A few questions with Sam Dortch, National Sales Manager for Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods! Read on to get to know Sam and find out some exciting news from Ukrop’s.

How did you decide to become interested in Sales?

After graduating from college, I began my career in advertising, working at The Martin Agency for a year. It turned out, my roommate’s girlfriend’s father owned a food brokerage firm that specialized in grocery products. It piqued my interest, so I took the job and stayed there for 10 years – working with everything from ketchup to ice cream.

What attracted you to the food industry?

It was by chance really! It’s fun, and I really enjoy always being on the leading edge of new trends in food - not to mention that all of the free samples are great and my kids really enjoy them, too!

How long have you been with Ukrop’s?

I called on Ukrop’s as a sales representative initially; then I joined the company in 2007 as a Frozen Dairy Category Manager. I left when the stores sold and moved on to SuperValu as a category manager. My heart must have been here, because I came back to Ukrop’s in 2012.

What do you most enjoy about working for Ukrop’s?

The people! It’s a great group of folks. Everyone bends over backwards to help our customers. I really enjoy being a part of the development for products, too, from the idea to the tasting to the selling in stores. It’s a great process!

What’s your food from Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods?

It changes all the time – every month in fact! Right now, it’s the Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake we sell to Kroger under the Good Meadow brand. Last month, it was our traditional Pound Cake sold at MARTIN’S.

What is a typical work day for you?

It varies whether I am in the office or traveling. If I’m in the office, it’s catching up on requests from customers and items being developed, as well as meeting with the packaging team. If I’m on the road, it’s usually a sales call, working with a broker representative or handing out White House Rolls at different demos in military commissaries.

Can you talk about our partnerships?

We have a really unique relationship with our customers (retailers). Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods is their solution for top quality items that you can’t find elsewhere. We have expanded our retailers now and are selling foods to MARTIN’S, Kroger, The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter and Military Commissaries, just to name a few.

Any exciting news or updates you can share with us?

We are very excited to announce that White House Rolls will be available in BJ’s Wholesale Club by the end of October… just in time for the holidays! Stay tuned for more information.

What do you do in your spare time?

When I’m not attending my kids sporting events or shuttling them back and forth to their friend’s houses, I can usually be found relaxing around my own house or tending to my new beehive!  My father was a beekeeper when I was younger, and I recently decided to give it a try. This past Spring I purchased my first hive and have enjoyed working with them all summer (other than the occasional sting… ouch; I do carry an EpiPen now)!  The bee population has exploded (approx. 60,000 bees now), and I am close to harvesting my first batch of honey.  If all goes as planned, they’ll survive their first winter and my honey production will be off the charts next Spring!

How do you like your White House Roll?

Toasted with butter and country ham!

No tricks, here… Get festive with these Spooky Spider Cupcakes and Marshmallow Mummy Cupcakes this Halloween.

Items Needed for Spooky Spider Cupcakes: Cupcakes (Order Ukrop’s cupcakes from bit.ly/DecoratedCakes), black icing, York Peppermint Patties and Mini M&Ms.

Step 1: We started with a Ukrop’s Cupcake.

Step 2: Place York Peppermint Patty on Cupcake.

Step 3: Draw spider legs on cupcake with icing. We drew six legs.

Step 4: Now the eyes. Put a small dab of icing on one Mini M&M and place it on the York Peppermint Patty. Repeat for the second eye.

And, voila! You have your Spooky Spider Cupcake… Great for whole family to make and enjoy together.

Items Needed for Marshmallow Mummy Cupcakes: Cupcakes (Order Ukrop’s cupcakes from bit.ly/DecoratedCakes), Marshmallows, Mini M&Ms, and a tool for cutting the marshmallows.

Step 1: We began by cutting two lines into the cupcakes.

Step 2: Pick any color M&M and place it into the marshmallow for an eye. We chose blue for one cupcake and green for another.

Step 3: Repeat for the second eye.

