Specialty Food Producers Take Home the Gold
By Lorrie Baumann
La Pasta’s Radicchio, Parsnip & Apricot Ravioli has won the 2016 sofi Award for Best New Product. Radicchio is sauteed with a little bit of balsamic vinegar to bring out the sweetness of the vegetables and then folded into ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella cheese together with roasted parsnips and dried apricots. The filling is then enclosed in La Pasta’s signature pasta with black pepper pasta stripes.
“We got lucky. It happens,” said Alexis Konownitzine, President of La Pasta, “Our chef Kristen made the product and will be at the Fancy Food Show.”
La Pasta already had several sofi Awards for products including its Marinara Sauce and Beet, Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Ravioli. This year’s winner was selected from among 23 finalists in the Best New Product category by the sofi judging panel of culinary experts in a blind tasting. Overall, 28 products were named winners and 100 named finalists from among 3,200 entries this year.
This year’s judging diverged from the methodology used for the past couple of years, in that the judging was completed before the Summer Fancy Food Show and winners were named at the same time as finalists. This process was designed to make the judging more fair and transparent, according to the Specialty Food Association, which owns the sofi Awards program. The products were judged by criteria that awarded 70 percent of the product’s score for taste, which included flavor, appearance, texture and aroma and 30 percent for ingredient quality, which included a consideration of whether any of the product’s ingredients were artificial and whether they were combined in a creative or unexpected way. One winner was chosen in each of the 28 judging categories, and the top 4 percent of the entries in each category were named finalists. No awards were presented this year in classic, foodservice or product line categories, which were part of last year’s contest.
Finalists for the Best New Product award included Dalmatia Sour Cherry Spread from Atalanta Corporation, Jansal Valley Boneless Prosciutto Toscano D.O.P. from Sid Wainer and Son Specialty Produce and Specialty Food, Organic Stoneground Flakes Cereal — Purple Corn from Back to the Roots and Sliced Prosciutto (Domestic) from Creminelli Fine Meats. “Prosciutto is everywhere in the U.S., but we do it differently, using whole-muscle Duroc pork that’s 100 percent vegetarian-fed with no antibiotics ever. We layer it in the tray by hand instead of by machine,” said Kyle Svete, Creminelli Fine Meats’ Director of Sales for National Accounts. “We invest in people, not machines. It’s part of who we are – people, animal, craft…. We have machines to help us do our job, but it’s really about the people. The recyclable tray and the elegant look of it elevates the product and the category.”
“We’re proud of it. We put the ingredients right on the front of the label,” he added. “That’s all there is to it – time, love, pork and sea salt.”
Chocolate-covered Cocomels – 5 Salts from JJ’s Sweets, Gourmet Honey Spread: Salted Honey from Cloister Honey LLC, Wild Boar Salted Star Anise Single Origin Organic Dark Chocolate Bar from Hagensborg Chocolate Ltd., Original Tangerine Sriracha from Just Jan’s Inc., Mr. Hot Stuff Pepper Spread from Steppin’ Out LLC, Clementine Crush Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Enzo Olive Oil Company/P-R Farms, Inc. and Deschutes Brewery® Black Butte Porter Truffle from Moonstruck Chocolate, Co. were also among the finalists for the Best New Product Award.
Other finalists were Pineapple Habanero Caramel from JulieAnn Caramels, Frozen Passion Chia Lassi from Monsieur Singh LLC, Chicken Fat (Schmaltz) Premium Cooking Oil from Fatworks LLC, Avocado Oil Mayo and Licorice Mint Tea from Chosen Foods, Inc., Chili Crunch Bar from Vivra Chocolate, Vegan Stone Ground Hazelnut Butter from Karmalize LLC, Raspberry Amaretto Preserves from Robert Rothschild Farm, Orange Artisan Fruit Cracker from Simple & Crisp, Gluten-Free Coffee Brownie from Savvy Girl Baking Company and Dark Moon from Marin French Cheese Company.
In the remaining categories, Brussizzle Sprouts from Pacific Pickle Works, Inc. was named the best appetizer. The Spice Hunter, Inc.‘s Coriander Lime Global Fusion Rub was named best baking ingredient, baking mix or flavor enhancer, Ginger Hemp Granola from Michele’s Granola LLC was the best in the category for breads, muffins, granola or cereal, and Vermont Creamery‘s Bijou was judged the best cheese. Vermont Creamery’s Bonne Bouche was a finalist for the award both this year and last year.
