<p>Voting for the final round of the 2nd Annual US Foods Next Top Product Contest has opened and will run through September 20 at www.usfoods.com/NTP, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “The creativity and enthusiasm we’ve seen in this year’s Next Top Product contest is nothing short of phenomenal,” said Marshall Warkentin, Vice President of Marketing at US Foods. “We’re always looking to bring restaurant operators products that inspire them in the kitchen and this contest gives us the unique opportunity to collaborate directly with those on the frontlines of food, challenge their creativity and ultimately create the next great, chef-inspired product from US Foods.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> After receiving more than 1,000 submissions in bakery, hot appetizer, or sauce categories, a team of culinary experts from US Foods evaluated each recipe for creativity, consumer appeal, sales opportunity, and the ability to commercially produce the product. These submissions were narrowed down to 54 recipes, with one recipe representing each of the participating US Foods locations. Online users can now view all 54 semi-finalists and vote for their favorite on the US Foods website.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> The eight competitors with the most votes at the end of the online voting period will face off in a head-to-head cook-off at the World Food Championships in Las Vegas on November 8. The winner will win $20,000 in cash and prizes and their recipe will be turned into a US Foods product, distributed nationally as part of the company’s new product launch in 2014.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Chef Sean Frye of Shuck-N-Jive Restaurant, Richardson, Texas, won the first Next Top Product contest with his savory jumbo shrimp and lump crab hushpuppies. His recipe debuted in the US Foods spring 2014 product line and has proven to be popular with US Foods customers.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.usfoods.com/NTP" target="_new"> US Foods Next Top Product Contest </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