Step 4: Place a final M&M in the marshmallow for the mouth.

Step 5: Carefully place the marshmallow onto the cupcake.

That’s it! And now you have sweet treats for Halloween.

Last Friday, we honored our local community’s heroes – our First Responders and their families – at the Retail Merchants Association’s 26th Annual Valor Awards.

We heard the stories of 25 brave and selfless First Responders who were honored for their courageous acts of valor. This was the largest event in its 26 years history – with 900 attendees – at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

What made it particularly special was having the opportunity to actually meet the heroes and their families. In our conversations with the honorees, we found out that two of the recipients were actually Former Ukrop’s Associates!

It has been our pleasure to be a title sponsor of this event for many years now, and we are already looking forward to next year. Thank you, First Responders, for keeping us safe and for going above and beyond the call of duty. We are so grateful!

Thomas Pearce first knew he wanted to be a chef at the age of 15 when he began working (with a permit, of course) as a prep cook and dishwasher at a diner in Charlottesville. After using with the French fry fryer, he just knew preparing food for others was what he wanted to do. He later trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and developed a passion for French cooking and classical cuisine. The techniques, styles and the freshness drew him to this philosophy of cooking. Thirty-one years later, he still loves his job!

He has been with Ukrop’s for 19 years now. Just as he was drawn to French cooking, Tom was similarly attracted to Jim & Bobby Ukrop’s philosophies for high-quality, fresh-ingredient foods. As the Executive Chef of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, he is involved in training, research and development, daily production, quality control, and best practices in the kitchen and production. He loves to create, train, innovate, teach and cook. You can often find him in the test kitchen. As if that’s not enough, he also develops or writes recipes – to date, it’s over 500! He most enjoys working with his fellow associates at Ukrop’s. “They are an unbelievable group of folks. Pearce said, “They work hard and are very helpful.”

His favorite ingredient is butter – it enriches the product, adds flavor and texture, and is great for soups and sauces. When asked about his most memorable cooking experience, Tom shared that it was when he was working as a Banquet Chef at the Commonwealth Club in 1990 and had the opportunity to prepare food for Certified Master Chef Ferdinand Metz of the Culinary Institute of America.

Tom’s advice for aspiring chefs is to cook because you love it! “Cook because it is in your heart and soul,” said Pearce. Don’t forget formalized education and classes because you build a foundation and also learn as you work, as well as learn from people you work with. His advice to customers at home striving to become better cooks is to “Cook because you want to be creative!”

Fun facts: His favorite item is the seasonal Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Pea Soup, which was inspired by his mom!

He enjoys White House Rolls Bread Pudding, with White House Rolls (of course), white chocolate and dried cranberries. Yum!

Ukrop’s Bakery Coconut Custard Pie

Made the same way Dot’s Pastry Shop did! A wonderful recipe, from the “Celebrating with Ukrop’s Great Food” Cookbook, for Thanksgiving or Christmas to be shared with friends and loved ones. This recipe is fairly similar to your favorite Coconut Custard Pie recipe from Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup light Karo syrup
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup very hot water
• 5 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups desicated coconut (Desicated coconut is small cut and dry. If not available, use 1 cup of flake coconut)
• 1 deep 9-inch pie shell or 3 8-inch shells

In a double boiler, heat butter and syrup until butter melts. In a mixing bowl, mix sugar and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, dissolve cornstarch in milk. Add milk mixture to sugar mixture and mix with electric mixture on low speed. When mixed, increase speed to high and mix until smooth. Add very hot water and mix on medium speed; add butter mixture. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Break eggs in a separate bowl; whisk by hand. Slowly stir eggs and vanilla in by hand, taking care not to add air to the mixture. Measure coconut; add slowly until incorporated. Fill pie shells and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. As soon as pies are placed in the oven, reduce heat to 340 degrees. Bake about 35 minutes or until pies have a “Jello” ripple if gently shaken. Be sure not to whip air into the pie during the final stages. Pies will have a golden tan color when baked. Allow to cool and enjoy a real treat. Yields 2 9-inch or 3 8-inch pies. Enjoy!

Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, LLC
“Guess the Number of Rainbow Cookies in the Tower” Contest

Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. The Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC “Guess the Number of Rainbow Cookies in the Tower” Contest begins at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 7, 2016 and ends at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on April 9, 2016, ET. Contest is sponsored by Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC 2001 Maywill St. #100, Richmond, VA 23230.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to any legal resident of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who is eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.

Employees, officers, and directors Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC and their immediate family members and household and those of any corporate affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, and any other entities directly associated with this Contest are also not eligible to participate

HOW TO ENTER: During the Contest period, eligible participants are invited to enter by:

Participants may visit the Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Facebook page located at www.Facebook.com/UkropsHomestyleFoods to click on the Contest link or click the contest link directly at http://woobox.com/693n8x. After clicking on the link, participants must view the photo of the tower of Rainbow Cookies and then enter their guess, name and email address to be entered. There are additional fields in the contest form that are not required for entry. Once the participant selects ‘Enter,’ with the required fields filled out, they are then entered into the contest. This entry earns the participant one entry into the contest.

Only one (1) Entry per person, per email address, is allowed during the Contest Period. Entrants agree that their entry becomes the property of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods and that Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods may use the content of the Submission for any proper purpose, including, without limitation, for Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods advertising/ promotional purposes. Any personally identifiable information collected during an entrant’s participation in this contest will be collected by Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods and used by Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, its respective affiliates, agents and marketers for purposes of the proper administration and fulfillment of the contest as described in these Official Rules. By participating in this Promotion, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules.

DRAWING AND NOTIFICATION: The potential prize winners will be notified via the email address provided with the promotion entry by Friday, April 15, 2016.

PRIZE: The twenty-five (25) entrants that submit guesses closest to the actual number of Rainbow Cookies in the tower will each receive a Ukrop’s “Taste of Richmond” Combo Pack prize package, which includes:
• 2 packages of White House Rolls® (1 dozen rolls per package)
• 1 container of Rainbow Cookies (TM) (11 oz. per container)
• 1 container of Butterstar Cookies (11 oz. per container)

Allergy Information: Made in a peanut-free bakery. Tree nuts used in production of other products.

The Approximate Retail Value of each prize package is $19.99.

PRIZE CONDITIONS: By accepting any prize, the potential prize winners agree to release Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, the Released Parties, and prize suppliers from any and all liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind caused by entering the promotion or for damages of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use/misuse of prize awarded. No substitution or transfer of prize or election of cash in lieu of prize will be permitted.

USE OF DATA: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC will be collecting personal data about entrants online, and via entry forms in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Please review Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC ‘s Privacy Policy that can be found on their website, http://ukropshomestylefoods.com/privacy-policy. By participating in the Contest and providing their email address, entrants hereby agree to Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC’s collection and use of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC’s Privacy Policy.

INTERNET LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: If for any reason this Contest is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or problem, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part, at any time, without notice and award the prizes using all non-suspect eligible entries received.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Contest Administrator, and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules. The Administrator reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that Administrator determines, in its sole discretion, violates these Official Rules. This Contest is void where prohibited.

SPONSOR: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC 2001 Maywill St. #100, Richmond, VA 23230
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC and not to Facebook.

Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, LLC

“Celebrate America with Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods” Photo Contest Contest Official Rules

NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. ALL FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND MUNICIPAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS APPLY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW.

Participation constitutes entrant’s full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these Official Rules. The Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC “Celebrate America with Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods” Contest begins at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on July 1, 2016 and ends at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on July 6, 2016. Contest is sponsored by Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC 2001 Maywill St. #100, Richmond, VA 23230.

ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open to any legal resident of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia who is eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited.

