ABC 7'S Windy City LIVE announces Old Arthur's Barbecue Sauce winner of "Peapod's Next Best"

CHICAGO (NEWS RELEASE) (WLS) -- ABC 7'S Windy City LIVE, hosted by Val Warner, Ryan Chiaverini and with contributor Ji Suk Yi, announced on the show today, that Old Arthur's Barbecue Sauce, an American original, is the winner of the Peapod's Next Best on-air contest. Celebrity judges chose the mouth-watering sauce, a family recipe passed down for five generations, as the winner from a field of more than 150 entries. Eudell Watts III and Eudell Watts, IV, father and son owners of Old Arthur's Barbecue, accepted the Peapod's Next Best honor.

As the grand-prize winner of Peapod's Next Best, Old Arthur's Barbecue Sauce will receive a one-year distribution deal from Peapod across its Chicagoland, Indianapolis and Milwaukee markets. Old Arthur's will soon be available for purchase by all customers across Peapod's three Midwestern markets online at Peapod.com. The winner will also receive promotion on Peapod's website, email, social media and in-tote flyers.

Matt Knutson, executive producer, ABC 7's Windy City LIVE said, "We are so excited Old Arthur's Barbecue was selected as winner of Peapod's Next Best. This is a tremendous opportunity for their brand to grow and for America to get to know the story behind a great BBQ sauce. Knowing the rich tradition behind Old Arthur's makes an already great sauce excellent."

"We've known for years that Chicago is one of the best food cities in the world, and Old Arthur's Barbecue Sauce is a shining example of the passionate food and beverage talent that the Windy City has to offer," said Tony Stallone, Peapod's vice president of merchandising and Peapod's Next Best mentor. "We're so proud that Old Arthur's Barbecue Sauce has won the official title of Peapod's Next Best and that Peapod can lend its food industry expertise to help launch this great brand on wider scale."

The Peapod's Next Best contest kicked off February 1 on ABC 7's Windy City LIVE and featured Chicago's best and brightest food and beverage talent vying for the chance of a lifetime - to have their product stocked on the digital aisles of Peapod, America's leading online grocer. They pitched their products and their stories to Peapod's popular food expert Tony Stallone and three celebrity judges - Alpana Singh, Kevin Pang and Ina Pinkney.

Entrants were scored on their product's taste, packaging, marketability, innovation and product strategy.

"Peapod is one of the great 'born-in-Chicago' success stories. We started here in Chicago and gradually expanded to 24 U.S. markets over 25 years of innovation. It was exciting to be part of ABC 7's Windy City LIVE's on-air contest and to share our knowledge of the grocery industry with the next generation of food and beverage entrepreneurs," Stallone said.