Story Winner of the Week

The winner of this weeks story is:

 

Sean O’Cuinneagain

 

 

The idea came to them over a glass of wine.

 

 

 

A small device that would aerate red wine quickly without making a mess.

 

Sean O’Cuinneagain, owner of WineMall, an online wine retailer, had been pondering the idea for a while. But on this day while he and friend Andy Broden sipped a glass of Malbec, O’Cuinneagain sketched it out on a paper napkin.

The first version of the Vin-Aire wine aerator was born.

“We felt this was something we were passionate about,” O’Cuinneagain said. “Something we could all go in the same direction about.”

Broden, a Westchase resident and wine broker, had been selling O’Cuinneagain wine for years making him the best “partner in wine” for the venture.

“Andy had the contacts and he saw the vision,” O’Cuinneagain said.

That first sketch was about two years ago. These days, O’Cuinneagain and Broden, are steadily building up a Vin-Aire following.

Vin-Aire is primarily Internet based, but the company is in talks to sell the aerators ($29.99 each at www.vin-aire.com) in a retail setting. And former Tampa Bay Lightning hockey player Zenon Konopka, a stakeholder in the business, is using the aerator to raise money for the New York Islanders’ Children’s Foundation.

Konopka was traded to the Islanders last year. For the next month, a portion of all Vin-Aire sales will go to the foundation.

“After two years we’re so excited,” said O’Cuinneagain, a Lutz resident. “The great thing about it is it’s not just for wine connoisseurs. It’s for regular people who enjoy wine.”

On a recent day, O’Cuinneagain and his staff demonstrated how the product works. You simply place the clear Vin-Aire device over your wine glass and slowly pour the wine through the device. A “hsssss” sound can be heard as the wine aerates through the device.

It takes about 10 seconds as opposed to the hour or so it takes for red wine to aerate naturally.

By exposing wine to air, or “letting it breathe,” the wine heats up slightly allowing the aroma and ingredients to release. The result is generally a more mellow, better tasting glass of wine.

The idea is to make an $8 bottle of wine taste like a $30 bottle. The Vin-Aire isn’t the only wine aerator on the market. However, the lower price and ease of use make it a better product than its competitor, O’Cuinneagain said.

Fred Moses, a Westchase resident, was one of the first to purchase the Vin-Aire.

“When you get home from work and you want to have a glass of wine, you don’t want to have to pour it and stare at the glass for hours,” said Moses, a commercial banker.

“Your red wine taste completely different after using it,” he said. “It’s a good product.”

Sales for the Vin-Aire are steady, he says. In 2011, the company will market the product to wine stores, restaurants and bars. The European market is in their sights as well.

From a simple sketch to an intentional sensation—that is the hope.

“A lot of people have ideas but not a lot of people do them,” Broden said. “We decided to seize this opportunity."

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Holiday ice rink

Here's is an article that not many would have expected in Tampa:

I congratulate Mayor Pam Iorio and the city of Tampa for their wonderful foresight with the Curtis Hixon Ice Rink.

Who would have imagined that a temporary ice rink would draw over 22,000 ice skaters to downtown Tampa? Who would have envisioned that we would see children playing with snowballs adjacent to the Hillsborough River? And who would have dreamed that the city could arrange such a venue at virtually no cost to taxpayers?

My family, like many others, enjoyed the ice rink numerous times during the holidays. We especially enjoyed the laughter, the nightlife and the enhanced ambiance at Curtis Hixon Park. We hope this new tradition continues in Tampa for many years!

Rudy Fernandez

Tampa

 

Click here to learn more.

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Tampa Bay Lightning's Stamkos, St. Louis named to NHL All-Star Game

Here's some news about our Tampa Bay Lightnings:

Times staff 
Posted: Jan 11, 2011 12:11 PM

Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos and right wing Marty St. Louis have been named to the 2011 NHL All-Star Game.

For St. Louis, it will be his franchise-record sixth appearance in the game, and his sixth straight appearance. He was also selected as a starter in 2003-04.

St. Louis has posted 18 goals, 53 points, two power play goals and five game-winners. He ranks second in the NHL in assists, road assists with 21, power-play assists with 21, and tied for second for home assists with 29.

Stamkos, who represented the Lightning in the 2008-09 NHL YoungStars Game, will be making his first career all-star appearance in Raleigh.

Stamkos has posted 31 goals, 13 power-play goals, six game-winning goals and 57 points in 43 games this season.