Employees, officers, and directors Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC and their immediate family members and household and those of any corporate affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, and any other entities directly associated with this Contest are also not eligible to participate

HOW TO ENTER: During the Contest period, eligible participants are invited to enter by:

Posting a photo of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, Good Meadow Homemades or Mrs. Marshall’s product(s) at a holiday cookout on Instagram, Twitter or the Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Facebook Page with the hashtag #UkropsJuly4thContest as set forth below. An “Entry” consists of the Photo and Contest Hashtag, #UkropsJuly4thContest.

Only one entry from a social media account will be permitted during the contest period. If multiple entries are submitted, only the first entry will qualify.

To Enter via Facebook: You must have a valid Facebook account to enter the Promotion via this entry method. If you do not have a Facebook account, visit www.Facebook.com and register in accordance with their enrollment instructions. Go to www.facebook.com/UkropsHomestyleFoods. Post your photo with the hashtag #UkropsJuly4thContest.

To Enter via Instagram: You must have a valid Instagram account to enter the Promotion via this entry method. If you do not have an Instagram account, visit www.instagram.com and register in accordance with their enrollment instructions. Before entering the Promotion, the “Private Account” option in the account settings on your Instagram account must be set to “OFF”. By submitting your information and creating an Instagram account, you agree to the Instagram terms of use and privacy policy. Post your photo with the hashtag #UkropsJuly4thContest.

To Enter via Twitter: You must have a valid Twitter account to enter the Promotion via this entry method. If you do not have a Twitter account, visit www.twitter.com and register in accordance with their enrollment instructions. Before entering the Promotion, ensure that the “Protect my Tweets” option in the settings of your Twitter account is NOT selected. By submitting your information and creating a Twitter account, you agree to the Twitter terms of use and privacy policy. Post your photo with the hashtag #UkropsJuly4thContest.

Photo Specifications: The submitted photo must comply with the following specifications: a. it must be your original creation, taken solely by you and not include any personal information. Reproducing, modifying, enhancing or altering a third party’s pre-existing work does not qualify as your original creation; b. it must not violate the rights of any third party; c. entrant has obtained from anyone identified or depicted in the Photo (or the parent or guardian of any child identified or depicted) all permission necessary to grant Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods the rights granted herein; d. it must not have been published previously, used commercially, submitted to another competition or contest, or won any other award; e. it must be in “good taste” and must not be explicit, offensive, obscene, or profane, and must not be derogatory toward any ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, profession, or age group, or promote any activities that may be unsafe or dangerous, as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole and absolute discretion; f. it must not defame, misrepresent or contain disparaging remarks about Sponsor or its products; g. it must not be false, inaccurate or misleading; h. it must not violate any law or regulation; i. it must not be libelous, threatening or harassing; j. it must not instigate others to commit illegal activities or violate human rights; and k. it must not contain any viruses, worms, or other interfering computer programming.

By entering this Promotion, entrants agree to grant the Sponsor the exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sub-licensable right to exercise the copyright, publicity, database rights and any other rights Entrant has in the Entry, and also the right and permission to edit, modify, cut, rearrange, add to, delete from, copy, reproduce, translate, dub, adapt, publish, exploit, and use the content of and elements embodied in the Entry, in any media now known or hereafter devised (including without limitation, the Internet), for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law. Each Entrant hereby represents and warrants that he/she is the original author/creator of his/her Entry and the Entry will not infringe any third party’s copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy. Sponsor’s use of information submitted to Sponsor in connection with this Promotion will be subject to the terms and conditions of these Official Rules. Entries must be received by 1:29:59 PM ET on July 6, 2016 in order to be eligible for part of the Promotion. The Sponsor’s decisions are final on all matters relating to this Promotion. If Sponsor and/or Administrator determine in their sole discretion that an Entrant has breached any representation or warranty or any other requirement described in these Official Rules, the Entry will be disqualified. By participating in this Promotion, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules.

