Interview #1 with the Mastermind

You’ll be able to finally get that inside look at expert hotcake-making, the perks of being Brian Murphy and much more!

Q: What’s it like to be a senior development chef at Bob Evans?
A: We work hand-in-hand with marketing, pick a category on the menu to improve upon or further develop. Then, they turn us lose! It’s really blue sky development. Once we have the direction I go into the kitchen thinking I’m going to play with hotcakes today.

I really love what I do. It’s like being a mad scientist – I get to create new things and that’s a lot of fun. People always ask where I get my inspiration – a lot of it comes from personal experiences, my mom and grandma’s food, T.V., customer feedback (or blogger feedback!), periodicals, the internet, of course, and sometimes the radio.


Q: What is the BEST part about working at Bob Evans?
A: I get to eat all day long! But seriously, the interaction I have with the other departments. It’s a great time to be in the department; there is a lot of energy and we’re really trying to stay true to our core but make sure we stretch ourselves to keep up with the competitive market for younger customers.


Q: Personally, what is your favorite flavor of hotcakes?
A: Hands down – the caramel banana pecan cream!


Q: When you make hotcakes with your son, Patrick, what is his favorite way to help in the kitchen?
A: Patrick really like to crack the eggs, measure the dry ingredients and sift them – he loves to use the sifter!

Thanks Brian! Keep checking up for updates and tips from Brian. Hopefully by now you've had a chance to try our new hotcakes - if so, let us know what you think!

(Be sure to check out the eBay auction that started this morning - 10 days and counting to win a 3-day trip to have breakfast with company founder Bob Evans)

Yum

Because we knew folks would be itching to snag the recipe for our new hotcakes line, we went straight to the mastermind behind the sweetness, Brian Murphy – the senior development chef who created the idea of Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes. (We'll post the recipe tomorrow - so check back)

In a series of interviews with Brian, you’ll learn how to make your own stack at home, how he created the hotcakes, what it's like to be a senior development chef at Bob Evans and tips for making great hotcakes.

(I tried all three flavors this morning, wow! They're good!)

eBay auction

Check back tomorrow at 8 a.m. for a link to our eBay auction where you can bid on a 3-day Vacation to have breakfast with company founder Mr. Bob Evans and CEO Steve Davis.

Sweet Details

We're excited to kick off our new hotcake line in the blogosphere and more excited to share the sweet details about our new hotcakes and the chef who created them. While we've been in business for more than 50 years, we're new to the blogosphere, and we'd love to hear your feedback and tips/criticisms on our style, topics, etc.

To start, my name is JC. I work on the communications team here, and I'll be your inside look at Bob Evans Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes and our partnership with our hometown affiliate of Habitat for Humanity. (We've heeded the warnings of Seth Godin, Peter Davidson, Shel Israel, Shel Holtz and many more about product blogs so I won't be ghost writing for our Roasted Caramel Apple Cream hotcake about its adventure through the magical grill line to the powdered sugar palace.)

A quick preview of what's to come: tips for making your own Stacked and Stuffed hotcakes, an at home, do-it yourself recipe for Stacked and Stuffed hotcakes, interviews with our Senior Development Chef Brian Murphy who created the product, updates on the eBay auction and our Habitat affiliate partnership and pics/video from you eating and talking about our Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes. Just post your pictures on Flickr and videos on YouTube with the tag "bobevans" (we'll find them and post them on the blog) or e-mail them to blog@bobevans.com. Check back, I'll post a few times a week with new info/pictures/videos.