He ranks second in the NHL for goals and points and is tied for the league lead for game-winning goals.

The All-Stars will play in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game on Sunday, Jan. 30 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.

 

Click here to learn more.

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Commission, Waste Management partner to green sporting events

Here is an interesting article to help eco efforts in Tampa Bay:

 

 

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission and Waste Management plan to help make local events greener.

 

Waste Management (NYSE: WM) will offer recycling services for cardboard, paper, plastics, glass bottles, aluminum cans and other materials for each Tampa Bay Sports Commission sponsored event within the Tampa Bay area.

 

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission is focused on generating social and economic impact through the vehicle of sports and works with more than 100 youth and amateur events on annual basis. The events produce more than 100,000 hotel room nights annually and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, tourism executives said in a release.

 

“Sustainability continues to be an enormous priority for our community and for our sporting events,” said Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, in a prepared statement.

Read more: Commission, Waste Management partner to green sporting events | Tampa Bay Business Journal 

 

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White House: No drilling off Florida coast

Here's is an interesting article for all Florida residents:

 

TALLAHASSEE (AP) - The Obama administration will maintain a long-standing oil drilling ban in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida after considering loosening it before the BP spill, a senior administration official told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Just a month before the spill started in April, the Obama administration had announced plans to allow drilling in the eastern portion of the Gulf as part of the management plan for the Outer 
Continental Shelf.

"In light of the BP spill, we've learned a lot and understand the need to elevate the safety and environmental standards," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the 
decision hadn't been announced yet. "We took a second look at the announced plan and modified it to remove the Eastern Gulf of Mexico from leasing consideration."

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar planned to discuss the decision Wednesday afternoon.

The eastern Gulf -- an area stretching from 125 to 300 miles off Florida's coast -- was singled out for protection by Congress in 2006 as part of a deal with Florida lawmakers that made available 8.3 million acres to oil and gas development in the east-central Gulf. Under that agreement, the protected region is to remain off limits to energy development until 2022.

But the administration had entertained the idea of expanded drilling, until the BP spill that spewed an estimated 172 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. In order to open more of the eastern Gulf to drilling, the administration would have to ask Congress to lift the drilling moratorium.

 

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FCTB Takes Part in Great American Teach In

FC Tampa Bay and some of its players took part in the 2010 Great American Teach In on Thursday, November 18, at four schools around the Bay area.  Jeremy Christie, Julian Valentin, Pascal Millien and Chad Burt were among thousands on Thursday who visited schools in Hillsborough County.  

The Great American Teach In invites people from all different career backgrounds to the schools to talk with the students on the different careers available to them in the future.
The FC Tampa Bay players spoke with students ranging from 1st grade to 5th grade about what it took to get to the level they have reached and how important dedication and exercise was to that process. 

 Jeremy Christie spoke at Westshore Elementary School with many groups, which included 1st, 4th and 5th graders who asked question after question about soccer and playing the sport. 

“What did you have to do to be a soccer player,” asked a 1st grader, who had many questions written down in her notebook, to Christie. “A lot of hard work and practice on the field. It’s not something that happens overnight – I’ve been working on this since I was 14 years old. That’s more than 12 years of practice,” Christie replied to an in awe student who watched as he juggled a soccer ball while answering her. 

Julian Valentin, who visited Westchase Elementary School, and Chad Burt, who visited Alafia Elementary, talked about the motivation and dedication it takes to become any kind of professional athlete and how important school plays into accomplishing your dreams.
“I really enjoyed the Great American Teach In. It’s great to interact with the kids and spend time playing a little soccer with them. I tried to impart to them how to achieve a life of balance, the importance of hard work and good grades, and why I have the best job in the world,” said Valentin.
The students at Deer Park Elementary were visited by Pascal Millien, who shared his story about Haiti and the obstacles he has overcome to be where he is today. 

 “It was a pleasure to visit with the students. I feel blessed to have talked to the kids and had so much fun doing it,” said Millien. “I was impressed that most of the kids knew about the struggle of Haiti. That’s when I realized those kids are special and they know about the world around them. They just need our help to make it far in their future.”

FC Tampa Bay would like to thank the students and teachers at Westshore Elementary, Westchase Elementary, Deer Park Elementary and Alafia Elementary for letting FC Tampa Bay and the players speak with them and wish them luck in the rest of the school year.