DRAWING AND NOTIFICATION: The winning entry will be selected by a panel of the Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Marketing Team and judged on: (a) adherence to Contest requirements and rules; (b) the creativity and originality of the Photo; (c) the uniqueness of the Photo from others submitted in the Contest. The grand prize winner will be notified via their form of entry (Facebook Direct Message, Twitter Direct Message, or Instagram Direct Message) by Friday, July 8, 2016.

PRIZE: The grand prize winner will receive Ukrop’s Homestyle Food products for a cookout for 6-8 people, which will include:

• Mrs. Marshall’s Seasoned Pulled Pork
• Mrs. Marshall’s Cole Slaw
• Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods Baked Beans
• White House Rolls
• A Ukrop’s Decorated Cake

The Approximate Retail Value of the grand price package is $100.00. 

PRIZE CONDITIONS: By accepting any prize, the potential prize winners agree to release Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, the Released Parties, and prize suppliers from any and all liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses, or damages of any kind caused by entering the promotion or for damages of any kind caused by any prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, or use/misuse of prize awarded. No substitution or transfer of prize or election of cash in lieu of prize will be permitted.

USE OF DATA: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC will be collecting personal data about entrants online in accordance with its Privacy Policy. Please review Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC ‘s Privacy Policy that can be found on their website, http://ukropshomestylefoods.com/privacy-policy. By participating in the Contest and providing their email address, entrants hereby agree to Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC’s collection and use of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC’s Privacy Policy.

INTERNET LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: If for any reason this Contest is not capable of running as planned due to infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or problem, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC, which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the Contest, Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest in whole or in part, at any time, without notice and award the prizes using all non-suspect eligible entries received. 

TERMS & CONDITIONS: This Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the Contest Administrator, and waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules. The Administrator reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that Administrator determines, in its sole discretion, violates these Official Rules. This Contest is void where prohibited.

SPONSOR: Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC 2001 Maywill St. #100, Richmond, VA 23230

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You understand that you are providing your information to Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods LLC and not to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

It’s hot, hot, hot! Enjoy a light, easy salad for two, with a 20-minute prep time this summer. You’re going to love it!

Ingredients:

Ukrop’s Seasoned Grilled Chicken Breast Strips (available at MARTIN’S)

Romaine Lettuce

A bag of Frozen Corn

Spicy Black Beans – Can

Cherubs Tomatoes

Avocado

Shredded Mexican Cheese

Tortilla Strips

Ranch Dressing

Steps: 

1. Place the corn in a steamer basket, in a pan, on the stove. Heat on high. At the same time, place the can of bans in a pan on the stove. Heat on medium (until warm).

2. Slice the avocados and tomatoes.

3. Once the corn and beans are done, place lettuce in serving bowls. Pour beans on top of the lettuce.

4. Place the Ukrop’s Seasoned Grilled Chicken Breast Strips, Corn, Tomatoes, Avocado, and Tortilla Strips on top of the lettuce and black beans.

5. Sprinkle Mexican Cheese on the salad and drizzle with Ranch Dressing.

Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite summer salad recipe? Share it with us in the comments below!

Bring the beach to you with these festive cupcakes… A great (and easy) cupcake decorating activity for the whole family!

Ingredients: 

Ukrop’s Yellow Batter Cupcakes Iced White

Graham Crackers

Teddy Grahams

Swedish Fish

AirHeads

Life Savers Gummies

Betty Crocker Candy Shop Decors Blue Rock Candy

Betty Crocker Decorating Decors Blue Sugar

Blue Gummi Sharks

Steps:

Crush up Graham Crackers to resemble sand.

Sprinkle the “sand” on half of the cupcake.

Add the Blue Rock Candy to the other half of the cupcake for the ocean. All of the pieces may not stick, so you might have to push some into the icing.

To make even more waves, sprinkle the Betty Crocker Decorating Decors Blue Sugar on the side with the blue rock candy.

Now you can really get creative! Break up an AirHead for a beach towel and place it on the sand.

Then place a Teddy Graham on the Beach Towel.

