FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Tamara L. Ledwith

Sales and Product Marketing Manager

203.462.4866

tledwith@firstcountybank.com

TEEN CHEFS CHALLENGE WINNER ANNOUNCED

-- Public Chose Winner at First County Bank Maple Sugar Weekend--

STAMFORD, Conn., March 11, 2013 – On Saturday, March 1, four talented teenage chefs competed in

First County Bank’s Teen Chefs Challenge event at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center during this year’s

Maple Sugar Festival Weekend. The festival attracted over 3,500 visitors over the weekend, as many people

were anxious to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. In an exciting competition, the teen chefs battled it out in

the kitchen to create the tastiest recipe using maple syrup as an ingredient.

Evan Cassidy was voted the winning chef of the First County Bank Teen Chefs Challenge

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CHEFS –Page Two

The winning chef was Evan Cassidy of North Branford, 15, who baked two desserts, sweet potato

cupcakes with maple buttercream and candied bacon and maple meringues with cinnamon and toasted

almonds. His sweet and savory creation captured the popular vote.

The competition was stiff with creative maple dishes from the other teen chefs: Marissa Young of

Stamford, 13, baked maple buttercream frosted chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate curls and sea salt;

Hunter Zampa of Stamford, 13, created double maple donuts with maple glaze and candied bacon; Hannah

Buzkin of Westport, 13, who presented two dishes, an appetizer of grated Brussels sprouts with bacon and

candied almonds in a maple syrup glaze and maple fritters in a caramel black pepper sauce. For the

competition, each chef had to provide at least 300 samples of their dish for the public to taste. After sampling

the chef’s delicious culinary creations, the public voted for their favorite recipe and chef.

Left to right: First County Bank Teen Chefs Challenge participants Hannah Buzkin, Marissa Young, Evan Cassidy

(winner), Hunter Zampa

Back row: William A. Aron, president, board of directors at Stamford Museum and Nature Center, Karen Kelly,

senior vice president and chief marketing officer at First County Bank and Melissa Mulrooney, executive

director and chief executive officer at Stamford Museum and Nature Center.

“The First County Bank Teen Chefs Challenge was an extremely popular attraction at the

Maple Sugar Festival,” said Karen Kelly, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at First County Bank.

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“I was amazed to see the creativity these young chefs demonstrated and the seriousness they took in

their cooking and with this challenge. It’s an honor to provide a venue to showcase local kids’ talents and help

them further hone their cooking skills.”

-- About the Chefs –

Hannah Bukzin

Hannah Bukzin, Westport, is a freshman at Staples High School in Westport. Ever since she was 7, she

has always loved cooking. She started to watch Food Network (Alton Brown is her man!) and became more

interested in the topic of food. She continues to practice and experiment. She started off with a little bowl of

pasta, and now she is breaking down whole fish and making stocks with the bones.

Most recently, she won the CTbites/Marica Selden "Chopped" style cook-off where she competed

against two (adult) finalists. This past summer she participated in the Wellesley College cooking camp. Visit

http://www.ctbites.com/home/2013/10/19/marcia-seldens-contest-winners-throw-down-chopped-style-w-

ro.html and http://www.explo.org/focus/chef for more information.

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CHEFS –Page Four

Evan Cassidy

Evan Cassidy, North Branford, is starting college at a young age due to home schooling. Evan is

beginning his second semester at Gateway Community College in New Haven Connecticut, majoring in Culinary

Arts and Hotel Management. On his days off from school, he enjoys trying new recipes, snowboarding, and

attending pottery classes. Evan hopes to take part in the Disney Culinary Program when he graduates and

turns 18.

Marissa Young

Marissa Young, Stamford, is an 8th grader at Rippowam Middle School. She began baking when she

was about 3 years old. Her father, Dan, has always loved to bake (he learned from his grandmother), and he

has always had Marissa by his side in the kitchen, especially when baking cookies. She is constantly getting

encouragement from her brothers, who enjoy eating her cookies, fudge and cupcakes. Her other passion is

gymnastics, which she's been doing since she was 2. Marissa especially enjoys sharing her sweet creations

with her gymnastics team after a tough workout!

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Hunter Zampa

Hunter Zampa, Stamford, 13, is hoping to show off his cooking skills to the world and to one day

become an Iron Chef. His life-long dream is to become a chef and restaurateur; he is determined that nothing

will get in the way of him accomplishing that dream. At age 13, Hunter has a busy schedule being a kid and

going to school but on weekends he creates new recipes in the kitchen.

Most recently, Hunter won Chopped, on an episode featuring teen competitors in December, making

him the youngest winner of the show in its history. Hunter also participated on Food Network’s Rachel vs. Guy

Kids Cook-Off. Visit http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2013/12/announcing-the-chopped-teen-champion-

2/ and Rachel vs. Guy Kids Cook-Off http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/rachael-vs-guy-kids-cook-off/meet-

the-kid-chef-contestants-from-rachael-vs-guy-kids-cook-off.html for more information.

-- About First County Bank Maple Sugar Festival Weekend --

The First County Bank Maple Sugar Festival took place Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2, from 11 a.m.

to 3 p.m. The maple sugar season usually peaks around the first week in March. At this family festival, visitors

saw maple tapping demonstrations, tasted sweet maple syrup treats, made a maple-themed craft, went on a

scavenger hunt and enjoyed the popular Sunday pancake brunch. Other activities included face painting,

storytelling, music and much more.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the

preservation and interpretation of art, natural and agricultural sciences, and history. The museum is a vital

cultural and educational resource for the community, and a focal point for family activity and interaction,

seeking to inspire creativity, foster self-discovery, and nurture an appreciation for lifelong learning through

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exhibitions, educational programs and special events that enhance the visitor's experience. Stamford Museum

& Nature Center is located off High Ridge Road at 39 Scofieldtown Rd. in Stamford (three-quarters of a mile

north of Merritt Parkway Exit 35). For more information, visit www.stamfordmuseum.org.

First County Bank, headquartered in Stamford, Conn. for more than 160 years, is an independent

mutual community bank with 15 branches in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and

Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, trust and investment services, business banking services and

online banking. First County Bank has more than 220 employees and assets in excess of $1.3 billion. For

additional information, please visit www.firstcountybank.com. Become a fan by clicking “Like” on the bank’s

Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/firstcountybank. Follow it on Twitter at

http://www.twitter.com/firstcountybank or look for First County Bank on LinkedIn at

http://www.linkedin.com/company/920207.

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