Scientists are still looking for effects on lungs diseases and circulatory http://www.devensec.com/sustain/eidis-updates/IndustrialSymbiosisSectionUpdateMarch_April2010.pdf best buy on viagra problems. It has to be taken 45 minutes or an hour before the love making session. levitra without prescription Such men can take banana top remove their problems and improve their physique viagra samples but there is little indication that ErectoMax delivers real results. Erectile dysfunction http://www.devensec.com/meetings/FY2015_Audit.pdf generic viagra or ED is a sexual issue found in males. Money on Honey by Droga Chocolates won the sofi in the chocolate category, and Bittermilk LLC‘s No. 3 Smoked Honey Whiskey Sour won the award in the cold beverage category. Bittermilk was a sofi finalist last year with the same product. Non-GMO Salted Caramelized Fig Spread from King’s Cupboard was named the best condiment, and Sea Salt & Vanilla Farmstead Goat Milk Caramels from Big Picture Farm LLC received the award for the best confection. Big Picture Farm won sofi Awards last year for best new product with its Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramels and for best confection with its Goat Milk Chai Caramels. Moon Dance Baking‘s Holly Baking Cookie Brittle Cinnamon & Spice was named in the category for cookies, brownies, cakes or pie.
Barnier Pimento Sauce with Preserved Lemon from FoodMatch Inc. was named best cooking, dipping or finishing sauce. Cranberry Pistachio “The Original” from Jan’s Farmhouse Crisps was named the best cracker. Epicurean Butter‘s Organic Cocoa Coconut Butter was named in the category for best dairy or dairy alternative product. “The reason this is something really new and innovative is that this is organic pasteurized cream, organic coconut oil, organic honey, organic canola oil, organic cocoa powder and Himalayan pink salt. It’s good on crepes, pancakes French toast. We actually just love it on a baguette,” said Janey Hubschman, who co-founded Epicurean Butter with her husband John, who’s the chef and still does all the formulations for the company’s products. “It’s got a lovely mouth feel with the butter and the coconut oil and then the finish of the salt.” The Organic Cocoa Coconut Butter is part of a product line that includes 13 finishing butters, of which two are organic. The company has just installed new equipment in its plant that allows Epicurean Butter to produce single-serve squeeze packs. Each of those has 190 calories for a 1-ounce serving, and Hubschman expects that the single-serve packaging will draw a lot of interest from the producers of home-delivered meal kits.
Bourbon Matured Maple Syrup from BLiS LLC was named the best dessert sauce, topping or syrup. Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate‘s Single Origin Drinking Chocolate 72% Belize, Toledo received the sofi Award for the best hot beverage. Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate was a finalist in the chocolate category last year with its 72% Madagascar, Sambirano bar. The Gelato Fiasco‘s Ripe Mango Sorbetto was named the best ice cream, gelato or frozen treat.
Cioccomiel, a spread made from hazelnuts, cocoa and honey, won the sofi Award for the best jam, preserve, honey or nut butter. It is imported by Marcelli Formaggi LLC.
Fermín Chorizo Ibérico Picante / Fermín Ibérico Pork Dry-Cured Chorizo Sausage Spicy from Fermin USA was named the best meat, pate or seafood.
Stöger Organic Austrian Pumpkin Seed Oil was named the best oil. It is imported by Los Chileros, which won a finalist award last year for the same product.
Gustiamo, Inc.‘s Pianogrillo Sicilian Cherry Tomato Sauce took home the sofi Award for the best pasta sauce, while the best pasta was Pastifico Artigianale Leonardo Carassai, made in Campofilone, Italy, and imported by Bravo International Inc.
Wozz! Kitchen Creations, which won the 2015 sofi Award for best salsa or dip with its Kiwi Lime Salsa Verde takes home the gold in the salad dressing category this year with North African Chermoula Dressing. This year’s award in the salsa or dip category went to American Spoon Foods’ Pumpkin Seed Salsa.
Hickory Smoked Spicy Candied Bacon from Little Red Dot Kitchen LLC won the sofi Award this year in the category for savory snacks. The best sweet snack came from Creative Snacks Co. with its Organic Coconut Bites.
