Local sweet potato chip scores a win

Those popular Sweet Potato Crackers from Polka Dot Bakery have earned one award from the National Assocation of Specialty Foods and is a finalist for another.

The cracked black pepper version won a silver sofi -- Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation -- and is a finalist for a gold. According to Michelle Miller, a Polka Dot co-owner, winning a silver makes the cracker one of the top three in this year's sofi competition. The cracker goes up for the gold for Best Cracker at the summer Fancy Food show in Washington in June.

Polka Dot's sweet potato crackers are made with N.C. grown sweet potatoes. They're available at Fresh Market, Reid's Fine Foods, Charlotte Earth Fare stores, Eco-Licious, Simply Local at the Atherton Market, on Saturdays at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market and at the bakery, 1730 E. Woodlawn Road.

Polka Dot's Sweet Potato Chips get kudos

Cupcakes aren't the only thing cooking at Polka Dot Bake Shop in Charlotte. The bakery's Sweet Potato Crackers have been picked as Paula's Hidden Gem for the January/February issue of the magazine Cooking With Paula Deen.

The crackers are made with real sweet potatoes (N.C.-grown, of course). They're available in five flavors (yes, they're all sweet potato, but some have spices too) and are Star-K kosher-certified, as well as dairy- and nut-free. The black-pepper flavor is gluten-free, too.

The suggested retail price is $5.99 for a 5-ounce package. They're available at the bakery, 1730 E. Woodlawn Road in the Park Towne Village (the shopping center at the top of the steep hill), and also at Reid's Fine Foods, Earth Fare and Fresh Market stores.

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