'Winnebagel' food truck operator Delzeit vies for 'next favorite chef'

Jun. 11—WILKES-BARRE — Phil Delzeit, the food truck operator who brought the world "PananaMan" and the "WinneBagel," is now trying to win a contest to be named the next favorite chef.

Delzeit, 62, is entered in the contest run by famed chef Carla Hall for "Taste of Home Magazine" to determine who will be the next favorite chef.

The winner will receive $25,000, appear in a 2-page advertorial in Taste of Home Magazine and have the opportunity to meet Hall.

Delzeit said online voting begins June 12, and he asks people to vote via a link he posted on his Facebook page — The Winnebagel.

Delzeit said if he wins the $25,000 prize he will use it to for rent and supplies and he will donate 45,000 to an area food bank.

On his website, Delzeit posted his answers to three questions:

—Who or what inspires you to cook?

"Who inspires me to cook,is myself, to challenge myself to create another one-of-a-kind dish, more creative than the last. What inspires me to cook, is the surprise, the pleasure, the sheer happiness on my customer's face as they try my creations for the first, second, or third time. I'm a very modest person, but when I see those facial expressions, I feel like I've done something special."

—What's your all time favorite dish to make?

"It would be impossible to choose which of my creations would be my favorite, they're all special to me, it's like asking me which of my children are my favorite. If you were to put a squirt gun to my head, I'd probably have to pick a fair food I created called 'The Panana,' — peanut butter and banana sandwich, deep fried in funnel cake batter, topped with powdered sugar, served with a raspberry chocolate sauce and stuffed with chocolate chips. My first creation!"

—What would you do with the $25,000?

"I would put approximately $20,000 into an account to cover inventory, supplies and event rent and donate $5,000 our local food bank."

Delzeit said he grew up in Wilkes-Barre's North End and graduated from Coughlin High School.

He said he has been in the food business his entire life — he said people would know him from his longtime employment at Januzzi's Pizza in Wilkes-Barre.

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Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.