Congratulations Leslie!

9:31 PM PST, September 4, 2007: Now that a few hours have passed since I received the news that I did not win the Häagen Dazs Scoop Flavor Search Contest, I thought I would jot down my feelings. Of course, I can't publish this post yet, as I've signed my NDA already, but figured it would be best to capture the moment now. Obviously, I'm disappointed that I didn't win, but I actually felt worse that day I discovered that I had missed the public taste testing at SF Center. Today was relatively neutral. I was anxious all day -- constantly thinking every mail alert sound was going to be an e-mail from Häagen Dazs -- but I've had worse days. And, it was a good thing I was busy at work, so I was able to keep my mind off of things. But, as the day wore on, I began to wonder more and more. One-thirty P.M.: they must be contacting me soon, right? It's almost quitting time on the East coast. Two P.M. Nothing. Hmmm, what's going on? Four P.M. still no word. Maybe they are going to call my house. Called home to check messages and was surprised to hear someone answer the phone. Must be the wrong number, but no, wait, that's Tracy's voice (my roommate). Any messages? Nope. Five P.M. OK, they've got to be contacting soon. Maybe Diane is sick. Maybe I didn't win and they are only notifying the winner. Double check Diane's e-mail from last week. It's right here in print,

"We will plan to notify all of you which flavor has been selected as the winner on Tuesday, September 4."

Surely that wasn't a typo, right? Maybe the sent the notification via FedEx or US Postal. Call Tracy. Nope, only a bank statement and my current issue of Newsweek. Still no messages. Ding! Hold on Trace, let me check my e-mail. Yep, there it is, gotta go!

And, there it was.

"And the winner is .... Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan.
Congratulations to Leslie on a fabulous flavor and also to Ken and
Chrissy who were tough competitors. Amazingly, the votes were very
close -- indicative of the many taste preferences of our Haagen-Dazs
consumers.

As you know, Sara Moulton will introduce Leslie and reveal the winning
flavor on Good Morning America on Friday, September 21. Anne Woodard
from Gourmet Magazine will be contacting you to begin making
arrangements for your travel and itinerary in the next few days. Josh
Gellert from our office will also be joining you in New York for the
announcement. It should be very exciting. (Don't forget, mum's the
word until the announcement is made that day!)

Chrissy/Ken -- As a final parting gift, we'd be happy to send you a
delivery of ice cream for your classroom/workplace/family gathering,
etc. whenever it's time for a celebration ... or as you watch Leslie on
GMA. We hope you'll keep in touch and let us know how you're all doing.
You're part of the Haagen-Dazs family now! Best of luck and let us know
when an ice cream delivery will hit the spot.



Diane"

Sigh. At least no sinking feeling. And, I figured it would be Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan that would beat me out. Not to discount Chrissy's flavor, as I really enjoyed both, but I thought Leslie's would be the main competition. It just sounds more like a foodie dessert. At least I still get my "parting gift".

I really thought I was going to win. I had it all planned out. First, I'd tell a select few (NDA be damned): of course I'd have to tell my sister, Bonnie; then there's Riza; Mom was questionable, as I had to believe she'd be too excited as a mom to keep her mouth shut; one of my best friends, Brian; then I'd have to tell Tom so he could make travel plans from D.C. to meet me in NYC; then my cousin in D.C.; and my old roommate who's now near D.C.; my friends in NYC to save the weekend to meet up; my cousin Steph; the Gang. OK, maybe it's a good thing I didn't win. I'd probably get disqualified before I even got to New York. No, I know I could trust those folks not to tell. I'd tell everyone to meet me at the Temple Bar, which my friend Roger keeps telling me about.

I could see myself, flying from Cancún to New York. Seeing Sara and Monica again at Gourmet headquarters. Meeting Diane Sawyer. Staying at some swanky hotel.

Yeah, I'm a little bummed. But, like I realized in Bakersfield: even if I don't win, the experience was amazing and worth it. I think that is part of it -- the letdown -- the emptiness you feel of losing something that's been such a big part of your life. It's that, all of a sudden, this ride is over. Athletes and other competitors know this feeling, the day after compeition is over -- for good -- when you know it's done and there's no going back. Or, maybe the feeling parents get when their kids leave home, that empty nest feeling. This is something that has consumed me for the past 8 months, well more like 4 months, after I made the Top Three. I'd check the Häagen Dazs website religiously for updates; I started this blog. Now, I'm still tempted to check the website, which I have done even after learning I did not win (they still might post new webisodes, right?). Maybe I'm being narcissistic.

And now, I have to keep my mouth shut for nearly 3 weeks. Part of me wants to not tell my friends to watch GMA on 9/21, sort of as a silent protest. Think of how many Coco y Cacao fans Häagen Dazs is losing out on. Not that they'd ever know. The other part says I should still tell them to tune in to find out the winner. We'll see. I may be too busy having fun on the beach in Tulum, or exploring the Mayan ruins. I wonder if I can set up a mail message on Gmail to be delivered on a future date. I think my Mac Mail program allows that sort of thing.

I suppose part of me is relieved to know this is all over now. And, you know what? There's still the possibility that they will produce Coco y Cacao. I think it could fit in with their Reserve line. I'm not sure mainstream America was ready for an ice cream with a dose of heat in it. Mandeep, we tried! Denise, thanks again for your efforts. Sorry we couldn't pull out the win.

Tomorrow's a new day. New haircut (shaved my head, well not completely, but close). Been thinking of doing this for a while, but figured I should wait to hear if I won or not. I can always cut, but can't grow. Now that I won't be appearing on national TV, figured I might as well do it. Sort of cathartic, I suppose.

