Snack Chat

Last Call - Crash the Super Bowl Voting Ends Jan. 29

Over the past few weeks, fans have voted for their favorite out of five finalists in this year’s Crash the Super Bowl contest. On Sunday, Jan. 29, voting will end, and two commercials will be selected to air during the Super Bowl and win the grand prize -- the opportunity to work with The Lonely Island on upcoming Doritos projects, and a chance to take home million-dollar bonus prizes! 

As an incentive to fans, the Doritos brand is also putting cash sweepstakes prizes on the line for those who vote. Check out the details here, and vote for your favorite of the videos below before it's too late! Just one day left!

• "Bird of Prey" by Joby Harris
• "Dog Park" by Tyler Dixon
• "Hot Wild Girls" by Brad Scott
• "Man's Best Friend" by Jonathan Friedman
• "Sling Baby" by Kevin T. Willson

- Joe

Frito-Lay Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. By Inspiring Others

Today, I joined my coworkers at Frito-Lay headquarters and those watching from more than 120 remote locations for our 22nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration. This year's celebration was my first with the company, and it was nothing short of amazing. As we took our seats, Michele Thatcher, senior vice president of human resources, told us, "Whether it's your first or your 22nd, you'll leave with a renewed passion to make the world better." 

The theme this year, "Tomorrow is Now," was slightly different than previous celebrations. Instead of remembering Dr. King's dream, it focused on the possibilities when people act upon it. 

Keynote speaker Hill Harper (pictured addressing the crowd below) was a perfect choice for the event. Currently starring on CBS' CSI:NY, he is an award-winning actor, best-selling author and activist. He founded the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, dedicated to empowering, encouraging and inspiring underserved youth to succeed through mentorship, scholarship and grant programs. He spoke about how he was inspired to step outside of his comfort zone to produce positive change for others.

Harper's speech also included entertaining personal stories including a rather misfortunate turn at Jeopardy! when the celebrities he thought he was facing were swapped for a three-time game champion and the Secretary of Education. 

At the close of the event, our various employee resource groups were present with a variety of partner organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters so we could learn more about how help make a positive change of our own.

I left the event feeling energized and ready to do my part to help. Back at my desk, I was inspired by a quote from Harper I scribbled in the margin of my notebook: "I will not allow fear to stop me from doing the things that I know I should do. Instead, I will work from my heart, make a difference and in so doing give others permission to do the same."

How will you make a difference this year?

- Joe

Dorm Dinners Get Remixed With Rockin' Ramen Fritos Pie

Recently we came across a fun food blog called The College Culinarian. Created by Katie, a grad student at the University of Missouri, the blog is full of great recipes geared towards the thrifty college co-ed who still wants a tasty home-cooked meal. 

We were so impressed by Katie's blog that we offered to create a custom episode of Fritos Pie Remix for her and her readers. Katie challenged Frito-Lay Executive Chef Stephen Kalil to create a take on the classic Fritos Chili Pie that incorporated a staple food for many college students: ramen noodles. The end result was an easy and savory Asian-style dish sure to satisfy eaters of all ages -- Rockin' Ramen Fritos Pie!

Check out the video below, then visit The College Culinarian to see Katie's take on the classic Fritos Chili Pie. As always, you can go to the Fritos Pie Remix website and submit an idea for the extreme ingredient you'd like to see Chef Stephen use, and you might just see it on a future episode!

-- Joe

Introducing our Fan of the Month: Fritzie Kidder!

Every month, we’re highlighting a new Frito-Lay fan and sharing the fan’s fun facts and snacking tips. If you would like to be part of our fan program, sign up here, and you just might be featured as a Fan of the Month in the future!

We’d like you to meet January's Fan of the Month, Fritzie Kidder (pictured below)! Fritzie, a dedicated fan of Lay’s Kettle Cooked potato chips, is an avid collector of many things and loves snack time with her family. Learn more fun facts about Fritzie in her Q&A below! 

• Favorite Frito-Lay snack: Lay’s Kettle Cooked Jalapeño flavored potato chips 

• Favorite dip recipe or way to enjoy your chips: I love a good, old-fashioned ranch dip. (If you’re a fan of ranch like Fritzie, you’ll love this recipe for Creamy Ranch Cucumber Salad!) 

• If you could be a Frito-Lay chip, which would you be and why? Cheetos Crunchy snacks because sometimes it’s fun being cheesy ;)

• What extreme ingredient would you like to see our chef use in a Fritos Pie Remix recipe? I’d like to see him use chipotle peppers. 

• Which chips would you pair together to make a new snack mix? I’m a big fan of Lay’s Kettle Cooked potato chips, so I think it would be fun to pair contrasting flavors like Lay’s Kettle Cooked Jalapeño & Lay’s Kettle Cooked Harvest Ranch flavored potato chips together. 

• What are some tips you can share for snacking smarter or living healthier? I like to pack pre-portioned snacks in small snack bags or containers in advance so they’re ready to go for the next day. I also like to have lots of fresh cut veggies – red bell peppers are my favorite!

• If you could work at Frito-Lay for a day, what role would you want to be in and why? I would love to be involved in the market research department. I’m fascinated by how products come to exist, and how things like packaging and design are decided. Of course, I’d also love to be a taste tester for a day, too! 

• Give us 3 fun facts about yourself: 
  • I traveled around the United States from coast to coast full-time for several years when I was a kid. I feel so blessed to have had many amazing experiences!
  • I’m a proud, long-time Joplin, Mo. resident.
  • I love collecting and have lots of great eclectic collections as a result, including a big rock collection with rocks from every state, countless books, Smokey the Bear items and, yes, I even had a Chester Cheetah collection in my younger years!  

• Most memorable Frito-Lay snacking moment: Hmm, it’s too hard to pick a single moment. I’d have to say my favorite moments are when I’m simply snacking with my family. We love Frito-Lay! 

• Tell us why you are a Frito-Lay Fan: I am a fan because Frito-Lay snacks bring back great childhood memories, and remain consistently great over the years.

A big thank you to Fritzie for being our January Fan of the Month and for being a lifelong fan of our snacks! You can learn more about Fritzie on her blog, Frugal Fritzie, and by following her on Twitter. And, come visit us again in February to meet our next Frito-Lay Fan of the Month right here on Snack Chat. 

- Joe

PepsiCo Employees Help Improve Access to Clean Water in Ghana

The Wall Street Journal this week highlighted several large corporations, including PepsiCo, that are "doing good to do well" by sending small teams of employees to developing countries around the world. As part of our inaugural PepsiCorps program, eight international PepsiCo employees late last year traveled to Ghana for a month to help improve access to clean water and raise consciousness about hygiene and sanitation.

The eight PepsiCorps team members represented six countries and six functions across PepsiCo. One team member, Deepali Palta (pictured at right), is based in Plano, Texas, as part of the PepsiCo Advanced Research department. I recently had the chance to sit down with Deepali to discuss her trip to Ghana and the work she did there helping engage community members from the country's Ketu South District in support of PepsiCo's water sustainability goals. In a brief audio podcast posted below, Deepali explains how she and her fellow team members completed several projects, including teaching school children and exposing them to different cultures, and what she takes away from her time in Ghana.

Listen to the podcast, and read more from the PepsiCorps' team on PepsiCo's Living the Promise blog.

Deepali Palta Podcast

- Michael