Camosun College alumnus Jill Munro finalist in national Lay’s potato chip challenge

Jill Munro spent 2000 to 2009 as a Camosun student, going from biology to recreation leadership to tourism to business to, finally, marketing, which she got a degree in. Today, she works for BC Hydro and lives in Vancouver, where she loves Caesar salad to no end. And that love has now got her national attention.

Munro is one of four finalists in a Canada-wide contest held by potato chip biggies Lay’s, who asked Canadians to send in their chip flavour ideas. She entered her idea, Creamy Garlic Caesar, along with 630,000 other entrants.

Munro’s idea got selected by Lay’s to be one of four that they actually made; it’s available in stores now. (The other flavours in the competition are Perogy Platter, Maple Moose, and Grilled Cheese & Ketchup.) Canadians will then decide on the one chip that they like best through an online voting process.

“Caesar was my go-to meal, all the time,” says Munro. “You know when you get off work and you’re thinking, ‘What am I going to have for dinner?’ It was always Caesar salad. I buy in bulk. I have a lot of lettuce, salad dressing, croutons… parmesan cheese, I buy the big wedge. One of my roommates, who I actually met at Camosun, we would eat a huge bowl of Caesar salad together; like, I mean a giant bowl that you’d bring to a barbecue, we’d each have one of those every day of the week. We had a supreme Caesar salad problem. But it was awesome. We loved it.”

And she loves how Lay’s took her idea and made it into reality. After all, the gap between what a chip flavour is like in its creator’s head and what it actually tastes like when it’s produced can be huge. But Munro says that Lay’s nailed it.

She first tried the chip in Toronto when Lay’s flew her out there to meet the other contestants; there was a welcome package waiting for her at her hotel, and on top was a bag of her chips, the first time she had seen them.

“I think they exceeded my expectations,” she says about how Lay’s made the chips taste. “You don’t know what you’re in for. I didn’t have a lot of huge expectations, I just hoped it would be delicious and that people would like it. And I think they’ve done that for sure.”

Camosun’s Joan Yates taught Munro three marketing courses during her time here. She’s backing Munro and doesn’t seem shocked that this is happening to her former student.

“I have tried her chips and I think she’s a winner,” says Yates. “After all, who wants to eat moose? Jill was, and is, a creative and an engaged student. I had a lot of fun with her in class and seeing her on a billboard doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. I think her creativity was well utilized in marketing classes and am cheering her on.”

Camosun business instructor Tom Rippon also taught Munro. He, as well, has nothing but glowing praise for her.

“Jill was an absolutely wonderful student while at Camosun—motivated, energetic, and engaging,” says Rippon. “Today, Jill is the quintessential alumnus.”

Munro is modest but confident and says she “hopes” she has a good chance of winning the competition.

“I’m kind of nervous, and excited,” she says. “I know there’s a bit of a barrier between salad and chips, but everyone who’s tried them has been really positive about how they taste, and they really like them. So I’m hoping Canadians will try them and vote for their favourite.”

The winner of the competition is decided by the voting public (see lays.ca for more information on voting, which ends on October 16).

The person who comes out on top gets $50,000 and one percent of all future sales of their chip flavour, which will get added to Lay’s roster of chips.