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.

Gourmet Magazine, July 2007

I just received my July 2007 issue of Gourmet Magzine, which I've been eagerly anticipating. Why? Last week, my friend Jenny told me that she read a blurb about me on her flight from Canada. She told me they "jazzed up" the story behind my flavor (compared to what I had told her), so I was curious to see what they had written. See for yourself on the right -->. For the record, it's all true. I just wasn't expecting it to come out in print, though I did say it on camera, so anything's game.
Can't say that it is working completely yet, but maybe things are just warming up. So, here's a call out to all of you single women out there. ha ha! This is great, too, because I've somehow advanced a few levels in both professions. Not only am I now a "scientist" (in my field, I'd be considered a "tech"), but I'm also a "chef" versus a "cook". Too bad I got stuck on Page 2 of the Gourmet site (thanks to Howie for noticing!). I hadn't even thought of going to that site; didn't even notice the URL at the top of the ad. I think my eyes get so focused on the words Häagen Dazs.

Anyway, it looks like the ball might be rolling again, so I'm hoping they'll have new videos posted soon. In the meantime, continue to VOTE FOR ME. Thanks!

July issue of Gourmet magazine

Just got word from my friend that there is a new ad in the July issue of Gourmet magazine. For some reason, my copy isn't due to arrive until July 3 or something. Don't magazines usually come out before the cover date?

CP: 19,222
CC: 17,850
BB: 15,001

Bakersfield, Day Two, Part Two

First, a digression: I can't wait for the ice cream to arrive tomorrow morning. Too bad I have a 9:30am meeting, otherwise I'd wait around for it (supposed to arrive by 10:30am). May just have to head home for lunch. Six packs is so little - I can't possibly spread it around for everyone.

Ok, back to Bakersfield...

As many of you know, I had created a recipe for Coco y Cacao prior to my Bakersfield trip. Therefore, I had a firm idea of what my ice cream should taste, and feel, like. So, when I saw the ingredients I had to play with, I think the first thing out of my mouth was "NO". No, I don't like shredded coconut. No, this ice cream base doesn't taste right. No, no, no, no. OK, maybe I wasn't that whiny. But I definitely had strong opinions against the coconut base ice cream they had prepared - I had used coconut milk, which has a significantly different taste. I had used fresh, young coconut -- they gave me re-hydrated coconut (shredded and flaked). I have to admit, though, I was curious if you could rehydrate coconut. Turns out you can, though it isn't nearly as tender.

Well, after this little stumbling block, we went to work perfecting the "Aztec" Chocolate Swirl. I was given several choices of spicy fudges, but decided to make my own combination. So, I had to choose between the two varieties of cinnamon, which was easy b/c one choice was the kind you find in cinnamon chewing gum, which burns my tongue.

Working with the chefs was amazing. One taste and they immediately know what needs adjustment. Making that adjustment is the tricky part. How much coconut for the base? How much cinnamon for the chocolate? How much pepper? The pepper was trickiest. We first kept adding gradually, but weren't feeling the heat. Then I doubled it and we all agreed it was a decent amount. Then Floyd comes in and immediately says it is too much. People are going to eat more than one bite, he said, and the heat will continue to grow. Excellent comment and exactly why the experts were there. Floyd is the spice guy, after all. Another thing Floyd said later was how he instructs his cooks. He tells them not to make small, incremental, baby steps when playing with flavors. Make a big leap, and if you went too far, then you know you need to dial it back. If it still isn't enough, then you haven't wasted your time with tons of small changes. And that is pretty much what we did, unwittingly. We doubled the amount of pepper, only to bring it back to an intermediate stage. Also, Denise said that after tasting for more than 15-20 minutes, or so (can you tell I'm guessing here?), you begin to lose your sense of taste. Other interesting tidbits were that they normally have people come to the taste sensory labs around 10-11am. This is when the sense of taste is highest for most people. Ok, maybe not that exact time, but I think just before lunch is the key. You are hungry, and that heightens your sense of taste. Also, I think she said most ice cream is consumed late at night, because you are a little hungry after settling down from dinner and it tastes the best when you are a bit hungry, versus right after a meal.