Go fish! Add Swedish Fish to the Ocean.

Or you can put a Gummi Shark in the ocean, instead of the fish.

You can back back a few steps and instead of the beach towel, place a Teddy Graham into a Life Saver. Or you can do both!

Mix and match them together. Have fun and be creative. The best part… They taste even better! Enjoy.

We’re not celebrating with pie – instead we’re making DIY Key Lime Cupcakes! It’s a piece of cake to make this Key Lime Topping and the whole family is going to love them.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
• One Lime
• 1/2 Cup of Powdered Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (We used Sauer’s)
• Graham Crackers
• Ukrop’s Cupcakes

Steps:

1. Mix together Lime Juice, Powered Sugar and Vanilla Extract.

2. Drizzle Lime Topping over Cupcakes.

3. Crush up the Graham Crackers and sprinkle them on top of the Cupcakes.

4. Zest a lime and add a piece or two to the top of the cupcake.

5. Enjoy!

Fall is a such a busy time of the year. We understand how moments around the dinner table are so special, so we work hard to cook delicious meals that your family can enjoy together.

We’ve taste-tested this pasta recipe – it’s delicious and takes about 15 minutes – allowing you to spend extra family time. September is National Family Meals month, something that we keep in mind not only in September, but each day of the year. Enjoy and let us know how your family likes Meatloaf Spaghetti!

Ingredients:

• Ukrop’s Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
• 1 Package of Spaghetti
• 1 Jar of Pasta Sauce
• If desired, a 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
• If desired, fresh basil as a garnish

Steps:

1. Add salted water to a pot and bring it to a boil.

2. Pour Pasta Sauce into another pan. Cut the Ukrop’s Meatloaf into small pieces and add to the pan with the Pasta Sauce.

3. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package.

4. Mix together the pasta sauce and the meatloaf and cook on medium heat.

5. Drain the pasta and place in the serving dish. Top the pasta with the meatloaf and sauce.

6. If desired, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

7. Add basil as a garnish and serve immediately. Bon appetit!

It’s a busy time of the year, the weather is getting colder and we all love easy dinners – especially pizza nights. This Grilled Chicken Pizza recipe will be ready in a breeze and is great for your busy week nights!

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

-1 Cup of Ukrop’s Seasoned Grilled Chicken Breast, Sliced
-1 Thin Crust Pizza Crust
-1/2 Jar of Pizza Sauce
-1 1/2 Cups of Mozzarella Cheese
-1 Cup of Mushrooms, Sliced
-1/2 of a Pepper, Sliced

Steps:

1. Place Pizza Crust on a Baking Sheet. Pre-heat the oven at 400 degrees. Once the temperature has been reached, place the Baking Sheet with the Crust in the oven for three minutes. After three minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven.

2. Clean the mushrooms and slice them for the pizza.

3. Clean and thinly slice half of the pepper.

4. Spoon on and spread the pizza sauce on the pizza crust.

5. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on the pizza.

6. Place the sliced mushrooms on the pizza.

7. Place the sliced peppers on the pizza.

8. Place the sliced grilled chicken on the pizza, then place the pizza in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

9. After 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, remove the pizza from the oven.

10. Slice and enjoy!

No tricks, here… Get festive with these Spooky Spider Cupcakes and Marshmallow Mummy Cupcakes this Halloween.

Items Needed for Spooky Spider Cupcakes: Cupcakes (Order Ukrop’s cupcakes from bit.ly/DecoratedCakes), black icing, York Peppermint Patties and Mini M&Ms.

Step 1: We started with a Ukrop’s Cupcake.

Step 2: Place York Peppermint Patty on Cupcake.

Step 3: Draw spider legs on cupcake with icing. We drew six legs.

Step 4: Now the eyes. Put a small dab of icing on one Mini M&M and place it on the York Peppermint Patty. Repeat for the second eye.

And, voila! You have your Spooky Spider Cupcake… Great for whole family to make and enjoy together.