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Best Buy Black Friday 2010 Ads: Line up early!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you know what that means..........Black Friday! People are already starting to line up at stores! Below is an article for Best Buy's Black Friday Ad:

Tampa Bay, Florida - Best Buy's Black Friday ad is encouraging people to start lining up two hours before the doors open at 5:00am the day after Thanksgiving.

The ad says "we'll pass out tickets up to two hours before 5:00am store opening." If you don't want to deal with the crowds the ad also says that you can shop Thanksgiving Day online at bestbuy.com for bonus deals.

So what are some of the featured sale items for Black Friday? You can save on some big ticket items like, an LG front loader washer and dryer set for 999.98. That's an advertisedsavings of $1,000. An Intel Pentium laptop will cost you 399.99 or you can upgrade with more memory and built in Blu-ray player, laptop bag and The Karate Kid Blu-ray disc for 499.99.

Click here to learn more:

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"Real" Thanksgiving Story

• Here is an event for the kids to learn more about thanksgiving this year in Tampa:
• Tampa Bay History Center
  801 Old Water St., Tampa FL 33602

• Kids spend their day unearthing a Timucuan kitchen mound and learning about the special meal shared between Spanish explorers and Florida's first people. This event is part of Discovery Days and open to children in grades 3-5. Early drop-off and extended pick-up available for an additional fee.

Price: $35 per child, $30 per child members.

Categories: Family, Holiday, Kid-friendly, Museums

Phone: (813) 675-8960

Click here to learn more.

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University of Tampa Fine Arts Faculty - Exhibits Recent Work

Here is an upcoming event happening in Tampa Bay:

Red Georgia clay, 15th century religious icons and digital images are some of the raw materials that make up the art in the new Faculty Show at The University of Tampa. Members of the fine arts faculty will show their new work at an exhibition starting Friday, Oct. 22 and running through Nov. 23. An opening reception will take place on Friday, Oct. 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery on campus. The show will feature more than 30 major works of photography, painting, sculpture, digital images, drawings, installations and mixed media.

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Bucs notes: CB Mack still defying odds

Here is your weekly dose of Tampa Bay Sports news:

 

TAMPA - Buccaneers CB Elbert Mack continues to defeat the odds.

Mack was barely recruited out of high school and attended Butler County Community College in Kansas. He later played for Troy and entered the NFL in 2008 as an undrafted free agent. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder has been a solid backup and special teams player for Tampa Bay, but it appeared his luck would run out in 2010.

The Bucs drafted CB Myron Lewis in the third round, and with the preseason emergence of E.J. Biggers, Mack seemed like the odd man out.

As usual, Mack emerged to make the roster and plays on special teams and in dime packages. He hopes to make his presence known Sunday when Tampa Bay hosts Carolina.

"He's battled through injuries and he's just kind of that tough guy that you love on this football team," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "He comes out every day, he's businesslike in the walk-through, he's businesslike in the classrooms and he's businesslike on the field.

"He's the example of (our roster) being driven from the bottom up, and there is no better person in the room than I can give an example about than E-Mack."

Mack has three tackles as a defensive back and two on special teams.

Despite his limited participation this season, he is happy to have defeated the odds again.

"Sometimes I wake up and I don't even know how I've been doing it. I just know God has been pulling me through it," Mack said. "Sometimes you just have to be ready for whatever it is. You just got to take the blows and be ready to embark on whatever the journey is in life.

 

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November 2010 at the Florida Holocaust Museum

St. Petersburg, FL (Nov. 4, 2010) – The Florida Holocaust Museum presents: 

Trust in the Journey Becoming Family – Marie, Jeannette and Ruth 

Marie and Jeannette, sisters from Antwerp, Belgium, were just nine and five years old when they began a life on the run from the Nazis in 1940. The young girls hid in France until caught by the Nazis and put into a deportation camp. With the help of the underground they were smuggled out of the camp and taken to a safe hiding place. Eventually they escaped, without their mother, across the mountains to Barcelona, Spain. In 1944 they journeyed to the United States and were placed in an orphanage until a foster home could be found for them in Rhode Island – becoming the state’s first refugee children from the Holocaust. 

LOCATION: The Palladium Theater: Wed., Nov.10, 7 p.m. & Thurs., Nov. 11, 7 p.m. Cost to attend: $15 for FHM members, Palladium members, and students; $20 for others; tickets must be purchased at the Palladium Theater box office. 

