Fresh milk products and great customer service at Stew Leonard's!

STEW LEONARD’S ANNOUNCES FINALISTS TO COMPETE IN CUSTOMER RECIPE COOK-OFF ON SEPTEMBER 20
Winners Featured in Store’s Cookbook, Chance to Win up to $500 in Store Gift Certificates

NORWALK, Conn., September 10, 2003 – Recipe entries flooded into Stew Leonard’s after the July announcement that the store would be holding their first-ever Customer Recipe Cook-Off, with some entries coming in from as far away as Maryland and Rhode Island.

The contest was open to all customers who shop at any of the three Stew Leonard’s locations, in Norwalk and Danbury, Connecticut and Yonkers, New York. More than 150 entries qualified, and from that, three finalists were chosen in each of the contest’s eight categories. The category finalists will compete in a Cook-Off to be held at the Norwalk store location at 100 Westport Avenue, on Saturday, September 20, starting at 11:00 A.M. and concluding at 1:00 P.M.

One winner will be selected in each category, along with the top three overall finalists. Stew Leonard’s will feature the winning customer recipes in the store’s cookbook, tentatively titled, Stew Leonard Cooks, which will be published to time with the opening of the fourth Stew Leonard’s store in East Farmingdale, NY in late 2004. In addition, the overall top three recipes will win a $500, $200 and $100 Stew Leonard’s gift certificate respectively, and all category winners will receive a $50.00 gift certificate.

Celebrity Chef Marc Weiss, known as DJ Chef with his radio show, “DJ CHEF FOOD 411” on Long Island’s WLIR (92.7 FM), will be the Master of Ceremonies. Stew Leonard, Jr., Stew Leonard’s Chefs, and local media personalities, will make up the panel of judges, along with the Stew Leonard’s cookbook editor, Anne Egan, a former food editor and cookbook publisher at Rodale Press.

Following are the names, hometown cities and recipes of the 24 finalists who will be competing in the Cook-Off:

Meat Category:
• Jim Curto, from Stamford, Conn. for his Maximus Grilled Lamb
• Lois Barber, of Sandy Hook, Conn. for her Tex Mex Filet Mignon
• Shelley Obletz, from Dix Hills, New York for her Steak Tuscany
Poultry Category:
• Lillian Campo of New York, NY for her Dora Campo’s Chicken Cacciatore
• Paul Bova of Stamford, Conn. for his Chicken Scapariello
• Catherine Gaccione, from Fairfield, Conn. for her Chicken Marsala
Fish/Seafood Category:
• Mauricette Hubbard, of New York, NY for her Gratin of Salmon Dill
• Edward Warner, of Trumbull, Conn. for his Arugula Stuffed Grilled Swordfish
• Josephine Laska, of Westport, Conn. for her Empress Josephine’s Shrimp with Farfalle
Deli Category:
• Kathy Buda, of Sandy Hook, Conn. for her Baked Grinder Italiano
• Lois Holly, from Fairfield, Conn. for her Chicken with Gruyere and Mushrooms
• Jennifer DeGennaro, of Manopac, NY for her Rigatoni with Escarole, Sausage and Mozzarella
Produce Category:
• Helen Kellnhauser, of Danbury, Conn. for her Fiesta Bowl
• Ann Wright, of Stratford, Conn. for her Oven Baked Potatoes and Carrots
• Maureen Smith, of Danbury, Conn. for her Red Grape Salad
Coffee Category:
• Barbara Fenton, from Norwalk, Conn. for her Ricotta Cheese Dessert
• Stacey Lloyd of Newtown, Conn. for her Tiramisu
• Bonnie Wunsch of Danbury, Conn. for her Choo-Choo’s Mocha Tart
Bakery Category:
• Nancy Dunn of Sandy Hook, Conn. for her Coconut Bread Pudding with Apricots
• Dee Whittaker of Huntington, Conn. for her low-carbohydrate Blueberry Muffins
• Christopher Gavin of Madison, Conn. for his Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Dairy Category:
• Amy Oko of Seymour, Conn. for her Shrimp and Penne with Asiago Cream Sauce
• Tara Hamway of Lincoln Park, NJ for her Potato Corn Chowder with Bacon and Gruyere
• Lisa Keys of Middlebury, Conn. for her Farm Fresh Crème Brulee Fruit Tart

“Stew Leonard’s is well-known for their customer service, and it only seemed fitting that we wanted to involve our customers in our cookbook; having a Customer Recipe Cook-Off seemed to be a natural way to do this,” said Stew Leonard, Jr. “I am so impressed with the quality of the recipes. I can’t wait to taste all 24 of them! It will be an exciting and fun day.”

The response from finalists has been equally as enthusiastic. “We have been shopping at Stew's for over 20 years and love the variety of very fresh foods offered there; no other store has fresher dairy, meat and produce,” said Lisa Keys of Middlebury, Conn., who is a finalist in the dairy category. “We also love the fresh baked bread. Using such fresh ingredients makes the best recipes.”

About Stew Leonard’s
Unlike traditional grocery stores that sell an average 30,000 items, each Stew Leonard’s store carries only 2,000 items, chosen specifically for their freshness, quality and value.
Among the store’s unique features that distinguishes it from typical supermarkets: an in-store dairy plant where milk is packaged in front of customers; costumed characters and animatronics throughout the store; one continuous aisle that winds through the store; and 80 percent of the products sold are fresh – that is, brought in daily or prepared directly in-store. For more information visit www.stewleonards.com.

About DJ Chef Marc Weiss, Master of Ceremonies
" DJ CHEF" Marc Weiss is the host of the DJ CHEF TV series, which fuses food, music & entertainment. On radio, you can hear him on various stations broadcasting his show the "DJ CHEF FOOD 411." To round out his multi-media career, he is also the food editor of the Best Of Long Island Restaurants & Entertainment magazine. Marc recently launched a line of seasonings called "DJ CHEF'S Seasoning Flava" and is working on other products under the "DJ CHEF'S" brand. Marc owns and operates DJ CHEF Entertainment which is his enterprise for Catering, Cooking Classes and Demonstrations (and as a guest D.J. for events.) Visit him on the web at www.DJCHEF.com.