Martha Stewart to Host 45th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest

Published on Tuesday, 31 January 2012 09:08 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

MINNEAPOLIS-( Business Wire )-

Peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, cookies and milk – these culinary combinations have long been favorites and now there’s a new winning pair in the kitchen as “The Martha Stewart Show” joins forces with the 45^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest to bring America the inspiring stories behind the nation’s most beloved cooking competition. Leading up to the contest finals in March, the Martha show will feature “The Road to the Bake-Off® Contest,” a series of segments chronicling the heart-warming tales of the talented home cooks vying for the $1 million grand prize, with Martha revealing the winner live on Hallmark Channel's “The Martha Stewart Show” on March 27.

On Monday, March 26, the 100 finalists will prepare their original recipes side-by-side in 100 GE mini kitchens at the Peabody Orlando Hotel. Martha Stewart will join these home cooks on the contest floor as they chop, slice and mix up their creations in four categories—Breakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy™ and Sweet Treats. Their recipes will be judged by a panel of food experts working in secrecy behind closed doors to select the contest’s million-dollar winner.

On Tuesday, March 27, Martha will host a special broadcast to reveal the million-dollar grand prize winner, live from Orlando in a specially-designed Bake-Off® Kitchen on her Emmy Award-winning show, “The Martha Stewart Show,” which airs daily at 10 AM ET/9 AM CT on Hallmark Channel.

Martha Stewart said: “The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is a beloved tradition, and I am very excited to host the finals. This is a classic American event that celebrates creativity, showcases innovation, and honors the art and science of cooking and baking. The contest is also a recipe for truly engaging television—I think of it as the World Series of cooks—and I’m looking forward to sharing it with our audience.”

“With the 100 recipes combining the perfect amount of creativity and practicality, we couldn’t think of a better person to announce our winner than Martha Stewart,” said Ann Simonds, President of Pillsbury USA. “The energy on cooking day is contagious and having Martha walk the contest floor to see the finalists, as well as announce our winner live on ‘The Martha Stewart Show,’ is sure to add a new level of excitement to the 45^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest.”

Visit www.bakeoff.com for contest history and rules, and to get the 100 finalists’ recipes to try at home.

The 45^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is sponsored by General Mills, The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances & Lighting, Fisher® Nuts, The HERSHEY Company, Land O’Lakes, Inc., and McCormick & Company.

About General Mills & Pillsbury

General Mills is one of the world’s leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries. Its more than 100 consumer brands include Pillsbury, Muir Glen, Progresso, Cheerios, Fiber One, Häagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker, Green Giant and Old El Paso. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2011 net sales of US$14.9 billion. For more than 130 years, families have trusted Pillsbury to make mealtimes special times. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts, appetizers and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

About Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) is a diversified media and merchandising company, inspiring and engaging consumers with unique lifestyle content and distinctive products. The Publishing segment encompasses the company’s print and digital businesses and is comprised of four magazines, including MSLO’s flagship publication, Martha Stewart Living, periodic special issues, books, websites, digital apps, blogs, and more. The Broadcasting segment produces the Emmy-winning, daily television series, "The Martha Stewart Show," and other original programming on Hallmark Channel, including “Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn.” Broadcasting also encompasses Martha Stewart Living Radio on SIRIUS XM Channel 110. In addition to its media properties, MSLO offers high-quality Martha Stewart products through licensing agreements with carefully selected companies, including the Martha Stewart Collection exclusively at Macy's, the Martha Stewart Living line of home-improvement products at The Home Depot, Martha Stewart Crafts with EK Success at Michaels, Jo-Ann Fabric, and independent retailers, Martha Stewart Pets at PetSmart, and the forthcoming Martha Stewart Home Office with Avery at Staples. In December 2011, the Company entered into a strategic alliance with J.C. Penney Company, Inc., which includes a merchandising agreement to build distinct Martha Stewart stores in jcpenney department stores, and to jointly develop an e-commerce site, both of which are expected to launch in 2013. In 2008, Emeril Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands; MSLO acquired the assets related to Lagasse's media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products. For additional information about MSLO, visit www.marthastewart.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50146683&lang=en

General MillsShera Balgobin, 763-293-1212shera.balgobin@genmills.comorMartha Stewart Living OmnimediaJeanne Meyer, 212-827-8246jmeyer@marthastewart.comorFerenComm for “The Martha Stewart Show”Sheila Feren/Lauren Kuebler, 212-983-9898sheilaf@ This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.