Pardoll Family Lecture Series

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen 

Tues., Nov. 30, 2010, 6:30 p.m. 

LOCATION: USF St. Petersburg 
Campus Activities Center 
140 Seventh Ave. S 
St. Petersburg, Fl 33701 
(727) 873-4596 

Join acclaimed author Daniel Jonah Goldhagen as he discusses his newest book, Worse Than War: Genocide, Eliminationism, and the Ongoing Assault on Humanity, and challenges fundamental things we thought we knew about human beings, society, and politics.

“Genocide seems at once so familiar and so overwhelming that we don’t consider that if we change our thinking about the problem, then we can see the way to stopping the killing and do so relatively easily. . . . My work and my talk are devoted to making the phrase “never again” finally mean it for everyone.”

Daniel Jonah Goldhagen is the author of #1 international bestseller Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. The book, available in fifteen languages, was named by TIME as one of the two best non-fiction books of 1996 and Goldhagen won Germany’s prestigious triennial Democracy Prize in 1997 as its author.

Goldhagen, born in 1959, received a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from Harvard University and was a professor in Harvard’s Government and Social Studies departments until he decided to devote himself full time to writing. He is a member of Harvard’s Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies and on the board of directors of Humanity in Action.

Free to FHM members and college students with valid student ID; $9 for guests; please RSVP: (727) 820-0100, ext. 236. Guest admission may be applied to FHM membership. 

Women of Ravensbrück: Portraits of Courage

Artwork of Julia Terwilliger 

Opening Sun., Nov. 14 through Tues., Feb. 15, 2011 

This is an original Florida Holocaust Museum exhibition of memorial artwork by Julia Terwilliger. It tells the history of the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp, the Nazi’s major concentration camp for women that brought fear and terror to its imprisoned, tortured victims. 

The art is coupled with text and seven, large wooden panels of mixed media and transfer images of Ravensbrück women, young and old, survivors and those who did not. The exhibition also includes rare original artifacts from the camp, including a handmade recipe book and gifts secretly exchanged by the women and 17 history panels and 14 biographical panels of individuals. In addition, the artist created a 10 foot memorial triangle and an artifacts installation created by the artist will be on view. An exhibition catalog for Women of Ravensbrück is available for purchase in the Museum Store. 

Media Sponsors: Bright House Networks and the St. Petersburg Times 

Curator’s Talk and Reception: 
Thurs., Dec. 16, 2010; 6:30 p.m. 

The evening includes a talk by guest lecturer Rochelle Saidel, the original Curator of Women in Ravensbrück and Director of Remember the Women Foundation. Free to FHM members; $9 for guests; please RSVP: (727) 820-0100, ext. 236. Guest admission may be applied to FHM membership. 

Also on View: 

Resistance and Rescue 
Photography of Judy Ellis Glickman 

Through Sun., Feb. 13, 2011 

Through images and symbols, the horrors of the Holocaust are familiar to us all. Yet, too few of us are aware of the remarkable story of the flight of the Jews out of Denmark to safety in Sweden in the fall of 1943. This exhibition of photographs by Judy Ellis Glickman reopens a time in our history when the bravery of a few overcame the brutality of so many. 

Media Sponsor: WUSF Public Media 

Faith Under Fire: Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Holocaust 

Through Sun., Jan. 2, 2011 

Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian community of 35,000 in Germany and occupied lands, refused to conform to the Nazi ideology of hate. They suffered severely for their belief in nonviolence and their utter rejection of racism. Thrown into Nazi camps, they became eyewitnesses of Nazi genocide. As historian John Toland wrote, this is a story of human courage that must be heard. 

A gallery guide for Faith Under Fire is included with Museum admission. 

Save the Date: 

To Life: Music of Hope 
Thurs. Feb. 17, 2011 

The Florida Holocaust Museum will present Violins of Hope as the major component of the Museum’s annual benefit, To Life: Music of Hope, on Thurs., Feb, 17, 2011; 6 p.m., at the Progress Energy Center for the Arts – The Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg. To Life: Music of Hope includes cocktails, Dinner-by-the-Bite, desserts and coffee. Also planned are a silent auction offering luxury travel packages, dining opportunities, upscale merchandise and services, and a chance drawing. 