Items Needed for Marshmallow Mummy Cupcakes: Cupcakes (Order Ukrop’s cupcakes from bit.ly/DecoratedCakes), Marshmallows, Mini M&Ms, and a tool for cutting the marshmallows.

Step 1: We began by cutting two lines into the cupcakes.

Step 2: Pick any color M&M and place it into the marshmallow for an eye. We chose blue for one cupcake and green for another.

Step 3: Repeat for the second eye.

Step 4: Place a final M&M in the marshmallow for the mouth.

Step 5: Carefully place the marshmallow onto the cupcake.

That’s it! And now you have sweet treats for Halloween.

St. Patrick’s Day is almost here! To celebrate, we created these DIY Rainbow and Pot of Gold Cupcakes. They only take a few minutes to put together and they taste even better.

Ingredients:

• Ukrop’s Cupcakes (We used Devils Food)
• Skittles
• Gold M&Ms

 Steps:

Place gold M&Ms at the bottom of the cupcake for the pot of gold.

Begin placing the Skittles above the pot of gold to make the rainbow. We had fun mixing different colors.

Place your final Skittles at the top of the rainbow and voila… Your cupcakes are ready to be enjoyed.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from our family to yours!

Exciting news about Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods and our products!

Yes, Virginia. These Rainbow Cookie pops are real

WTVR: March 21, 2017

At Kroger, the Ukrop’s Brand is Back in a Big Way

Style Weekly: February 2017

Ukrop’s bakery and prepared foods now available in all Richmond-area Kroger stores

Richmond Times-Dispatch: February 15, 2017

Ukrop’s-branded products have arrived at all Richmond area Kroger stores

WTVR: February 15, 2017

Meet Ukrop’s Associate Carmella Cramer!

Like many here, Ukrop’s has been in Carmella’s life for a long time. Starting in 1982, Carmella was a cashier, but not too long after she moved to the bakery, became the bakery manager. The journey of Carmella’s roles at Ukrop’s seem endless. She attributes her success to her ability to learn quickly and grasp the opportunities equally as fast. To attest to these attributes, she became one of Ukrop’s first field representatives for our line of Chilled Prepared Foods. She is proud that during this time she had the opportunity to roll out our first ten items in the chilled prepared food line. Some of these items are still very popular Ukrop’s staples; such as London Broil and Triple Cheese Macaroni and Cheese!

Once we began to expand our food line, Carmella’s role changed to Category Manager where she worked with manufacturing and retail stores. In this role, she focused on new item rollouts, in-store training and programs involving food. Currently, her title resides as Food Service Manager where she acts as the liaison for customers who purchase our products. In addition, she deals with product handling and quality issues that may occur.

Carmella notes many great opportunities working with Ukrop’s that she feels she would not have gotten anywhere else. “It takes a family to do what we do,” Carmella says reflecting on her time at Ukrop’s. Carmella took that literally as both of her children worked at Ukrop’s through high school and college.

Other than being a friendly face to Ukrop’s customers, Carmella shared that her passions lie with family, friends, and gathering! On a relaxing day she would love nothing more than to play with her grandchildren and work in her garden.

What is Carmella’s Favorite Food? Spinach Supreme!

We have exciting news to share…

ALDI USA stores in Virginia, Maryland, DC, North Carolina, and South Carolina are now offering White House Rolls!

The post Welcome White House Rolls to ALDI! appeared first on Ukrop's Homestyle Foods.

Thomas Pearce first knew he wanted to be a chef at the age of 15 when he began working (with a permit, of course) as a prep cook and dishwasher at a diner in Charlottesville. After using the French fry fryer, he just knew preparing food for others was what he wanted to do. He later trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and developed a passion for French cooking and classical cuisine. The techniques, styles and the freshness drew him to this philosophy of cooking. Thirty-one years later, he still loves his job!

