A baked good secured the top spot at the 2025 Flavor of Georgia food product competition, beating out a record 173 products submitted in 12 categories.
Sunday Dinner Gritscuits, produced by Lady Belle, is a French gougeres, or cheese puff, stuffed with macaroni and cheese flavored grits with collard greens and smoked turkey.
Takeaways
- Lady Belle from Stone Mountain, Georgia, won the top prize for its Sunday Dinner Gritscuits among a record 173 products submitted in 12 categories.
- Sunday Dinner Gritscuits, a French gougeres, or cheese puff, are stuffed with macaroni and cheese flavored grits with collard greens and smoked turkey.
- Ocmulgee Orchards took home the People’s Choice Award for the company’s Sugar Fried Pecans.
Lady Belle is a French-Southern fusion micro-bakery specializing in handcrafted Parisian style macarons, Belle (Signature) Macarons and savory Gritscuits.
“To me, winning means that even if the first try didn’t result in a complete win, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t continue to perfect what you know is inevitable,” said owner Charlette Bell. “I’m excited about the prospects for the future of Gritscuits and our vision to see it as a sought-after product in the state of Georgia and beyond.”
Representing Georgia’s diverse culinary heritage
Flavor of Georgia, a University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Signature Event, has helped launch small startup food companies and garnered recognition in new markets for established brands since 2007. More than 2,225 products have been entered into the contest, and participating businesses have experienced increased sales, business contacts, publicity and overall interest in their products.
Organized by the CAES Department of Food Science and Technology, the contest is supported by presenting sponsor Massey Ferguson as well as the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Georgia Grown, the CAES Alumni Association, Farm Credit Associations of Georgia, Corteva Agriscience and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.
This year’s Flavor of Georgia winners represent all corners of the state and the best of Georgia’s diverse culinary heritage. The winners were among 37 finalists selected during the first round of judging last month.
See the photo gallery below for a glimpse into the public event.
“The 2025 Flavor of Georgia contest is a true testament to the meaning behind the competition: to act as a platform for Georgia food entrepreneurs and their visionary products,” said Manpreet Singh, CAES food science and technology department head. “The department and its faculty provide a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their innovations in food through understanding food ingredients, product profiles and other key aspects of developing new products.”
Read the full story at news.uga.edu. Learn more about the Flavor of Georgia food product contest at flavorofgeorgia.caes.uga.edu.
