This week, Biscuitville Fresh Southern named the grand champions of its 15th annual Bake-Off competition. The biscuit-making contest included more than a hundred Biscuitville team members from the 54 company-owned restaurants in North Carolina and Virginia competing to be named the supreme biscuit maker. Greg Kearns, operator of the N. Fayetteville St. Biscuitville in Asheboro, North Carolina, was named Grand Champion biscuit maker among managers, and Maroua Abbou of the S. Main St. Biscuitville in Graham, North Carolina, took the 2015 title among crew members. This is both Kearns’ and Abbou’s first time winning the Champion titles.
“At Biscuitville, we pride ourselves in making high quality, authentic southern food, and mouthwatering made-from-scratch biscuits,” says Biscuitville chief operations officer Connie Bennett. “Our team members strive to deliver Biscuitville’s brand promise to all of our guests, and this competition is an opportunity for them to demonstrate their biscuit-making skills, win a big cash prize, and obtain sheer bragging rights. Among the winners, Greg is a skilled leader and biscuit-maker, and Abbou, who has been with Biscuitville for just over eight months, is a shining star in our restaurant.”
The road to the Bake-Off championship, and its $1,000 grand prize, is arduous. Contestants must first prevail in their home restaurants, then at district competitions to qualify for the final round. At the Bake-Off Grand Finale held on June 29, two finalist groups competed amongst themselves to win the biscuit champion title within their respective crew member and manager groups. They showcased their mastery of measuring, mixing, and kneading in the product development test kitchen at Biscuitville’s headquarters in Greensboro. Judges assessed each contestant’s ability to follow Biscuitville’s procedural criteria and certification techniques, including accurate measuring and proper dough rolling and flexing. Final assessments score each contestant’s ability to make the perfect biscuit based on its golden brown color, texture, height, 3-inch diameter size, weight, and overall appearance.
Since 1966, making delicious, scratch-made biscuits the old-fashioned way has been serious business for Biscuitville, and it is one of the primary reasons for the company’s success. While Biscuitville’s coveted biscuit recipe only calls for three basic ingredients—flour, buttermilk, and shortening—making the perfect biscuit requires special talent and a mastery of skills. Producing hundreds of biscuits each and every day with perfection, precision, and pride is culinary artistry at its finest.
