Coast Packing Company, a leading supplier of farm-fat-based shortenings, has announced the winners of its fifth annual #LardLovers Recipe Contest, a tribute to the staying power of comfort food. The company called for any unique, unpublished recipe that uses lard, in sweet or savory categories, with the winning recipes being announced on December 8 for National Lard Day.

This year, the winner in the Sweet category was Jamie Parchman of Harlingen, Texas for her Unbeetable Carrot Cake. The judges called her recipe “a hit across the board by all tasters.” Parchman will receive a KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer (estimated retail value $430).

In the Savory category, first prize went to Mary McShack of Montgomery, Alabama for her Savory Sausage Cinnamon Rolls. The judges described it as “a delightful recipe, a pleasure to make, and definitely a crowd pleaser. You could make for breakfast, brunch, a snack, a dinner side, lunch, to throw into your kid’s lunchbox. The sweetness from the cinnamon and brown sugar balanced the spicy sausage well. In sum, addicting.”  McShack will receive a Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron Oval Dutch Oven, valued at $300.

The second prize winner in the Sweet category, Renee Conneally of Northville, Michigan, will receive a Fall Pie Baking Dream Set (valued at $110) for her Salted Caramel Chocolate Almond Tart, while the second prize winner in the Savory category, Timothy Williamson of Valrico, Florida, will receive a $140 Ruffoni 6-Piece Olivewood Tool Set for his Ultimate Brunch Biscuit.

“Now in its fifth year, our #LardLovers Contest has become a platform for culinary creativity and a tribute to the versatility of lard as a traditional ingredient with tremendous staying power,” says Eric R. Gustafson, chief executive officer of Coast Packing. “Our enthusiastic congratulations go out to Jamie, Mary, Tim and Renee (again), as well as all of those who contributed to making this the biggest and best #LardLovers Contest to date.”