Chip into a taste of victory by voting

Lying on the couch watching TV, Jill Munro came up with an idea that might win her $50,000.

Munro, daughter of LCdr (Ret’d) Dave Munro, zeroed in on the “Lay’s Do Us a Flavour Contest” while recuperating from a severe back injury.

The contest encouraged Canadians to send in their flavour ideas along with a few key ingredients, from which a group of four finalists would be chosen.

Laid up on the couch for months, and desperate for a distraction, Munro took to the contest with a hungry passion.

“I probably entered about 10 flavours,” she says. “I just kept thinking about what I would want to eat and the ideas kept coming to me.”

Among Munro’s proposed flavours were Balsamic Vinegar, Poutine, Maple Bacon, and Spicy Deli Mustard, but it was her Creamy Garlic Caesar – with garlic, parmesan cheese, and cream – that got Lay’s attention.
“I got a call from my parents about three months later saying someone was calling and asking for me,” she says.

Creamy Garlic Caesar potato chips was one of four flavours chosen out of 60,000 entries. That earned her a finalist’s $5,000 cheque.  

She was flown to Toronto to meet the other finalists, receive media training and conduct interviews.

“It was all really cool,” she says. “I’ve never done anything like that, so I felt a bit like a celebrity.”

She is now in the running for the $50,000 grand prize, plus one per cent of sales for the duration they are on store shelves.

The contest ends in November after the public tastes and votes on line. The four flavours – Creamy Garlic Caesar, Perogy Platter, Maple Moose, and Grilled Cheese and Ketchup – are available in stores for a limited time.

“It’s a long time to wait,” says Munro. “I’m just trying to keep my self distracted. I hope it works out.”

If she wins the money responsibility will most likely overtake luxury.

“I’ll probably pay off my student loans,” she says.

To cast your vote online for Creamy Garlic Caesar go to www.dousaflavour.ca, or Facebook www.lays.ca/flavour or text the word VOTE to 101010.

-Shawn O’Hara, Staff Writer