By the end of the two-hour kitchen session, you could get a good sense of each chef's style. Jacques seemed to like strong flavors, while Sara more subtle, with Floyd and Nancy falling in between. We had to choose 2 variations to present to the judging panel the next day, so I decided I would go on both ends of the spectrum to sort of calibrate my scale. I would use the judges comments to see where along the spectrum I needed to be. So, I chose one batch with strong coconut flavor and lots of heat, while the other had more subtle flavor and just a hint of heat. We poured the batches into containers and off they went to the blast freezer (-40°C ?). Ahhh, that's nothing -- I work with freezers twice as cold. Oh, before I forget, I learned (or re-learned: I had seen a show on this once, but forgot) how to make a swirl in ice cream. Rather than "swirl' or mix it in, you fold in the chocolate to make swirls.

As in any industry, there are specific terms for things. Variegate equals swirl, Add-in equals, well, stuff you add in (you know, like chocolate chips), etc. I'm probably butchering this.

After lunch, we got a tour of the ice cream factory. Another "clean" experience. You will be happy to know how many precautions they take to prevent your food from getting contaminated. They don't give tours to the public, so we had to don everything the employees wear: hairnets, ear protection, safety goggles, gloves, coats, and booties. All jewelry has to be removed, and anything else that might fall into the food. Even the coats are designed not to have buttons that might fall off. We asked if our chef's coats were ok, and they were because there aren't any buttons.

Factory highlights for me were: 1) The "Dazzler". A beautiful piece of engineering designed to put that criss-cross pattern on the Häagen Dazs bars. 2) The rail that flips over cartons of ice cream for packaging. 3) Sampling all sorts of ice cream!

To top off the day, we all went out to dinner and got to spend some "quiet" time with everyone from Häagen Dazs, Gourmet, etc. I say "quiet" because this was one of the rare moments when we didn't have any cameras following us around. The toast Jacques made during dinner is what really opened my eyes to the real value of the contest. He said it was a learning process for everyone, including the chefs. And I have to agree - I learned so much that day. Before, it was all about winning. After, I was appreciative just to have had the experience. Sure, I still want to win this thing, but even if I don't "win", I will still value the experience. And winning the contest will just extend the experience.

Bakersfield, Day One (4/13/2007)

A camera crew was waiting for us upon arrival at the Doubletree Hotel in Bakersfield, CA. -- my first time being filmed. They interviewed my sister and I, and one of the questions they asked was if I was nervous. Surprisingly, I was not. At least that's what I thought. Turns out, I was a bit nervous, as I completely forgot to follow instructions: leave the keys in the car. Oh well. I wasn't shaking, so I didn't think I was nervous.

Häagen Dazs and Gourmet threw us a cocktail reception that evening -- my first opportunity to meet the other contestants. Up until this point, I had no idea who they were, what they looked like, even where they were from. Ok, I did know they were from New York and New Jersey, but didn't know who owned which flavor. Turns out Leslie (Caramelized Pear and Toasted Pecan) is from Buffalo, New York, and Chrissy (Blueberry Belgian Waffle) is from Ewing, New Jersey -- see story in the Bakersfield Californian. It was great to meet them and put a face to the flavor.

Along with the rest of the Häagen Dazs, Gourmet, ad agency, and film production company teams, we met Sara Moulton. She immediately made me feel welcome; she's a great conversationalist and I could tell she did her homework. We also had a nice discussion about coconut milk.

If this was a reality show, I'd be portrayed as the hyper-competitive, over-achieving Asian guy. There was a short trivia contest, where I answered the first 2 questions (and could have answered the 3rd, but there was no way I was going to do that - thank goodness Matthew, Chrissy's nephew, answered it correctly).

Day Two to follow...