Brenda Jackson, whose mother founded what is now known as the “Modern Snack Bar” in Aquebgoue, is not just a Riverhead native with a fair amount of flair in the kitchen – she’s a Riverhead native whose pizza recipe stands to win both a million dollars and $10,000 worth of kitchen appliances in Pillsbury’s 46th annual Bake-Off contest.
Jackson, 55, who now lives in Maryland, is one of 33 finalists across the nation in the contest’s do-able dinners category for her “Saucy Shrimp N’ Broccoli Pizza” recipe. As a finalist, Jackson will advance to a final judging this November in Las Vegas, where she will prepare her dish for celebrity judges, including Martha Stewart.
The pizza, Jackson said, originated from a similar recipe using crab and asparagus, due to the bounty of crabs found along Eastern shores, but the type of seafood used in the contest recipe was ultimately swapped out for shrimp. She said since shrimp is found more easily throughout the nation’s grocery stores, she figured it would increase the recipe’s appeal to a wider range of customers and therefore her chances of winning.
And her family members agree.
“She’s got a million dollar pizza,” Jackson’s aunt, Wanda Wittmeier said. Wittmeier, the 90-year-old owner of the Modern Snack Bar, who still works there every day, said she initially purchased the business from Jackson’s mother, Lillian Finch, in 1956.
“I came to help Lillian in 1952 and never left,” said Wittmeier of leaving her job at a local clothing store to help her sister at the Aquebogue eatery. “When my sister owned it, it was just called ‘Snack Bar.’ We renamed it ‘Modern Snack Bar’ after we bought the business in 1956 because it was growing so fast.”
Jackson said her introduction to the kitchen came from years spent helping her aunt out at the Modern Snack Bar, along with other school-aged family members.
“When all of the kids were off for the summer, we all bussed tables and did what we could do,” she said of her childhood in Riverhead. “My aunt has been influential in my development – It’s good to have a relative that’s successful.”
Jackson not only returned to Riverhead on Mother’s Day weekend to visit Wittmeier, but spent the holiday wrapping silverware with her at the family-owned establishment.
Though her introduction to the culinary world belongs entirely to the East End, Jackson said she became truly adept in the kitchen from years of feeding her husband and his hungry friends in various states while he served in the Navy.
“All his single friends would come over to have a quiet place where they could go and call their families, and it’s always at mealtime, so I would end up making extra to feed one friend, two friends, three friends,” said Jackson. “Then they’d want special things. ‘Well my mother makes this – If I get the ingredients can you make me a pot roast? If I get the ingredients can you make a lamb stew?’ And I’m like, ‘Just bring it.’ I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d just look at the cookbook — at that time there wasn’t an internet to get an instant recipe. You had to get a book. There weren’t even many magazines.”
The transient nature of living the military lifestyle has prevented Jackson from getting homesick for her native East End.
“It’s nice to come and visit, but we’re military – retired Navy – so we’re gypsies,” she said with a smile. “Home is wherever our suitcase is at the time.”
The Jacksons’ plans for the prize money, should the recipe win, is a hallmark of this mobile lifestyle.
“My husband and I have our eye on a bed-and-breakfast in the small town of Quimby, Virginia,” she said. “The owners are going to sell it and retire in the next couple of years, so we’ve been watching it.”
And it’s not just a bed-and-breakfast the Jacksons are after either, but rather a culinary retreat experience that should appeal to many an aspiring or established chef.
“I want to make it where people come and cook for everyone else, so you could be a chef for the weekend or chef for the day,” said Jackson. “Some people like to cook but don’t have an outlet. This would be a nice gourmet set-up where guests could gather around to participate or just be served. The chef would give me a list of ingredients and materials they would need and I would provide them.”
Though Virginia is a bit more than a hop, skip and jump from Riverhead, her local relatives are behind her all the way.
Her cousin Otto, one of Wanda Wittmeier’s sons, who both run the Modern Snack Bar, said he has no doubt Jackson’s endeavors, whatever they may be, will come to bear fruit.
“She’s always been an entrepreneur,” he said. “I swear she would be successful at anything she put her mind to – that’s just how she is.”
Jackson sailed through the semi-finalist stage of Pillsbury’s annual Bake-Off when her shrimp and broccoli pizza recipe became one of only 60 chosen to advance to a public voting round after being judged on taste, appearance, creativity and consumer appeal.
She then used an adorable home-made YouTube video (http://youtu.be/5Lk_viNxHgw) to help her succeed in the voting campaign – which she did – despite the fact some of her supporters may not have been able to vote.
“I’m a correctional officer in a prison and even my inmates are influential on my cooking,” said Jackson. “I bring stuff for them to try out. They’ve read a couple pieces that have been written about me and saw me on a local TV show, so they’re like, ‘Oh Jackson, are you gonna pay our lawyers to get us out of here if you win?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, don’t hold your breath.'”
She said the same fearlessness she brings to her job as a corrections officer has proved beneficial through the course of the contest, a trait she has carried since she was a Riverhead youth.
“We had to do a 50-question essay and put it on video and my fearlessness may have given me an edge there ,” said Jackson. “I’ve always been very outspoken, so I haven’t been nervous at all in this contest. I could go in front of a thousand people and talk.”
Now a finalist, Jackson said the only thing left to do besides check out the competition was to teach Wittmeier how to make her Saucy Shrimp N’ Broccoli Pizza.
“I’m teaching the old dog a new trick now,” she said with a laugh. “As far as the contest goes, I think the recipe speaks for itself. Once they taste it, they’ll know it’s good.”
Want to make Brenda’s Saucy Shrimp N’ Broccoli Pizza?
Check out the recipe below.
Brenda’s Saucy Shrimp ‘n’ Broccoli Pizza
1 pound medium-large shrimp shelled, deveined and cut in half
1 roll (11 ounce) Pillsbury refrigerated thin pizza crust
1 can (18 ounce) Progresso Recipe Starter Parmesan Basil
1 bag (11.8 ounce) Green Giant Seasoned Steamers Tuscan Seasoned Broccoli
3/4 ounce package fresh basil chopped, or about 3 tablespoons
2 tablespoons Pillsbury’s Best All Purpose Flour
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, use 1/2 cup in sauce and 1/2 cup for topping
Unroll crust onto baking pan sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkle tablespoon fresh basil on crust and press gently. Prebake crust for 8-10 minutes until light brown. While crust is prebaking, in large saucepan whisk together Parmesan Basil Starter and 2 tablespoons flour. Prepare Tuscan Broccoli bag as directed on package, only cooking 5 minutes. While broccoli is cooking, begin heating savory sauce on medium temperature, adding shrimp as it begins to thicken. Add broccoli, cut up if pieces are too big, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and 1 tablespoon fresh basil. Fold gently to combine ingredients. Mixture should be thickened nicely.
Spread mixture on prepared crust, equally spreading shrimp. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and top is bubbly. Just before serving, add remaining fresh basil. Serve hot.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