Dinner Tonight Black Bean Tortilla Chili Mix from Backyard Safari Company won the award for best soup, stew, bean or chili. ParmCrisps Mini Aged Parmesan Crisps from Kitchen Table Bakers won the award for the best vegan or gluten-free product. Kitchen Table Bakers was a finalist last year for its Jalapeno Parmesan Crisps. Finally, this year’s best vinegar was Balsamic Nectar from Boulder Flavours.
GOLFERA Italian Mortadella and Braceri Now from Rogers Collection
Rogers Collection has added GOLFERA Italian mortadella and GOLFERA Braceri (grilled/cooked ham with herbs) to its catalog. These products are now available for the first time ever in the U.S. market at select specialty retail shops across the country. Representatives from GOLFERA, a family owned and operated company, will kick off their official entry to the U.S. marketplace at Rogers Collection’s booth during the June 2016 Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.
Rogers Collection is importing three types of GOLFERA mortadella: with and without pistachio, and mortadella with black and white truffle shavings (not oil). Rogers Collection and GOLFERA partnered together based on their shared commitment to high quality standards.
GOLFERA was founded in the early 1960s in the small and ancient village of Lavezzola in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region (near Bologna). Lavezzola has always embodied a long-standing bond between food and landscape and is famous for traditional Italian charcuterie. GOLFERA maintains complete control over their production chain. This starts with animal welfare, humane feeding and breeding and no antibiotic use after the third month of an animal’s life. Each step leading up to the production process, occurs within a few kilometers GOLFERA’s Lavezzola facility resulting in the lowest possible environmental impact. The company sources its pork from a single farm of Italian born pigs to make a dedicated production exclusively for Rogers Collection.
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GOLFERA guarantees full cycle traceability and technical production know-how. The mortadellas and cooked hams are made with genuine “clean” labels, meaning free of dairy, gluten, monosodium glutamate, nitrates and nitrites. The mortadella’s pistachios are Sicilican, and the black truffle is from Bologna — both ingredients strictly Italian sourced. Likewise, GOLFERA uses only fresh, high quality cuts of shoulder meat (no tripe or lesser cuts), fat from the neck of the animal, and warm spices to achieve superior taste.
GOLFERA is committed to sustainable production. It draws 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources and has developed eco-friendly packaging with low environmental impact for its products. Each GOLFERA shipment for Rogers Collection is made to order and guaranteed fresh.
Wild Planet Foods Embarks on Land-Based Products
Wild Planet Foods is venturing off-sea into the development of land-based food with the launch of its new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast.
Moving from fin to feather, the new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast is the first non-seafood item in Wild Planet’s line. While this is a new category for the company, the addition fits harmoniously with Wild Planet’s mission to provide consumers with food options that are healthful for the body and wildly good for our planet. Wild Planet’s Organic Roasted Chicken Breast features USDA Certified Organic Free-Range Chicken raised on an organic diet — featuring non-GMO corn grown on land that is free of chemicals fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.
“Our new chicken, along with all future land-based items that will follow from Wild Planet Foods, is sourced from organically operated farms— which is essentially the land-based equivalent of pole and line fishing,” said Founder of Wild Planet Foods Bill Carvalho. “At Wild Planet, we believe there is really no difference between being a steward of the land as well as the sea. It’s a known fact that chemical runoff from conventional farming practices has had a negative effect on our waterways which ultimately lead to our oceans — creating dead zones that make it impossible for sea life to survive. Offering products like our new Roasted Chicken Breast not only allows Wild Planet the privilege of supporting and advocating for organic farms and farmers, but it’s also a step towards keeping our waterways and oceans healthy and supportive of a viable, healthy marine environment.”
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Wild Planet’s new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast contains only two ingredients — chicken seasoned with sea salt. There is also a no salt added version available. Wild Planet Organic Roasted Chicken Breast provides 40 percent more chicken than other 5-ounce can offerings, due to the fact that only Wild Planet roasts their chicken without the addition of added water, liquids or fillers that are commonly found in other brands. The flavorful, natural juices remain to provide a delicious rotisserie taste. This new Organic Roasted Chicken Breast can be used to make sandwiches, soups, burritos, and is an especially great salad topper.
Wild Planet’s Organic Roasted Chicken is available nationwide in supermarkets and natural food stores for a suggested retail price of $5.49. For more information about Wild Planet Foods, visit their website at www.wildplanetfoods.com.
