This is the third summer that Herr’s is doing the “Flavored by Philly” competition. People submit these whack-ass flavors and Herr’s picks three finalists, then produces and distributes the chips throughout the region. You vote for your favorite chip and the small business that wins gets $10,000.

Last year, we reviewed Tomato Pie, Roast Pork, and Korean BBQ, and in the first year we did the same for Wiz Wit, Long Hots, and 215 Special Sauce. It was a travesty, because Roast Pork lost the 2023 contest and Tomato Pie won. Roast Pork was robbed.

This year, the finalists are Cheese Ravioli, Special Hot Stromboli, and Potato Pierogi.

We are ranking them in the following order:

 


3. Cheese Ravioli and Marinara

This one tastes very similar to the Tomato Pie from last year. The flavor is definitely there, and you get the cheese taste on the front end, the marinara in the middle, and then the cheese just a bit more at the end. It’s not bad but I’m not sure how much variation you can create when there’s some form of tomato or pasta sauce in the recipe.

Description:

For over 55 years, Talluto’s has worked to perfect pasta making over generations with time-honored techniques and locally sourced ingredients. The pursuit of perfection all started with this dish, cheese ravioli, in 1967 when Joseph Talluto sold his family’s house to purchase a ravioli machine and open his first store. The robust cheese ravioli and bright marinara sauce flavors combined with our hearty potato chips will leave your mouth watering just like the real thing.

2. Special Hot Stromboli

It’s got the slightest of kicks, thought the taste is somewhere between the tomato pie and cheese ravioli flavors. Not bad on its own, but not necessarily special either. A rudimentary potato chip that works in a vacuum, but doesn’t convey the taste of a stromboli at all. I gave this one the nod over cheese ravioli because the flavor holds a little bit longer without being overpowering.

Description:

Currently in the third generation of family ownership, Romano’s has been making Strombolis since 1950 when founder, Nazzereno Romano, created the iconic sandwich right here in Philadelphia! Still made the very same way today, guests can taste the rich history baked into every stromboli at Romano’s. The savory, cheesy, and mild heat flavor of the Special Hot Stromboli combined with our hearty potato chips leads to the perfect bite in every chip!

1. Potato Pierogi

It’s actually got some sweetness on the front end, a bit of tang, but then it subsides into a nice, solid potato chip flavor afterward. This one comes closest to meeting the actual description, and maybe that’s because it’s easier to match a potato item to another potato item. You know what I mean? Potato pierogi conveys to a potato chip better than a stromboli. That’s why I’m ranking this the highest of the three, because it feels like it fits the bill better than the others. With the first two, I’m slightly overpowered by the taste of sauce, while this one is a little more complete.

Description:

Mom Mom’s Kitchen started in 2014 as a food cart and after a decade of dishing up home-style comfort food, they’ve become a destination known and loved for their pierogi. Using a polish recipe passed down from Mom-Mom herself, the mouthwatering scratch-made dumplings are still stuffed and pinched by hand to this day. The sweet, creamy, and tangy flavors of the pierogi combined with our hearty potato chips is a match made in heaven! 

Conclusions, and cumulative year-over-year rankings

Gotta be honest with you –

This year was the worst of the three. Have we jumped the “Flavored by Philly” shark? There are only so many flavors you can do, so when we get into stromboli and ravioli territory, we’re reaching a bit. I liked the pierogi, but would not put it on my Mount Rushmore cumulatively over the first three years. The best flavor they did, by far, was either the roast pork or the long hots. Those were good enough to warrant continued production and receive a spot in Herr’s regular product line. The rest were just okay.

Re-ranking after three years:

  1. Roast Pork
  2. Long Hots and Provolone
  3. Wiz Wit
  4. Korean BBQ
  5. Pierogi
  6. Tomato Pie
  7. Special Hot Stromboli
  8. Cheese Ravioli
  9. 215 Special Sauce

We’re gonna need some new flavors next year. Maybe it’s time to introduce Kensington Kettle Cooked and Bridesburg Body Odor. That would really mix things up, maybe shake up the competition a bit. Maybe I spend my money on PA online casino, with online casino bonuses in tow.