Oskaloosa Picks Newest Restaurant, Awards $153,000 Prize Package
Chef Pam Oldes as her team, “On The Green” is selected as the latest ‘Best Bite Challenge’ winner.
Des Moines Residents Win $153,000 National Restaurant Challenge
Plans to Open “On The Green” Restaurant in Oskaloosa Begin
CONTEST CONTACT: BRYAN SCHULTZ 641-840-2622
WINNER’S CONTACT: ZANE MUNTZ 515-650-0155
OSKALOOSA – Four Des Moines residents teamed together to develop their vision for a perfect restaurant in Oskaloosa, and their hard work resulted in a restaurant startup package worth approximately $153,000.
Team “On The Green,” consisting of husband-wife duo Zane and Suzanne Muntz, Shayna Bruce and chef Pam Oldes won Iowa’s Best Bite Restaurant Challenge Thursday after a cook off and presentation in front of a 16-person panel of judges and tasters.
“On The Green actually consisted of two teams who made the finals last year,” said contest organizer Bryan Schultz. “When we heard they were partnering together, we thought they would be a powerful contender.”
According to Schultz, though, the finals were anything but easy for the team. The other finalists, chef Karen and Christopher Ward, wowed the judges with their preparation – the Niagara Falls, NY couple only discovered the contest two weeks before the deadline and were able to prepare an impressive business plan and full menu to earn their way to the cook off in Oskaloosa.
On The Green won the competition based on their varied talents and vision for the future. Zane and Suzanne own “[design]Crew,” a design/build architecture firm; Shayna is an HR professional; and Pam has a growing reputation in central Iowa’s food scene.
“They developed a great concept and chef Pam really impressed during the cook off,” Schultz said. “Her healthier, modern take on familiar foods was impressive. I had judges tell me they were going to dream about her risotto tots. The team was also flexible – the judges really questioned every part of their plan and offered solid advice they were willing to take.”
The challenge required competitors to study Oskaloosa, then submit a business plan, five-year financial projection and proposed menu online. After an initial elimination round, three teams were chosen to present their plans to a group of four business leaders who looked for any weakness in their plan, with the two best moving on to the cook off.
“Our judges included the president of Oskaloosa Food Products, the GM of MCG, a cooking show host, and Jim Mondonaro, who runs many of Iowa City’s most popular restaurants,” Schultz noted. “They not only looked for flaws in the business plans, but they also tried to educate the contestants as well, so it was a valuable experience for everyone.
The winners earned $40,000 cash, kitchen equipment, six months free rent, TV commercials and various support services to open their restaurant at Oskaloosa Golf, an 18-hole destination golf course.
For complete contest details, visit www.iowasbestbite.com. You can also follow the winners on Facebook at www.facebook.com/oskyonthegreen.
