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closeHoney and spice and everything nice
Red Robin Kids Cook-Off finalist Emma Potts creates a burger for all tastes and wins a chance to have it served nationwide
By Avani Nadkarni/of The Herald
Emma Potts can make a mean breakfast — scrambled eggs and egg sandwiches are the 9-year-old’s specialties.
Now, the McAlder Elementary School fourth-grader can add burgers to her resume: Potts is one of ten finalists in Red Robin’s nationwide Kids Cook-Off contest, thanks to her Spicy Honey Glazed Bacon Burger.
“I like things sweet and salty and I like things with spice in them, so I thought I’d combine all of that,” Potts said, sitting at the Puyallup Red Robin with her mother, Donna Beck.
“She thought of the recipe so fast,” said Beck, who learned about the contest through an e-mail she received and encouraged her daughter to enter.
Potts had to create the recipe and fill out an official sheet with ingredients, cooking directions and an essay about why her burger deserves to be served at Red Robin.
“We didn’t think we’d hear anything back (about the contest),” Beck recalled.
Then, in October, the family heard that Potts was the Puyallup restaurant winner. Soon after, they received a phone call that she was one of 10 finalists around the country out of the 11,000 children who entered. She won an iPod Nano, a $150 Visa gift card, $140 in Red Robin gift cards, a chef’s hat and coat and a trip to Denver to make her burger in front of the judges, which include Food Network star Robin Miller and Chef Dave of the Red Robin commercials. If Potts wins in Denver, the Spicy Honey Glazed Bacon Burger will be served in all Red Robins for a month or two this summer and a photo of her will grace each table.
“I’m really excited,” said Potts, grinning.
Beck is thrilled, as well. She’s been bragging to her co-workers and recently even broke the news to Potts’ teacher.
“She’s kind of modest,” Beck said of her daughter. “So I have to tell people!”
Win or not, Potts has at least 98 fans — the Puyallup Red Robin employees. During a recent trip to the store, the employees clamored to make Potts’ burger and eagerly waited to meet her.
“Every year, we want to get kids to get a chance to create a burger,” said General Manager Laurie Yokota. “Kids are a lot of who we are (so) it was just really exciting to have that someone from our area in the contest.”
An added bonus: Part of the proceeds from the sale of the national winner’s burger will go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
“We get to show off our kid winner and also get to help a great non-profit,” Yakota said. “It’s really win-win.”
Meanwhile, Potts is practicing her burger-making skills for the Denver contest, which will be held Dec. 3, by showing her skills to Beck, dad Greg Potts and 14-year-old brother TJ Potts.
Potts, an avid gymnast, wants to pursue gymnastics in college, but says she isn’t sure how much food will factor into her future career.
Still, for now, Potts is just aiming to please with her new creation.
“This burger is for people who like sweet and spicy and everything in between,” Potts said with a smile.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vote for Potts! From now until Dec. 3, the public can learn more about Emma Potts and the other finalists and vote for the fan favorite award at the Red Robin Web site, said Puyallup Red Robin General Manager Laurie Yakota. The winner of the fan favorite award will win a $100 Toys R Us gift card. People can also register at the site to stream the Dec. 3 Denver contest online and watch the children create their burgers in front of the judges. For more information, visit www.redrobin.com.