He has been with Ukrop’s for 19 years now. Just as he was drawn to French cooking, Tom was similarly attracted to Jim & Bobby Ukrop’s philosophies for high-quality, fresh-ingredient foods. As the Executive Chef of Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods, he is involved in training, research and development, daily production, quality control, and best practices in the kitchen and production. He loves to create, train, innovate, teach and cook. You can often find him in the test kitchen. As if that’s not enough, he also develops or writes recipes – to date, it’s over 500! He most enjoys working with his fellow associates at Ukrop’s. “They are an unbelievable group of folks. Pearce said, “They work hard and are very helpful.”

His favorite ingredient is butter – it enriches the product, adds flavor and texture, and is great for soups and sauces. When asked about his most memorable cooking experience, Tom shared that it was when he was working as a Banquet Chef at the Commonwealth Club in 1990 and had the opportunity to prepare food for Certified Master Chef Ferdinand Metz of the Culinary Institute of America.

Tom’s advice for aspiring chefs is to cook because you love it! “Cook because it is in your heart and soul,” said Pearce. Don’t forget formalized education and classes because you build a foundation and also learn as you work, as well as learn from people you work with. His advice to customers at home striving to become better cooks is to “Cook because you want to be creative!”

Fun facts: His favorite item is the seasonal Smoked Sausage and Black Eyed Pea Soup, which was inspired by his mom!

He enjoys White House Rolls Bread Pudding, with White House Rolls (of course), white chocolate and dried cranberries. Yum!

The post Sitting down with Executive Chef, Thomas Pearce appeared first on Ukrop's Homestyle Foods.

Memorial Day Weekend is almost here and July 4th is right around the corner… To show our patriotism, we put together these festive cupcakes. They only take a few minutes, plus they taste great and look good, too!

Ingredients:

• Ukrop’s Cupcakes
• Blueberries
• Twizzlers Pull’n’Peel

Steps:

1. Begin by peeling a part the pieces of Twizzlers. You can separate them into one single string, or two.

2. Next, cut the strings of Twizzlers into smaller pieces.

3. Begin placing blueberries on the left side of the cupcake. (We washed the berries prior to placing them on the cupcake.)

4. Place berries until the left side is full!

5. Now, begin placing the small pieces of Twizzlers on the right size.

6. Place the small pieces of Twizzlers on the right side until the side is full. Then, voila!

7. Enjoy!

The post Red, White & Blue Flag DIY Cupcakes appeared first on Ukrop's Homestyle Foods.

Working in the food industry her whole life, Shift Supervisor Robin Frasier says that Ukrop’s was meant to complete the circle. She even knew that she wanted to work in a production environment and thought that the choice could not be more perfect. Robin got her wish and was offered a job in 1994 – a job she almost turned down because she was required to wear a hair net! She started off bagging five pound bags of product and it was not long before she became a Level II in 1995. During this time, Robin also tried her hand at management planning to gain more experience and knowledge. She did not stop there as she then started for filling in for Assistant Production Managers when they would go on vacation. Robin found her niche and decided to go full time in the role. 

Pictured is Quality Manager Bart Shoaf and Robin Frasier in the Ukrop’s Kitchen.

These opportunities have led her to her current job title of shift supervisor. She ensures that the production of our food meets our quality standards. Robin notes that the best part of her job is interacting with people and having the feeling of a family environment every day. She is also fortunate to feel the recognition and appreciation of her efforts by receiving numerous awards.

Other than food and her job, Robin is inspired by her family and trying to spend as much time with them as she can. Her older brother, Greg, lives in Iowa and surprised him this past December at his wedding! And when she is outside of her hairnet, she loves to try new restaurants and spending time with friends. In addition, she has her own getaway in Lake Gaston where she enjoys boating and catching some sun.

Robin’s Favorite Ukrop’s Foods: Tuna Salad, Mrs. Marshall’s Potato Salad and Rainbow Cookies

The post Meet Ukrop’s Associate Robin Frasier appeared first on Ukrop's Homestyle Foods.