The summer grilling season was celebrated thought the Northeast this summer, even though some people like to grill at home throughout the seasons. The beef checkoff, through the Northeast Beef Promotion Initiative (NEBPI) and the Pennsylvania Beef Council, partnered with 10 retailers throughout the Northeast to launch the 2012 Stay Home Grill Out promotion. In total, 323 store locations featured recipe booklets, shelf wobblers and meat department posters from May through September.

Shoppers participating in the Stay Home Grill Out promotion had the chance to enter to win a grand prize of $500 in free groceries by entering in at StayHomeGrillOut.com. First prizes included 10-piece kitchen knife sets and runner-up prizes included The Healthy Beef Cookbook.

Kristian Penas from Brooklyn, NY, was selected as the Grand Prize Winner. Penas is a shopper at King Kullen based in Bethpage on Long Island, NY. King Kullen prides itself as being America’s first supermarket and was established in 1930. King Kullen currently has 41 locations.

Penas utilized the power of social media when she heard that King Kullen was a participating retailer in the summer grilling promotion by sharing the news with her friends on Facebook. When asked what her favorite beef cut to grill was, Penas stated the ribeye steak, sirloin or T-bone. If she has a bit of time and isn’t by the grill, she enjoys to prepare roast beef.

In reference to the importance of grilling beef during the summer, Penas says, “You cannot go wrong with beef, looks great, smells fantastic and tastes delicious. Lots of people are afraid of dealing with raw meat, but I think beef is very easy to cook.”

Three first prize winners were also selected to be the recipient of the 10-piece “Beef it’s What’s For Dinner” engraved kitchen knife sets. The three winners were Vicki Frisino of Clarks Summit, PA, a Weis Markets shopper; Jeanette Newton of Coatesville, PA, and Timothy Luscko of Royersford, PA, both shoppers at Redner’s Warehouse Markets in Reading, PA.