What Does Freedom Taste Like? Herr’s New Contest Will Find Out

Graphic courtesy of Herr’s

For the past few years now, the potato chip gremlins at Herr’s have been showing off their PA roots and Philly pride with their annual “Flavored By Philly” chip contest. It’s a pretty simple, democratic setup: The people nominate various Philly-centric flavors; three varieties are chosen and released into the wild; we all eat them and argue about them and vote on them; and, eventually, a single winner is chosen to represent the taste of the city (in chip form) and gets a (temporary) spot in the Herr’s snack lineup.

Past winners have included Long Hots and Provolone (2022), Corropolese Tomato Pie (2023), the hot stromboli from Romano’s (2024), and this past year, there was a Tournament-of-Champions-style contest where past winners were pitted against each other in the flavor Thunderdome, and those long hot chips came out as the clear winner.

But this time around, Herr’s is doing something a little bit different. They’re not asking for nominations. They’re not taking suggestions. Instead, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, they’re asking a simple question:

What do you think Liberty tastes like?

Nope. Not even kidding. Here’s the pitch, straight from the Herr’s mothership:

“This year’s Flavored by Philly comes with a fresh twist: rather than submitting new flavor ideas, fans will select from a curated lineup of flavors inspired by the American ideals of Freedom, Liberty, and Unity. Now it’s up to Philadelphians to decide which flavor best embodies the heart of the American story.

This special edition of Flavored by Philly pays tribute to the bold, authentic spirit that has always defined America’s birthplace. Each flavor concept — Freedom, Liberty, and Unity — represents an idea that helped shape the American story. Now, Herr’s is asking: ‘What do those ideas taste like to you?’”

Starting today, Herr’s fans will get to choose from a curated lineup of flavors chosen to represent these ideas and vote on their favorites. The top three flavors will be on the shelves starting in June of next year — just in time to celebrate America’s birthday.

And okay, maybe this doesn’t feel like the best moment for this kind of promotion. Maybe at a time when our politics are so poisonously vitriolic, the idea of celebrating feels a little … wrong. I get that. I really do.

Except … Except those ideas? They’re not the sole provenance of those in power. They’re not owned (or even represented) by a politician or a party. They’re the ideals toward which the common mass of Americans strive every day. So why shouldn’t we celebrate them? And this being Philly (and Philly being, well, Philly), why shouldn’t we do it with a contest to decide what flavor of potato chip best represents the flavor of Liberty? Does picking a chip flavor bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice? Of course not. But the act of coming together and voting is something that Philadelphians are pretty good at. And while that might not have a specific flavor, it feels (at least a little bit) like Unity.

Voting for the Herr’s “Flavored By Philly: Taste the 250” opens today and runs through December 10th. You can cast your ballots right here.