Oh-Pie-Oh!; Findlay, Ohio Cook Wins $1 Million for Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie in the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.

HOLLYWOOD -- Today, a former librarian wrote her own page in history by capturing the $1 million grand prize at the 41st Pillsbury Bake-Off(R) Contest in Hollywood. Bake-Off(R) awards show host Dick Clark presented the dough as well as a complete set of GE Profile(TM) kitchen appliances to Suzanne Conrad of Findlay, Ohio, for her winning recipe, Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie. She was among 100 of the best amateur cooks at the country's most celebrated culinary competition, which was sponsored by General Mills, GE Consumer & Industrial, American Dairy Association, Multifoods and Georgia Pacific's DixieWare(TM) containers and Brawny(R) paper towels.

Inspired by pecan pie, Conrad, a mother of two, created her Bake-Off(R) Contest entry, adapting a family-favorite pie to use Nature Valley(R) Granola Bars in the filling. The pie also calls for convenient Pillsbury(R) Refrigerated Pie Crust. The contest judges agreed that Conrad's recipe surpassed the 99 other competitors because of its wonderful flavor and simple preparation. The recipe advanced to the Grand Prize from the Weekends Made Special category.

Conrad recently became a full-time homemaker when she left her position after seven years as a youth librarian to take on what she calls her most interesting endeavor - raising her son and daughter. Family has always been very important to Conrad, who as a child fondly recalls looking through her mother's cookbooks for fun and watching her grandmother Dora Sullivan cook on holidays. Conrad knew she had a winner when her 90-year-old "Nana Sullivan," who she credits with teaching her to cook, actually asked her for the recipe.

Three additional category winners each earned $10,000 in cash and a GE Profile(TM) Oven with Trivection(TM) Technology. The winner in the Dinner Made Easy category was Karen Harris of Castle Rock, Colo. Her Inside-Out Taco Salad Wraps, which include two Old El Paso(R) ingredients, are a take on lettuce wraps with a taco-flavored filling. In the Fast Snacks and Appetizers category, Tracy Schuhmacher of Penfield, N.Y., captured the title for her Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Appetizers - a quick, yet sophisticated finger food made with Pillsbury(R) Golden Layers(R) Refrigerated Biscuits. Finally, Julie Amberson of Browns Point, Wash., won the top prize in the Breakfast Favorites category for her Ham 'n Cheese Omelet Bake made with Pillsbury(R) Grands!(R) Refrigerated Biscuits and two Green Giant(R) products - frozen broccoli and cheese flavored sauce and mushrooms.

A runner-up prize of $5,000 was also awarded in each category. Honors went to Barbara Jansky, who splits her time between Estero, Fla., and Elkhorn, Wis., for her Layered Caribbean Chicken Salad in the Dinner Made Easy category. In the Fast Snacks and Appetizers category, Heather Halonie of Webster, Wis., made a Creamy Spinach-Artichoke Mini Pizzas. In the Breakfast Favorites category, Susan Adams of Naperville, Ill., made Crunchy Banana-Colada Bread. Finally, in the Weekends Made Special category, Deb McGowan of Louisville, Ohio, created Peanut Butter Brownie Cookies.

Winning the GE Innovation Award was Sharon Kube of West Lafayette, Ind. Her Rustic Chicken Club, made with Pillsbury(R) Refrigerated Pie Crust, was deemed most innovative by the contest judges and earned her a complete set of GE Profile(TM) kitchen appliances, including a wall oven, microwave oven, hood, dishwasher, cooktop and refrigerator (approximate retail value $10,000). Kube's recipe, based on the popular club sandwich, proved to be an interesting presentation of an American classic.

Four finalists also won $5,000 in a new prize awarded for the first time this year - the America's Greatest Cheese Recipe Awards. Sponsored by American Dairy Association, the awards recognize the best recipes in the contest made with cheese that have not received another contest prize. The winners were Patty Ankney of Somerset, Pa., for her Pizza Bubble Ring; Lynette Russell of Sun Prairie, Wis., for her Mediterranean Cheese Foldovers; Sue Tyner of Tustin, Calif., for her Chiles Rellenos Puffs; and Jessica Barton, of Eugene, Ore., for her Chicken Enchilada Quiche. To qualify for one of the Cheese Awards, entries had to meet Bake-Off(R) Contest requirements and use a total of at least 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) of two or more varieties of American-made cow's milk cheese.

The finalists, 95 women and 5 men ranging in age from 22 to 75 and representing 33 states, each won a new GE Profile(TM) Advantium(TM) 120 oven and an expense paid trip to Hollywood for the Pillsbury Bake-Off(R) Contest where they prepared their recipes in 100 GE mini-kitchens set up in the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood & Highland Complex. Assisting with clean up duty for the 100 cooks in the ballroom was the Brawny Brigade(TM). In true Hollywood fashion, each of the finalists was stylishly attired in a specially designed apron created just for the contest by Target(R) fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi.

A panel of 12 food experts working in jury room secrecy selected the prize-winning recipes. Judges evaluated the entries on taste and appearance, consumer appeal and creativity.

The contest originated in 1949, and began awarding its lucrative $1 million grand prize in 1996. All the recipes from this year's contest, plus many favorites from through its 55-year history, are available at www.pillsbury.com.

General Mills is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Its U.S. portfolio includes some of the nation's most popular brands, including Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Betty Crocker, Cheerios, Wheaties and other Big G cereal brands, Colombo, Yoplait, Totino's and Progresso. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.generalmills.com.

GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliance, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 150 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram(R), Profile(TM), GE(R), Hotpoint(R), SmartWater(TM), Reveal(R) and SmartHome(TM) consumer brands, and Entellisys(TM) industrial brand.

American Dairy Association(R) is the domestic marketing arm of Dairy Management Inc.(TM), which conducts programs to increase consumer demand for U.S.-produced dairy products on behalf of America's dairy farmers.

Multifoods, a subsidiary of The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM), is a manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods and foodservice products in North America. Multifoods' brands include Pillsbury(R) baking mixes for items such as cakes, muffins, brownies and quick breads; Pillsbury(R) ready-to-spread frostings; Hungry Jack(R) pancake mixes, syrup and potatoes; Martha White(R) baking mixes and ingredients; Robin Hood(R) flour and baking mixes; and Bick's(R) pickles and condiments in Canada. For more information about Multifoods, visit www.multifoods.com.

Georgia-Pacific makes tissue products, packaging, paper, building products, pulp and related chemicals. With 2003 annual sales of $20 billion, the company employs 61,000 people worldwide. Dixie(R) paper plates, DixieWare(TM) storage containers and Brawny(R) paper towels are official products for the Pillsbury Bake-Off(R) Contest. For more about Georgia-Pacific, visit www.gp.com.