Italian Eggs Benedict with a touch of South Jersey — pork roll — is up against 134 other hometown breakfast recipes.
Online voting in the Thomas' Hometown Breakfast Battle opens on Monday (Sept. 14) and gives fans of the new Frankie's by the Bay in Ocean City a chance to back their hometown favorite and to win $10,000 at the same time.
The local restaurant is part of a contest sponsored by the makers of Thomas' English Muffins on the company's 135th anniversary. It includes 135 chefs competing with breakfast recipes representative of their hometowns.
"Pork roll is very native to South Jersey," said Lauren Sacco, a Frankie's chef and owner who concocted Italian Jersey Benedict, an eggs benedict dish with roasted peppers, and, of course, pork roll and English muffins.
Members of the public can vote for up to three recipes every day and be entered to win a grand prize of $10,000 and daily product giveaways.
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Vote for Frankie's by the Bay now.
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Lauren Sacco cuts the ribbon opening Frankie's by the Bay in January 2015.
Frankie’s opened in January and fills a spot on Bay Avenue at 11th Street formerly occupied by Bongo Cafe and Grill.
Sacco said the new venture is a trendy tribute to coal towns like Hazleton, where she grew up and where her family has operated Frankie’s Pizzeria and Restaurant for 20 years. The cafe’s decorations include chunks of coal from her back yard back home.
Sacco said she’s excited about the new opportunity and “looking to make a family down in Ocean City.”