FINIALISTS NAMED IN IGA'S NATIONAL HOMETOWN HOLIDAYS RECIPE CONTEST

CHICAGO, IL – IGA today announced the names of 11 finalists in IGA's 2003 National Hometown Holidays Recipe Contest. A panel of culinary chefs from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC) selected the finalists' recipes from the more than 300 original recipes submitted to IGA stores across the country during IGA's annual Hometown Holidays marketing event, held each November.

Debbie Bracker-entry received at Ron's IGA in Pittsburg, Kan.;
Devon Delaney-entry received at Avon IGA in Newark, N.J.;
Lois Dowling-entry received at Rose's IGA in Buckley, Wash.;
Leslie Fontana-entry received at Van's IGA in Great Falls, Mont.;
Edwina Gadsby-entry received at Van's IGA in Great Falls, Mont.;
Patricia Harmon-entry received at Jubilee Foods IGA in Ambridge, Penn.;
Robbin Kost-entry received at Day & Palin in Lewistown, Ill.;
Nikkie Norman-entry received at Hometown Foods IGA in Clermont, Fla.;
Carole Resnick-entry received at Rideout's IGA in Painesville, Ohio;
Teresa Spencer-Benson-entry received at Day & Palin in Farmington, Ill.;
Cynthia Trantham-entry received at Princeton Food Mart IGA in Princeton, Texas

The finalists will travel to Chicago with a guest for a three day and two night prize package stay at a downtown hotel while their recipes are judged in the Grand Prize competition. Each of the 11 finalists' recipes will be prepared and evaluated by a panel of culinary masters from the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. The recipes will be judged on three criteria: taste, creativity and ability to reproduce the desired dish based on recipe directions. Recipe entries were also required to include at least two products from Hometown Holidays promotional sponsors.

"We are so pleased have such a positive response from this year's Hometown Holidays event," Zorona Chapman, IGA marketing event manager said. "Each of our finalists put a tremendous amount of thought and effort into the creation of these original recipes, and we're looking forward to the upcoming cook-off in Chicago."

Of the 11 finalists, one Grand Prize winner attending the event will win three new kitchen appliances (valued at $3,000) provided by Whirlpool. The remaining nine finalists will receive a piece of jewelry and other cookware prizes.

IGA, the only global supermarketer based in the United States, is the world's largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of more than $21 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 4,000 Hometown Proud Supermarkets worldwide, supported by 36 distribution companies and more the 55 major manufacturers, vendors and suppliers encompassing everything from grocery to equipment items. IGA ranks in the top 10 in world food supermarketing. IGA has operations in 48 of the United States and 40 countries, commonwealths and territories on all six inhabited continents.