Lady Belle’s Gritscuits wins 2025 Flavor of Georgia

A French cheese puff filled with macaroni and cheese flavored grits, smoked turkey and collard greens won the 2025 grand prize in the Flavor of Georgia contest. The winning “Sunday Dinner Gritscuits” were from Lady Belle, a Stone Mountain micro-bakery that combines French and Southern flavors in its products.

“I saw a long line around them,” says Manpreet Singh, department head of the Food Science and Technology department at the University of Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES). He says this year’s contest had a record-breaking number of entries.

Final judging for the contest was held April 17 at the Classic Center in Athens. As the judges, comprised food industry experts, made their decisions, the 37 finalists in 12 categories gave away samples of their products to reception guests for the chance to win the People’s Choice Award.

That honor went to Ocmulgee Orchards’ sugar fried pecans, which also won its category of snack foods.

Both UGA President Jere Morehead and CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place were there for the awards presentation.

“It has surely been a true delight to watch so many of Georgia’s finest food innovators come together to share their talent and passions with all of us,” Place says. “We are so incredibly proud to support the growth and development of local businesses through the Flavor of Georgia competition. Over the course of the competition, the CAES department of food science and technology has been working with these individuals and businesses as they’ve been refining their product packaging and marketing. Throughout all of this, our goal is to nurture the growth of small businesses, support local economies and encourage the use of Georgia grown ingredients.”

Each of the finalists can use the Flavor of Georgia finalist logo on their label. They  also received promotional materials and a one-year Georgia Grown membership.

The grand prize winner gets exhibit space at the Georgia Food Industry Association annual convention in July, and the opportunity to serve as a judge at the 2026 Flavor of Georgia contest.

In the barbecue sauces and seasonings category, Oconee Gold BBQ Sauce’s Georgia Sweet Peach was the winner.

Tilted Tea – Farmer’s Daughter, from Jubilee Energy Company in Jackson won in the beverage category.

Jessicakes Bakery’s Georgia Turtle Delight won in the cake category.

Condiments and sauces went to Bootlikker Thunderbird Wing Sauce from Bootlikker Hot Sauce in Jefferson. Owner/creator Tommy Wood says this was Bootlikker’s first year in the Flavor of Georgia, although it has won other awards, including second place in the category of pepper blend in the 2019 Hot Pepper Awards.

Honeycream Gelato won in the confections category. It was produced by Honeycream in Rome.

Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville won in dairy products with its Georgia gouda.

“This is only the second time we have entered,” says co-owner Jessica Little.

The winner of the honey, syrup, jams and jellies category was H.L. Franklin’s Hot Creamed Honey, from Metter.

White Oak Pastures in Bluffton won the meats and seafood category with its Pastured Cane Syrup Pork Sausage.

Georgia Chow Chow by Jake’s Fresh Market & Cannery in White won the pickled vegetables, relish and salsas category.

And the miscellaneous category winner was Chorisoy, from Viva la V in Tucker. Owner and chef Tim Acevedo says he had been testing his products’ shelf life with UGA’s CAES when he was invited to enter the contest.