Roast Half Duck advances to Final Four

Nov. 26—LEESBURG — Family-owned Maple Leaf Farms has reached the Final Four of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's Coolest Thing Made in Indiana tournament with its roast half duck.

Fully cooked, roast half duck is a flagship product for the Milford-based company with a decades-long history, a news release stated.

"My grandfather developed the concept for fully cooked roast half duck in the 1970s, long before convenience foods were a mainstay of the American food industry," said Brand Marketing Manager Olivia Tucker in the release. "He wanted to make it easier for chefs to include duck on their menus. It quickly became a top seller for our company and has remained so for decades because it is so easy to prepare but tastes like you spent hours cooking it."

Maple Leaf Farms Roast Half Duck is now sold to grocery stores, caterers and restaurants in all 50 states and several international markets.

"The cool thing about our roast half duck is you can pair it with a sauce and your favorite side for a special holiday meal or you can incorporate it into dishes like tacos, pasta or salads for a more casual meal," said Tucker. "Our farm-raised duck has a mild flavor and so versatile that your options are endless."

Another "cool" aspect of duck is that while it's poultry, it is very different from chicken and turkey because it's a red meat. Unlike other red meats, however, duck is very lean and low in saturated fat and therefore considered to be healthier.

The company is proud of its team for the care and skill that it takes to produce the duck product, the release added, and hopes to advance to the final round in the contest.

"Our roast half duck is hand prepared by an amazing team at Maple Leaf Farms," said Plant Manager Chris Jellel in the release. "We are proud that their hard work and attention to quality is being recognized through this contest."

The other three finalists in the contest are Hiker Trailers, Kidstuff Play Systems and Polywood.

Online public voting for the Final Four of the Chamber of Commerce contest runs through 10 p.m. today at www.indianachamber.com/coolestthing. The final championship matchup will be announced Monday.

To learn more, visit www.mapleleaffarms.com.