Press Release

Chefs Award Seal of Approval to Sara Lee Foodservice Cheesecakes

St. Augustine, Fla., January 4, 2006—The American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF), the nation’s largest organization of professional cooks, recently awarded its Seal of Approval to five cheesecakes manufactured by Sara Lee Foodservice.

Sara Lee® Restaurant Reserve™ Hi-Rise New York Style Cheesecake, Plain Creamy NY Style Cheesecake, Plain Traditional NY Style Cheesecake, California Style Cheesecake and Sara Lee’s Bistro Collection™ Swiss Chocolate Cheesecake earned the federation’s endorsement following extensive testing by a panel of ACF-certified chefs. Testing criteria evaluated ease of use, versatility and adaptability of product, consistency of physical properties, application of product to service procedures and, above all, flavor.

“The Sara Lee Foodservice cheesecakes were very successful in all of the taste testing, presentation testing, and handling,” said ACF Seal of Approval Committee Chair Jim Taylor, certified executive chef (CEC), American Academy of Chefs (AAC). “The Sara Lee commercial line of cheesecakes is extremely flavorful and has a rich smooth creamy texture, and is a compliment to any meal.”

The variety of Sara Lee cheesecakes provides operators with a variety of great-tasting desserts that combine restaurant quality with convenience and ease of handling. According to a recent survey by Insight Express, cheesecake is the leading dessert consumers said they would purchase.

Sara Lee® Restaurant Reserve™ Hi-Rise New York Style Cheesecake is 3½ inches tall—a full one inch taller than the current Sara Lee cheesecake. Building on its heritage, Sara Lee has enhanced this recipe with 100 percent cream cheese and natural bourbon vanilla. Sara Lee developed this cheesecake as a result of customer insight testing where the choice of an “extra tall,” plain cheesecake was well received.

The Sara Lee® Restaurant Reserve™ Plain Creamy NY Style Cheesecake is a twist on traditional New York Style, but less dense, which allows it to simply melt in your mouth. It has a graham cracker crust and a delicious cream cheese flavor.

Sara Lee® Restaurant Reserve™ California Style Cheesecake, a lemony New York Style cheesecake with a real sour cream topping. This cheesecake is 2½ inches of 100 percent cream cheese, natural bourbon vanilla extract and natural lemon in the batter. Sara Lee developed this new product after receiving customer feedback—primarily from West Coast customers—about the demand for a traditional California style cheesecake.

Sara Lee’s Bistro Collection™ Swiss Double Chocolate Cheesecake is a New York style cheesecake made with real Swiss Chocolate atop a decadent chocolate crumb crust topped with white, milk and dark chocolate curls for pure chocolate heaven.

Launched in the 1940s, ACF’s Seal of Approval program validates the product claims of manufacturers, suppliers and growers that provide real-world solutions to culinary professionals. For information on ACF’s Seal of Approval program, visit www.acfchefs.org or call (800) 624-9458.

Based in Downers Grove, Ill., Sara Lee Foodservice is a leading supplier of coffee and tea, meat, and bakery solutions, providing value beyond its products to a broad base of foodservice operators throughout North America. The business unit was created in 2005 when Sara Lee Corporation (NYSE: SLE) combined three business units into one integrated organization, aligned with its customers to achieve operational efficiencies to support innovation and growth. Sara Lee Foodservice recorded sales of $2.2 billion in FY 06.

The American Culinary Federation, Inc., established in 1929, is the premier professional organization for culinarians in America. With more than 19,000 members spanning 240 chapters nationwide, ACF is the culinary leader in offering educational resources, training, apprenticeship and accreditation. In addition, ACF operates the only comprehensive certification program for chefs in the U.S. ACF is home to ACF Culinary Team USA, the official representative for the United States in major international culinary competitions, and also holds the presidium for the World Association of Chefs Societies, the largest international network of chef associations with more than 8 million members globally.

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Note to editors: High-resolution digital application images, as well the Sara Lee Foodservice logo, are available by contacting melanie.bandari@saralee.com.

Contact: Lisa Alessandro
(800) 624-9458, ext. 103
lalessandro@acfchefs.net

• Chefs Award Seal of Approval to Sara Lee Foodservice Cheesecakes