Kolache Factory customers from 21 states entered the contest this year. VIP judges tested the top five finalist flavors and picked the winner at the Kolache Olympics, which was held Tuesday, July 10 in Katy, Texas.
This year’s winner and “Kolache King” is Andrew D’Amico, a welding engineer from Katy, Texas. His culinary creation was called “Yes, Please!” and consisted of a pastry stuffed with mac-n-cheese, brisket, and jalapenos. D’Amico beat out more than a thousand customer entries to win the grand prize of a kolache and coffee every day for a year.
“Wow! I thought I had no chance in the world, to be honest. I’m putting this on my resume!” says Andrew D’Amico. “I sat at my desk thinking about ideas and I kept recalling one of my favorite late-night snacks in college, mac-n-cheese and chili, so this is just a twist on that. My family is thrilled with free kolaches for a year and my co-workers are pretty impressed too. My new nickname at work is Mac-n-Cheese.”
D’Amico’s submission will become a future Flavor of the Month at Kolache Factory stores nationwide. It will be joined by the Kolache Olympics winners from employee submissions, which were Pineapple Coco Cream and Southwestern Omelette.
“This was so much fun, and we are thrilled with the excitement and enthusiasm for our beloved kolaches,” says Kolache Factory Chief Operating Officer Dawn Nielsen. “We wanted to engage our loyal customers to be part of the Kolache Olympics and the rich history of this Czech-inspired pastry and they wowed us with their creativity and passion!”