Following dinner, attendees will be seated in the auditorium to hear the Violins of Hope, a concert played on Holocaust era violins rescued and lovingly restored. Musical performers will include members of the Florida Orchestra. Also planned are a special tribute to Edie Loebenberg (of blessed memory) and presentation of the Loebenberg Humanitarian Award to Dr. Herbert and Isabel Savel, FHM patrons. 

Proceeds from To Life: Music of Hope will benefit education, exhibitions and public programming at the Florida Holocaust Museum. The cost to attend the event is $150 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Please call Dan Berman, (727) 820-0100, ext 242, for information. 

Images from all the exhibitions are available. Please send your request to:jsherman@flholocaustmuseum.org. 

Admission to the Florida Holocaust Museum (FHM) is $14 for adults; discounted admission is offered to seniors, students, adult and student groups and AAA members.

Admission is free to active duty Military, FHM members and children 6 and under. Museum hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon. through Sun.; the last admission is 3:30 pm.

NEW HOURS: Through May 31, 2011, the FHM will be open Thurs. evenings until 8 p.m.; the last admission is 7 p.m. Please call (727) 820-0100, or visit the Museum’s web-site, www.flholocaustmuseum.org, for directions and further details including holiday closures. 

The Florida Holocaust Museum honors the memory of millions of innocent men, women and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The Museum is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures to recognize the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. 

Please follow the Florida Holocaust Museum on Facebook and Twitter.

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Happy Halloween

Two more days till the Halloween of 2010. Remember to all of your supplies for this year's spooky Holiday. For all of the trick-or-treaters, make sure you have everything you need for your candy gathering experience:

- candy buckets, pillow bags or any other candy holding satchel and

- A spooky costume

Have a very spooky and happy Halloween Tampa Bay.

 

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Roll out the barrels, it's Oktoberfest again

Oktoberfest is here again in Tampa:

 

TAMPA - It's time to break out the strudel, sausages, sauerkraut and steins for Oktoberfest, that annual German-inspired celebration of beer brewing.

And throughout the Tampa Bay area, people will mark the 200th anniversary of this German tradition with song, dance, food and drink.

• The former Tampa Armature Works, 1910 North Ola Ave., is the location for Oktoberfest Tampa 2010, which runs Oct. 15-17. Converted to a Bavarian-themed building, the Works will host singing, dancing and, of course, drinking.

The inaugural keg of Warsteiner will be tapped at 4 p.m. Oct. 15. Food will be served by South Tampa's Datz Deli. Activities include barrel tossing, a Mr. and Miss Oktoberfest and a beer stein relay.

 

Click here to read more.

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Inaugural Halloween Costume Party to Benefit Tampa Bay History Center

Tampa, FL (September 21, 2010) – Halloween with the kids? The Zoo has you covered. Halloween with 100,000 people? Try Guavaween. Halloween with history’s notorious gangsters, thieves and tyrants? The History Center is the place to be. 

  On Saturday, October 16th, the Tampa Bay History Center wants you to explore the dark side of history with HISTeria, a night of costumed revelry. A Halloween fundraiser in the heart of downtown Tampa, HISTeria will feature food from some of Tampa’s best local restaurants including SideBern’s, Fly Bar and Restaurant, AJA, Datz Deli, Ella’s Folk Café, Square One Burgers and the Columbia Cafe, among others. 

  Performance artists, psychics and a Tampa’s D.J. Blenda will transform the History Center into downtown Tampa’s premier Halloween destination. Don’t miss what will be Tampa’s must-attend Halloween event. 

  Plus, proceeds will benefit the History Center’s educational programs. 

  HISTeria will take place Saturday, October 16th from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Tickets are $35.00 prior to September 26th, $50.00 prior to October 16th and $60.00 on the day of the event. Tickets include one complimentary beverage and parking. A special $80.00 VIP package includes valet parking, an individual Tampa Bay History Center membership and two complimentary beverages. 

  Tampa Bay History Center is located at 801 Old Water Street in the Channelside District of downtown Tampa. Support for the event is provided by the Tampa Downtown Partnership, St. Petersburg Times, *tbt, Yuengling Brewery and Mama Razzi Foto. 

  Visit www.HISTeriaEvent.com for more information and to purchase advance tickets or call Visitor Services at (813) 228-0097 ext. 0. 

