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Chester County Press

Taking a selfie pays off

04/26/2018 08:47AM ● By J. Chambless

Lisa Keys of Kennett Square (left) picked up $10,000 for this photo of herself, her daughter and granddaughter enjoying Arnold bread.

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

It's the sort of thing that just doesn't happen – until it does.

Lisa Keys of Kennett Square snapped a selfie with a grilled cheese sandwich in March and entered a contest sponsored by Arnold Bread. They were looking for submissions showing people enjoying their favorite sandwiches using the company's products. On April 24, Keys found out she was one of three winners nationwide, and she picked up $10,000 for approximately two minutes of effort.

Coinciding with National Nutrition Month in March, the Bread Selfie Challenge resulted in Arnold Bread making donations for every submitted photo to No Kid Hungry to help provide more than 42,000 meals in the United States.

Keys, who is getting used to having people congratulate her around town, answered a few questions about her very lucky photo:


Q.: How did you find out about the contest?

A.: I found out about it from a recipe contest website that I subscribe to. I also follow Arnold Bread on Instagram and saw it there, too.


Did anyone convince you to enter?

My daughter enjoyed creating the photo with me and encouraged me to enter it, but mostly the incentive came from the contest itself. For every entry, Arnold donated 20 meals to No Kid Hungry. Win or lose, how could one not support something like that?


Are you the kind of person who enters contests regularly, or was this a rare exception?

I love to enter recipe contests, and just recently started doing some food photography contests. I like contests that are judged on skill and creativity.


What brand of bread did you decide to use for the photo?

I used Arnold Country Buttermilk bread for my photo. It’s one my family loves! I love that it has no high-fructose corn syrup and is made with real buttermilk. It also makes a great sandwich.


How did you pick the kind of sandwich?

The recipes I create are inspired by people I love. My mom used to make this delicious version of a grilled cheese sandwich for me when I was a kid, called “Mozzarella en Carozza.” I babysit my grand-daughter every week and I now make this same sandwich for her. She loves it.


Do you regularly eat that kind of bread anyway?

Yes, but I also really love Arnold’s whole grains bread, too.


How did you get the idea for the pose and location?

It was just a regular day, and my family and I were hanging out, having lunch. The photo is honestly a real slice of our lives. We got lucky with the fun cheese pull. It was just a quick, fun moment.


How many attempts at the selfie before you got it right?

We took a quick two or three photos because Annabelle (my granddaughter) just wanted to eat her grilled cheese.


So you submitted the image in March and learned you'd won in April. What was your reaction?

“Wow!” I was so excited to win $10,000 for capturing a fun moment with my favorite girls and honoring my mom in the process. I felt very lucky because there were a lot of great submissions.


What was your family's reaction?

They could not believe that I won $10,000 for taking a selfie! It is hard to believe. Of course, everyone is thrilled.


Will your image be turning up in advertising?

Arnold Bread has only shared my image on their own Instagram page


How are you planning to use the prize money?

I will most likely put it away for Annabelle’s education.


Slug: bread contest winner


Photo by Lisa Keys


Caption:

Lisa Keys of Kennett Square (left) picked up $10,000 for this photo of herself, her daughter and granddaughter enjoying Arnold bread.