Watsonville, CA, June 10, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americans eat nearly 12 pounds of strawberries per person, per year, and a recent survey revealed more than 60% of all consumers would choose Strawberry Shortcake as the 'Official Dessert of Summer'. On June 14th, National Strawberry Shortcake Day, strawberry lovers everywhere pay homage to their favorite berry. "Driscoll's has been the strawberry in America's shortcake for more than 100 years," said Frances Dillard, Director of Marketing, Driscoll's, "and we're proud and humbled to still have a special place at the family table."
See video from Driscoll's and Synaptic Digital at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/driscolls/strawberryshortcakeday/
Family owned and operated for more than a century, Driscoll's heritage is rooted in growing only the finest, fresh berries. In 1904, Driscoll's began producing flavorful Sweet Briar strawberries in California's Pajaro Valley, still home to the company's headquarters today.
To celebrate this heritage of strawberries, National Strawberry Shortcake Day kicked off with a private party at acclaimed blogging conference, BlogHer Food, in Austin, TX on June 8th. The celebration continues throughout this week, leading up to June 14th as chefs from coast to coast create their own versions of Strawberry Shortcake featuring the delectable dessert on their menus.
In New York City, pastry chef Jacques Torres will host a private party where his Strawberry Shortcake-inspired ice cream will be featured alongside delicious shortcakes served with fresh, juicy strawberries topped with homemade whipped cream.
Driscoll's also surveyed more than 18,000 berry lovers*, and the study revealed:
• 37% would want Rachael Ray to make their Strawberry Shortcake, followed by Martha Stewart;
• 36% would invite the TV Cast of Modern Family to share Strawberry Shortcake with them;
• 56% prefer homemade whipped cream for their shortcake versus whipped cream from a can or container, and
• 37% use Angel Food cake as their Strawberry Shortcake base followed by pound cake.
Strawberry Shortcake has a long and rich history in America. Shortcake itself goes back to the late 1500's in Europe when shortening or butter was added to dough so that it would easily crumble. In 1847, the first recorded Strawberry Shortcake recipe was published by American cookbook author Eliza Leslie in The Lady's Receipt-Book: A Useful Companion for Large or Small Families.
While Strawberry Shortcake made from Angel Food cake was tops with those surveyed, Driscoll's is offering a variety of Strawberry Shortcake recipes at http://www.driscolls.com/recipes/ideas-inspirations/strawberry-shortcake. Here, visitors can choose their favorite recipes to celebrate Strawberry Shortcake, America's pick as The Official Dessert of Summer.
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About Driscoll's, Only the Finest Berries
Driscoll's is a fourth generation, family owned company that has been involved in berry farming for more than 100 years. As a leading provider of fresh and organic berries, Driscoll's works with independent farmers to produce the highest quality strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries in the world in an effort to continually delight all berry consumers. Driscoll's is the preferred berry partner of some of America's leading chefs and culinary institutions.
*The Driscoll's Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative US adults, ages 18+, between May 8th and May 15th, 2013, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18+.