Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/102355
SPECIALTY FOOD NEWS Openings and Expansions Chocolate Lab Dessert Cafe has opened in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood. The cafe, owned by Michael and Jacky Recchiuti, is inspired by Michael's early years as a pastry chef as detailed in his cookbook Chocolate Obsession. The menu features cafe fare plus plated chocolate and caramel desserts, cookies, pastries, chocolate confections, ice cream and hot and cold chocolate drinks. … Dude, Sweet Chocolate, Dallas, has opened two more Texas locations, in Preston and Fort Worth, reports Dallas Observer. The menu features specialties such as Crack in a Box (candied nuts and cacao nibs in thick slabs of dark chocolate) as well as such experimental creations as the Albatross, with dehydrated blue cheese and sea salt, and the Tater Head fudge with sweet potato. … Beyond the Olive has opened its second store and tasting bar in Riverside, Calif., reports PressEnterprise. The store features California-produced vinegars, tapenades, dipping sauces and olive oils bought from farms in Napa, Paso Robles, Sacramento and Sonoma. … Inspired by memories of eating churros during her childhood in Spain, Leyla Dam, a Stamford, Conn., resident has brought the treats to her hometown with Lorca, a new coffee shop, reports Stamford Advocate. Dam wants Lorca to represent a blend of Spanish and American cultures, with pastries native to Spain and Latin America and coffee shipped from Handsome Coffee Roasters in Los Angeles. Lorca will offer a menu of other pastries and lunch options provided by the nearby Station Eats. … The Melt, a Bay Area grilled-cheese chain, is expanding to Southern California, reports Chicago Tribune. Instead of food trucks, the Melt will run two buses around Los Angeles to serve its food. Customers can place their orders online or via mobile apps, then skip the line in person by scanning a QR code when picking up their order. … Jenco Brothers Candy is opening near the University of Cincinnati campus, reports Soapbox Cincinnati. The old-fashioned candy store will offer chocolates, gum, lollipops and other confections as well as popcorn, frozen yogurt, slushies and fountain beverages. The store will make its own popcorn while most of the candy will be brought in from suppliers such as Asher's Fine Chocolates, a Pennsylvania chocolatier. SUNLAND PLANNING TO RESUME PRODUCTION At press time, Sunland Inc., was planning to resume production by early 2013 at its Portales, N.M., food facility, following the plant's shuttering by the FDA on Nov. 26. The FDA suspended Sunland's facility registration two months after the agency issued a recall of 240 products containing Sunland's organic peanut butter, which sickened at least 41 people with salmonella. The FDA said its decision was "in the interest of public health," following the national outbreak and a history of food-safety violations reaching back over three years. The agency reported that a review of Sunland product-testing records showed that 11 product lots of nut butter tested positive for salmonella between June 2009 and September 2012. The move surprised some industry observers, as it was the first time the FDA had used its powers under the Food Safety Modernization Act to shut down a U.S. facility. Sunland is appealing the closure, saying it received no advance notice from the FDA. According to Katalin Coburn, spokeswoman for Sunland, the FDA hadn't contacted the company for weeks before Nov. 26. On Nov. 9 Sunland submitted its official response to the FDA's inspection findings, which had been issued on Oct. 29. Sunland denies that it knowingly 14 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com shipped tainted organic peanut butter that made its way into the affected products and, said Coburn in an interview with the Huffington Post, the company's officers felt confident that they outlined a solid plan for preventing future contamination. New Stores for Stonewall Kitchen Stonewall Kitchen has opened its 10th and 11th company stores in Nashua, N.H., and Newburyport, Mass. With the new stores, Stonewall Kitchen now operates three stores in Maine, four in New Hampshire, two in Connecticut, one in Massachusetts and one in Maryland. CUSTOM BREWING IN COLORADO John Galt Coffee Company is the newest coffee shop in Greeley, Colo., distinguished by its coffee-serving style. The staff manually brews coffee in front of customers and offers different brewing methods such as French press, AeroPress, pour-over and siphon pot. While the coffee is brewing, customers can learn about the unique methods and their differences. French Patisserie Opens in Delaware Tout de Suite Patisserie, an upscale bakery and French pastry shop, has opened in downtown Milford, Del. The new bakery features from-scratch Danish pastries, scones, croissants, tarts, pies and breads. USDA AWARDS FARM-TO-SCHOOL INITIATIVE $4.5 MILLION IN GRANTS The Farm-to-School Initiative will expand, thanks to $4.5 million in grants from USDA. The grants will fund 68 projects spanning 37 states and the District of Columbia to connect school cafeterias with local agricultural projects. In addition to helping schools respond to an increasing demand for locally sourced foods, the grants will be used to support agriculture and nutrition education, including field