This could be my last blog on this site. I may write another post after the GMA announcement, which I will miss and now am not sure I will record. Or, who knows, maybe another post will appear after I see Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan on the supermarket shelf and read the story on the underside of the lid. If this is the last, then farewell, and thanks for taking the time to read this. To follow my other exploits, visit my personal blog.

And the winner is...

Wish I could tell you, but I can't. Find out on Sept 21 on Good Morning America, when Sara Moulton introduces one of us!

Gourmet Magazine, September 2007

I just got my latest issue of Gourmet. Of course, my first inclination was to check for any updates on the Scoop contest. On page 22 of the issue is another ad for Gourmet/Scoop. Here's the latest blurb:

"The competition continues as the three finalists -- Christine Hanusi, Ken Wan, and Leslie Zoerb -- fly to California to see their flavor dream turn into a reality. With the help of Gourmet Executive Chef Sara Moulton and our panel of flavor experts, the contestants ferfect their ice cream vision in the Häagen-Dazs® ice cream flavor labs.


WATCH THE COMPETITION HEAT UP WITH SPEIAL WEBISODES AT HAAGENDAZS.COM/SCOOP.

Whose flavor will make the cut? Will Ken have the chance to meet someone special by becoming the flavor winner? What does "Lady Pear" Leslie think of Christine's Blueberry Belgian Waffle? Find out at HäagenDazs.com/Scoop.

TUNE IN TO "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" ON SEPTEMBER 21, WHEN SARA MOULTON REVEALS THE WINNER ON LIVE TELEVISION!"

So there it is, the "public" announcement that the winner will be announce on September 21. But, you already knew that from my post on 7/29/07. Well, I will be roaming the Yucatan peninsula in search of the finest ingredients for Coco y Cacao. :-) They'll have to fly me out from Tulum, straight to NYC. Perfect, huh? And luckily, it sounds like the damage from Hurricane Dean wasn't too bad in Tulum. I haven't heard much about the rest of the Yucatan, but it didn't seem too bad. Or, maybe because it isn't the good 'ol US of A, we don't hear much about it.

Bummer!

Hey Everyone!

I am SO BUMMED out! I missed the public debut of Coco y Cacao, but don't worry, I'm still in the running. Still, I feel like I totally dropped the ball on this one when I discovered that they already held the tasting promotion in SF back on July 14! Could the test locations bode well for Coco y Cacao?


I think that was the day after I first discovered the new "webisodes". I was even in the City that day.

I knew the were holding out on me! I suppose they didn't want me to influence the vote. And you know I would have called on the Coco y Cacao Nation to descend upon SF Center. Aaargh! And you know how "uni-motional" I am. I'm really upset that I didn't do the Google search earlier. It's like showing up for the championship game and forgetting your freakin' sneakers.

Oh well, now when I win I can say it was legitimate. Another interesting find on that page is the actual date of the flavor launch -- September 21, 2007 on Good Morning America. Hmmm, I'll be basking on the beach in Tulum, Mexico or else exploring Chichen Itza. Guess they'll just have to fly me to New York direct from Mexico. It would be fitting, eh? I could say I was exploring Mexico for ingredients: chocolate from the ancient Mayans and Aztec spices. Oh, and apologies to any cultural groups I may have offended with my choice of names. I have no idea if there is such a thing as Aztec chocolate. I just needed a different name; Mexican chocolate is so common, and chocolate originated with the Mayans. So Aztec sounded good for the heat of pepper.


Some other intersting things I found on this latest Google search:
Someone's Xanga blog saying I have a look-a-like out there. And her blog has a link to a SlashFood posting about last year's (2006) Scoop contest. I find it interesting that two of last year's flavors are similar to this year: Caramelized Fig and Walnuts (2006) vs. Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan (2007); and of course Toasted Coconut Sesame Brittle (2006) vs Coco y Cacao (2007). I don't think Leslie knew about last year's flavors, and I certainly did not. Actually, had we known, we probably wouldn't have chosen our respective flavors. I'd guess this is especially true for Leslie; I mean even the name is similar. Note to next year's entrants: pick a caramelized fruit with some nut, or else go with a tropical theme. Ha ha!

I searched SlashFood for "haagen dazs" and came across this posting:
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/14/does-haagen-dazs-newest-flavor-sound-familiar/
which points out something I had noticed: that they made no mention of the creator of the flavor. I thought the whole bit about Thailand was made up, too, but found out Thailand was an inspiration for the inventor, Amber Antonelli (she posted a follow up comment). Cool thing is, she also won the prize money.

I'm unaware of any monetary prize for this year's contest, but if they turn a runner-up flavor into a regular product, maybe they'll at least mention the inventor this time.

My first blog, ever.

Hello Family, Friends, and Fans!

Happy May Day! This is just the first of possibly many posts for you, my Coco y Cacao followers. When I have time, I'll add more to detail my adventures in Bakersfield, and also the progress of my journey to New York City. And even if I don't end up in NYC, you can still follow the exploits of Coco y Cacao from now until September, when the winner will be announced live on Good Morning America.

The Häagen Dazs website will be updated roughly monthly with new webisodes from our experience in Bakersfield, CA. Please subscribe to this blog if you want to stay updated with my progress in the contest. I don't want to keep bombarding you with e-mails if you are not interested. If this is too complicated for you, and you'd rather get e-mail updates, then drop me a line.