Aetna Healthy Food Fight “Fan Favorite” to Donate $10,000 to Charity

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- After more than 450 recipes submitted and four regional semi-final cook-offs, The Aetna (NYSE: AET) Healthy Food Fight has been narrowed down to four finalists. The competitors will not only have the chance to cook for Bobby Flay in the finale and compete for the grand prize of $10,000 worth of groceries from Recipe.com, but will also have the chance to become The Healthy Food Fight “Fan Favorite” and donate $10,000 to a charity that incorporates healthy cooking and nutrition into their overall mission. Voting will take place on The Healthy Food Fight website – www.healthyfoodfight.com

The four finalists who will compete in the finale on December 2 at ABC Studios in Times Square are:

  • Mary Edwards from Long Beach, California, who won the regional semi-final at the Los Angeles County Fair with a Salmon Pozole recipe. If Edwards wins, she will be donating the money to GrowingGreat, a grassroots nonprofit that inspires children and adults to adopt healthy eating habits through innovative, parent-led school garden and nutrition education programs.
  • Lindsey Cook from Dallas, Texas, who won the regional semi-final at the State Fair of Texas with a Quinoa Stuffed Bell Pepper recipe. If Cook wins, she will be donating the money to Deep Ellum Urban Garden, a project run and supported by the Deep Ellum Community Association and the Deep Ellum Foundation. The groups’ mission is to help Dallas residents grow food for themselves, increase their healthy activity, get to know their neighbors, learn from each other, and create a productive and beautiful common.
  • Merry Graham from Newhall, California, who won the regional semi-final at the Taste of Atlanta with a Black Bean and Sweet Potato Porridge with Jicama Pico de Gallo recipe. If Graham wins, she will be donating the money to the Whole Kids Foundation, whose mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic.
  • Rob Tu from Solon, Ohio, who won the regional semi-final at the Peddler’s Village Apple Festival in Lahaska, Pennsylvania with a Pan-Seared Salmon with Vegetable Couscous, Mango Salsa and Tomato Salad recipe. If Tu wins, he will be donating the money to the American Diabetes Association, which works to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes, including providing nutritional tips and information.

“I can’t wait to be one of the judges at the finale and experience these great recipes,” said Bobby Flay, critically acclaimed chef/restaurateur, cookbook author and TV personality. “All of these finalists have proven that you can make healthy, creative meals that are truly delicious.”

Finding the “Fan Favorite”

In addition to competing for the grand prize, the finalists will also have the opportunity to become The Healthy Food Fight “Fan Favorite” and donate $10,000 to a charity that incorporates healthy cooking and nutrition into their overall mission. The winner will be announced at the finale on December 2.

“The Healthy Food Fight has spread the word about the importance of healthy cooking to tens of thousands of individuals over the past few months,” said Belinda Lang, head of Brand and Consumer Marketing for Aetna. “The ‘Fan Favorite’ competition will allow one of our finalists to support an organization that promotes these same values, which also align with Aetna’s overall commitment to helping to improve the health of the people in the communities where we live and work.”

To help people decide on their favorite finalist, The Healthy Food Fight website features profiles of the finalists describing why they should be voted as the “Fan Favorite,” as well as the secrets behind their prize-winning recipes. In addition to choosing the “Fan Favorite,” voters can also join The Healthy Food Fight community on Facebook – www.facebook.com/healthyfoodfight

Individuals who register and vote on The Healthy Food Fight website will receive a free electronic copy of The Healthy Food Fight Top 40 Recipe Book, which features the top 10 recipes from this year’s four regional semi-final competitions, as well as one of Bobby Flay’s favorite healthy recipes.

The Healthy Food Fight “Fan Favorite” will also win the opportunity to participate in a Cooking Class “Boot Camp” administered by The Culinary Institute of America, which has worked with Aetna the last two years to help develop The Healthy Food Fight.

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits companies, serving approximately 36.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and consumer-directed health insurance products and related services, including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and disability plans, and medical management capabilities and health care management services for Medicaid plans. Our customers include employer groups, individuals, college students, part-time and hourly workers, health plans, governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com.



CONTACT:

Aetna
Ethan Slavin, 860-273-6095
[email protected]

KEYWORDS:   United States  North America  Connecticut

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