  About the Tampa Bay History Center 
The Tampa Bay History Center includes three floors of permanent and temporary exhibition space focusing on 12,000 years of Florida history. The History Center also features a Museum Store, the Witt Research Center (a branch of the Hillsborough County Public Library System), a map gallery, an event hall and the Columbia Cafe. One of Tampa’s premier cultural venues, the History Center’s hands-on, kid-friendly activities, together with cutting-edge interactive exhibits and theaters provide a unique educational experience. For more information, visitwww.tampabayhistorycenter.org.

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THOUSANDS OF PIZZA LOVERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY VYING FOR A SLICE OF THE PAPA JOHN’S PIE IN RECIPE CHALLENGE

Three Weeks Remaining in “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,”
Winner to Receive Portion of Sales Dollars for Best Combination
of Papa John’s “Better Ingredients”

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 25, 2010) – More than 7,000 pizza lovers spanning all 50 states think they have what it takes to create Papa John’s next menu item – and win a portion of the sales dollars in return. But there’s only room for one new pizza on Papa John’s menu. Which recipe will come out on top?

Last month, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) asked its loyal customers to share their ideas for the next great specialty pizza on Facebook as part of the company’s first ever “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge.” Thousands of recipes later – and with three weeks still remaining in the contest – Papa John’s finds itself sifting through a number of top contenders.

Recipes have been inspired by far-away places. There’s “The Big Texan” from a customer in Cambellsburg, Ind., “The Kentuckian” from a Papa John’s fan in Las Vegas, Nev., “Mediterranean Medley” in Dayton, Ohio, plus hundreds of interpretations of what constitutes a “Hawaiian” pizza.

Pizzas have also been named in honor of loved ones, like “Dad’s Ham & Cheese” in Lexington, Ky., “Mom’s Not Cooking Tonight!” in Overland Park, Ks., and “Grammy’s Favorite” in Valparaiso, Ind.

And then there’s pure creativity, such as “The New PB&J” from Augusta, Ga., “Kabobbin’ Kick” in Cuddy, Pa., and “The TNT! (Thin ‘n’ Tangy!) from Escalon, Calif.

“Every day there’s a new recipe, story, or name that catches our eye as customers have come out in droves to share their favorite combinations of Papa John’s ‘Better Ingredients,’” said Papa John’s Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Varga. “The passion for our quality pizza and fresh ingredients is evident in every entry.”

Through June 14, participants can enter “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge” at www.facebook.com/papajohns

, where they will be asked to create and name their very own specialty pie on Papa John’s fresh, never frozen original dough with sauce, cheese and a combination of up to seven Papa John’s better ingredients, including:

Fresh-Packed Tomato Sauce: Made from vine-ripened tomatoes, which go from the vine to the can in an average of six hours

Cheese made from 100 percent mozzarella

100 percent Real Meats: Bacon, Beef, Ham, Grilled Chicken, Pepperoni, Sausage, Spicy Italian Sausage

Fresh-Cut Vegetables: Onions, Green Peppers and Roma Tomatoes

Other high-quality ingredients: Including baby portabella mushrooms from Greece and black olives grown in the rich soils of southern Spain

But Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge isn’t just about recipes. Participants must also share in 250 words or less what makes their pizza so special for a chance to win. Judges will take the pizza creation, the pizza name and the story into consideration when completing their score sheets.

All entries are being featured in a gallery on Papa John’s Facebook page, from which “Papa” John Schnatter himself and his team of experts will choose ten semi-finalists. Those ten recipes will then be tested and tasted by Schnatter, a secret celebrity judge and other judges at company headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Schnatter, who personally developed many of the specialty pizza combinations currently offered by Papa John’s, and the other judges will trim the choices to the three best recipes, which will be showcased temporarily on Papa John’s menu (August 2 – August 29), with the ultimate winner being the highest-selling pizza!

And because the stakes – a portion of sales dollars from the winner’s recipe – are so high Papa John’s is offering the top three finalists a marketing budget of $1,000 to help drive sales of their respective pizzas.

The grand prize winner will also receive free Papa John’s pizza for life as well as a chance to appear in a “Papa’s in the House” TV commercial. For more details on “Papa’s Specialty Pizza Challenge,” including official contest rules, visit www.facebook.com/papajohns.

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine of the last 10 years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also was honored by Restaurants & Institutions Magazine (R&I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers’ Choice in Chains in the pizza segment and was named 2007 Pizza Today Chain of the Year. For more information about the company or to order pizza online, visit Papa John's at www.papajohns.com.

aahttp://www.pjtampabay.com/

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