{"id":177215,"date":"2025-08-26T14:19:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T14:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/177215\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T14:19:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T14:19:13","slug":"herrs-reveals-winner-of-its-flavored-by-philly-chips-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/177215\/","title":{"rendered":"Herr\u2019s reveals winner of its \u2018Flavored by Philly\u2019 chips contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

The results are in for the fourth edition of Herr\u2019s annual \u201cFlavored by Philly\u201d chip contest, and the people have decided that the champion of champions is \u2026 drum roll, please \u2026 \u201cLong Hots & Sharp Provolone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winner of the tournament\u2019s inaugural edition<\/a> \u2014 which took submissions crafted by local chip creators \u2014 beat out the competition\u2019s other previous winning flavors: the \u201cTomato Pie\u201d inspired by Corropolese Bakery<\/a> and the \u201cSpecial Hot Stromboli\u201d chip based on Romano\u2019s original sandwich<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Herr\u2019s Long Hots & Sharp Provolone chips. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

In previous years, there was a cash prize for the flavor creator, restaurant and fan who submitted it, to go along with the bragging rights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s prize is permanence: a forever spot in Herr\u2019s product lineup, alongside the familiar staples like \u201cBarbecue,\u201d \u201cSalt & Vinegar\u201d and \u201cSour Cream & Onion\u201d (red envelope full of bribe money not included<\/a>).<\/p>\n

While years two and three involved flavors based on beloved small restaurants in the area, submitted by their fans, the first year took suggestions from members of the public. \u201cLong Hots & Sharp Provolone\u201d was the brainchild of Ryan Reigel, a Philly transplant originally from DuBois in central Pa.<\/a>, who said the nerves and excitement were similar both times his chip was competing.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the chips that were entered in both contests were definitely Philly classic flavors, and I think that they were all outstanding,\u201d said Reigel, whose background in the beverage and restaurant industries helped him come up with the flavor description. \u201cEach time I was a little nervous. Each submission that they had on both rounds was top notch.<\/p>\n

Reigel\u2019s Philly inspiration came from the long hots and provolone that were a mandatory addition to the John\u2019s Roast Pork<\/a> sandwich he and a friend ordered before Eagles games. The same friend who introduced him to that pregame ritual convinced him to enter Herr\u2019s contest. Then Reigel helped the company create his vision, which defeated \u201c(215) Special Sauce\u201d and \u201cWiz Wit\u201d flavors for the inaugural crown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was so surprised when I first opened up the first bag that I got, and smelled and tasted the results of what was in my head to the chip that they produced,\u201d he said. \u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the Herr\u2019s team, about how they\u2019ve worked with me and evolved this chip from a concept into what is now just a full-time chip in their lineup. It\u2019s really an honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Two-time \u2018Flavored by Philly\u2019 winner Ryan Reigel (center), whose 2022 victory earned him $10,000, a year\u2019s supply of Herr\u2019s products and a $10,000 donation to Philabundance by Herr\u2019s. This year\u2019s win earned his flavor a permanent spot in the company\u2019s chip lineup. (Courtesy of Herr\u2019s) Credit: Courtesy Herr’s<\/p>\n

Reigel said the biggest takeaway from competing in the \u201cFlavored by Philly\u201d contest wasn\u2019t winning, but the friends and acquaintances he got to reconnect with while promoting the chip.<\/p>\n

4-for-4<\/p>\n

The competition result also extends the WHYY office\u2019s perfect streak of predicting the winner<\/a> through Billy Penn\u2019s semi-scientific taste test and online polling. \u201cLong Hots & Sharp Provolone\u201d was the comfortable favorite for both, with 27 out of 45 in-person tasters picking it and 47% of Instagram voters selecting it. \u201cTomato Pie\u201d was second with 11 office votes and 38% online, with \u201cSpecial Hot Stromboli\u201d bringing up the rear with seven votes and 15% online.<\/p>\n

\"\"Billy Penn Herr\u2019s chip tasting at WHYY on June 10, 2025. (Kimberly Paynter\/WHYY)<\/p>\n

Herr\u2019s doesn\u2019t divulge voting results, but the Chester-based chip company\u2019s director of marketing, Eric Kremer, said their numbers \u2014 and sales \u2014 weren\u2019t too far off from ours.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a close two-three finish, with \u2018Long Hots\u2019 really standing out as the one that consumers want to see every day,\u201d Kremer said, adding that all flavors received at least\u00a0 10,000 votes.<\/p>\n

All told, this year\u2019s \u201cFlavored by Philly: Crunch Off\u201d contest saw a whopping 199,008 votes submitted, more than a sixfold increase over the roughly 26,000 votes last year. The 2025 edition added Phillies slugger and MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber \u2014 whose charity, Neighbourhood Heroes<\/a>, the chip company supports \u2014 as a spokesperson.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTo get 200,000 \u2014 our expectation was around 30,000 \u2014 was unbelievable, and it just shows you how passionate and how big this city is to be able to mobilize around things like potato chip flavors to have their voice be heard,\u201d Kremer said.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of \u201cTomato Pie\u201d and \u201cSpecial Hot Stromboli\u201d flavors, be warned. Production\u00a0 has ended and they are expected to sell out within the next month, Kremer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Herr\u2019s chairman and CEO Ed Herr (left) and Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber at Citizen\u2019s Bank Park. (Nick Kariuki\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n

Even so, Kremer said that the outgoing flavors have some relatives in the permanent\u00a0 Herr\u2019s lineup. If you liked the \u201cTomato Pie,\u201d try the \u201cKetchup\u201d flavor, or the \u201cHoney BBQ\u201d flavor if the sweetness is what drew you.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a clear like-for-like in Herr\u2019s permanent lineup for the \u201cSpecial Hot Stromboli,\u201d but there\u2019s a chip that hits a similar meaty-savoury note coming among the company\u2019s next limited-time offerings. It\u2019s the \u201cSmoked Brisket\u201d chip, part of Herr\u2019s Gameday flavors, alongside a \u201cLoaded Queso\u201d option.<\/p>\n

But \u201cLong Hots & Sharp Provolone\u201d fans can rest easy. It\u2019s staying on store shelves.<\/p>\n

Reigel said his supportive wife and son are also excited about the news \u2014 and now he doesn\u2019t have to hide his supply from them, as they can always get more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife goes to a special place whenever she has chips. She\u2019s just got what I call the \u2018chip face.\u2019 She\u2019s just got this wonderful, joyous look about her when she eats a potato chip. Sometimes, I had to safeguard my stash on a couple of occasions from her,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut she was just very supportive. As was my son, he\u2019s now almost 4 years old, and it\u2019s probably the only spicy food that he eats consistently. He asks for them. So he\u2019s into the chip, and he thinks it\u2019s really neat, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kremer confirmed that the \u201cFlavored by Philly\u201d contest will be back next year, but wouldn\u2019t say whether it would include new flavors or replay favorites. Instead, he hinted it might include a tie-in to the 250th anniversary celebration that will dominate much of 2026 in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Until then, keep on crunchin\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The results are in for the fourth edition of Herr\u2019s annual \u201cFlavored by Philly\u201d chip contest, and the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":177216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5229,990,100490,100491,8321,1448,2830,1311,83125,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-177215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-food","10":"tag-herr-foods","11":"tag-herrs","12":"tag-kyle-schwarber","13":"tag-pa","14":"tag-pennsylvania","15":"tag-philadelphia","16":"tag-potato-chips","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115095507272714677","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}