Karen Carter of Tucson, Arizona, a self-proclaimed fan of "Chopped," "Cake Wars" and "Barefoot Contessa," has won the inaugural Food Network "Fantasy Kitchen Giveaway." Carter's name was randomly drawn from nearly 25 million entries to win $250,000 toward the kitchen of her dreams.
"I thought it was a joke at first," said Carter, who revealed her favorite amenity in any dream kitchen is a huge island. "I'm so grateful for this wonderful opportunity; I can't even believe it still."
To lend kitchen inspiration for fans as part of the promotion, Food Network brought together designer Shea McGee and chef and restaurateur Scott Conant to build the ultimate chef's kitchen - which Carter said she studied online and thought was "awesome." The result was the Food Network "Fantasy Kitchen": a forward-thinking, modern kitchen with a design engineered to maximize culinary creativity, efficiency and enjoyment. The "Fantasy Kitchen" blends high-end conveniences such as a 60-inch range, double dishwashers, refrigerated drawers, custom built-in pizza oven, stove-top pot filler and wine fridge, with rich textural elements such as tumbled painted brick, mixed metals, open shelving and a high-contrast palette.
"To receive 25 million consumer entries in this first-year program was beyond our expectations and truly speaks to the power and popularity of Food Network," said Karen Grinthal, senior vice president of national ad sales for Food Network and Cooking Channel. " 'Fantasy Kitchen' delivered a quality audience for our integrated advertising partners, and we're already working toward a second successful giveaway slated for early 2019."
The sweepstakes was accompanied by a multi-platform experience that included content and promotion across Food Network's linear, digital and print platforms, as well as across the network's sister channels. Proving the influence and reach of the brand's digital and social arms, the program yielded more than 130 million content views during the seven-week promotional period.
