Gramma's got this one in the bag

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: COURTESY OF PEPSICO CANADA
Long-time London resident, Gloria Melanson, entered Lay's 'Do Us A Flavour' contest after seeing a commercial on TV.

Lay’s Potato Chips is at it again with its “Do Us A Flavour” contest, and this year one of its finalists is from London, Ont.

Gloria Melanson, a resident of 18 years, is a mother of four, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of one. She was brought up on the east coast and is a self-admitted “kitchen person.”

Melanson found out about the contest while she was watching TV with her husband.

“There was a commercial, [and] my husband says, ‘Why don’t you enter that contest?’” she said. “That was in the later weeks of February. I pretty much sent in entries almost every day for the next five weeks.”

Cinnamon Bun may have been chosen as a finalist, but Melanson had not one, not two, but 1,001 other entries for Lay’s to choose from.

“I kind of got a kick out of that.”

Of the 1,002 flavour entries she sent in, Melanson admitted that she actually did try the one that made her a finalist.

“At one point I was eating Lay’s Lightly Salted ones, and I just come into the kitchen, and I have a little jar that’s already mixed cinnamon and sugar,” she said. “I just sprinkled it over the regular chips … and I tell [my husband], ‘Try these!’”

“I didn’t try every flavour out because that was 1,002 of them, but this was one I actually did try out.”

When it came time for Melanson to finally try Lay’s finished product, she was “amazed and overjoyed.”

“I have to give Lay’s 100 per cent credit, because I am totally ecstatic with how they ended up with the flavour,” she said.

Melanson said that she did have a hand in what ingredients should go in the bag.

“The criteria of entering each and every one of the entries of flavours had to be fun and simple,” she said. “Then you had to suggest some ingredients … I suggested brown sugar, cinnamon and buttermilk.”

Melanson is now a celebrity in town – she’s still getting used to the attention she’s getting.

“I’m getting more attention than I ever did in my life,” she said. “If I go to the store people are recognizing me, which is kind of funny.”

She also has a billboard on York Street across the London Convention Centre.

Being a finalist has certainly changed her life.

“I’ve learned a lot about social media because social media is what’s happening today,” she said. “A lot of people my age – we’re not very active or knowledgeable [about it].”

Melanson will be in front of the Oasis in the Student Centre with her daughter on September 24 and October 9 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to share her chips with students.

Show your support for Melanson by hashtagging #votecinnamon across all social media outlets or texting 101010 and selecting 2 for Cinnamon Bun.

The long-time resident can be seen actively tweeting about her Cinnamon Bun chips on her handle @Gloria_Melanson.

This was her inspiration for the contest: “Remember when you went to Gramma’s house and it smelled so good? That was Gramma’s famous cinnamon bun baking in the oven! Gramma’s got this one in the bag.”



You can vote for Gloria Melanson's Cinnamon Bun flavour everyday on social media using #VoteCinnamonBun or by texting VOTE to 101010. More details can be found online at: lays.ca/flavour