Frito-Lay Pulls Back the Curtain on Creative Process

PLANO, Texas -- Consumers are getting a behind-the-scenes look at how Frito-Lay develops new flavors and snacks.

High above the "crossroads of the world", the Plano, Texas-based company has recreated its Flavor Kitchen located at the company's headquarters to share the real foods and recipes that have been the inspiration behind many of Frito-Lay's snack flavors. The billboard experience, running through April 15, will be live-streamed all week from the screens that reach 22 stories above Times Square, and also on the Frito-Lay Facebook page.

Kicking off the first cooking demonstration will be Frito-Lay's executive chef Stephen Kalil and "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi. Other guest chefs this week will include Michael Psilakis (owner of Kefi in New York and Eos in Miami), Jet Tila (executive chef at Wazuzu in Las Vegas), and Colombe Jacobsen (a former contestant on "The Next Food Network Star").

"Now more than ever, consumers want to know where the foods they love come from and how they are made," said Ann Mukherjee, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay. "What better way to share the story behind Frito-Lay snacks than by giving consumers a look inside our Flavor Kitchen to see first-hand the all natural ingredients and real foods that inspire the products we make."

The Times Square billboard is just one avenue Frito-Lay is taking to bring its Flavor Kitchen to consumers. Other ways include:

  • Culinary Web Series -- The Flavor Kitchen team, led by Chef Kalil with host Laura MacIntosh, offers wholesome, simple and delicious meal solutions for busy moms through a series of online cooking webisodes available at www.facebook.com/fritolay. Content from the Times Square recipe demonstrations will be incorporated into future episodes.
  • Zynga FarmVille Integration -- Frito-Lay connects the Flavor Kitchen experience to its Facebook fans with a sponsored integration in Zynga's FarmVille. On Monday, April 11, FarmVille players have the chance to harvest Frito-Lay sponsored in-game crops used in the Flavor Kitchen to create Frito-Lay snacks made with all natural ingredients. In return, FarmVille players can earn exclusive virtual goods.
  • Quick-Response (QR) codes -- QR codes in print advertisements and on specially marked in-store promotional displays unlock Flavor Kitchen recipes, webisodes and links to other content via smartphones.
  • On-Package Bar Codes -- Scanning the on-pack barcodes with smartphones allows consumers to view a "Seed to Shelf" mini-documentary that spotlights the story behind several of Frito-Lay's snacks made with all natural ingredients, along with nutritional information and other content.
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