Yum! A Toms River East Graduate Wins A Culinary Scholarship With Family Fall Favorite

This is a fantastic local story with both a "feel good" and "tasty" twist! Also a great thing is that it's perfect for fall.

According to a recent Patch article, "Payton Sinou, a 2026 graduate of Toms River High School East, has earned a $7,500 scholarship through a culinary competition sponsored by Atlantic Cape Community College."

Payton is currently majoring in Pastry Arts, attending Atlantic Cape Community College.

Her winning recipe for pumpkin bread is her great-grandmother's recipe.

I am not surprised that a pumpkin bread recipe was so well received because I love pumpkin. This season my wife has grown several awesome pumpkins so we are set! I told her "bring on the pumpkin bread!"

What Are Favorite Pumpkin Recipes In Fall?

Once fall arrives, it seems like you can’t go anywhere without seeing pumpkin. It’s in our coffee, desserts, bakeries, and even some of our favorite meals.

But why is pumpkin so popular this time of year? I think a lot of it comes down to tradition. Pumpkin just feels like fall. Add some cinnamon, nutmeg, and other warm spices, and you’ve got those flavors that remind us of cool days, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

Some of the most popular pumpkin dishes include:

• pumpkin pie
• pumpkin bread
• pumpkin muffins
• pumpkin pancakes
• pumpkin cheesecake
• pumpkin soup
• pumpkin ravioli

Of course, we can’t forget about pumpkin spice coffee and those ever-popular pumpkin spice lattes.

There’s just something about pumpkin that makes fall feel like fall. Once you start seeing it everywhere, you know the season has officially arrived!

So, what’s your favorite pumpkin treat?