundation to directly benefit the food and beverage industry in Atlanta and help accelerate the restaurant industry’s recovery.

“Southern Smoke is proud to be a part of such an exciting campaign with partners like Kellogg’s and Mason Hereford. We are grateful for their generous donation and for helping us raise awareness about the crisis relief we can provide for food and beverage workers nationwide,” said Chris Shepherd, founding director and honorary chairman of the Southern Smoke Foundation.

The “I’m Not Chicken” Challenge was open to chefs and restaurant operators of independent restaurants with a public menu located in Georgia. Participants entered the contest by posting their Incogmeato Chik’n Tender menu concepts to their Instagram feeds using #IncogmeatoContestEntry.