Specialty Food Magazine

SEP 2012

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.

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T he annual sofi Awards, considered the specialty food industry's most prestigious recognition, marked its 40th year with its most competitive event yet. A record 2,520 contenders vied across 32 categories—an 8.3 percent increase in entries over last year. "Producers, buyers and the press increasingly recognize that a sofi Award is a true sign of quality and excellence," says Louise Kramer, communications director for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, which runs the competition. "At a time when American consumers are so interested in quality food, sofi Finalists and Winners are an edited list of the best of the best of specialty food products." A Higher Purpose The months-long process of judging to select the sofi Silver Finalists and Gold Winners (see "How Judging Works," below) culminated in the red-carpet Awards ceremony, held on June 18 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Summer Fancy Food Show. This year's ceremony managed to combine a celebratory atmosphere with a calling to a higher purpose, highlighted by keynote speaker Chef José Andrés. Andrés is a renowned culinary innovator, winning the 2011 James Beard Foundation award for Outstanding Chef, as well as an advocate for food and hunger issues. In addition to owning ThinkFoodGroup, comprising restaurants such as Jaleo, Zaytinya, Oyamel and minibar by José Andrés in Washington, D.C., he is the director and chairman of World Central Kitchen, a global organization committed to end- ing world hunger, and long-time supporter of DC Central Kitchen, a local hunger-relief organization. In honor of his participation, Andrés and NASFT donated his speaking fee to both nonprofits. "Food is the key in connecting people," stated Andrés, who shared his memory of first realizing this as a young sailor in the Spanish Navy, in charge of slicing Ibérico ham. "We would have a party every time we docked, and began connecting with different cultures through the ham. Even today, when I see Ibérico in stores, I become emotional," Andrés said. "The power of food is magic, and we have control of that power and the ability to bring it to people," he continued. "Farmers, chefs, How Judging Works T HE SOFI AWARDS COMPETITION IS A MONTHS-LONG PROCESS THAT INVOLVES SEVERAL STAGES. On the road to sofi Gold, thousands of product submissions must first undergo days of painstaking consideration and nonstop tasting by a panel of judges who select the Silver Finalists. The judging panel comprises specialty food experts such as distributors, retailers and members of the press. Beginning in April, the 2012 judges spent five full days sampling and learning about 1,935 submissions across 30 categories from Outstanding Appetizer, Antipasto, Salsa or Dip to Outstanding Vinegar. Judging time was increased to a full work week this year to accommodate the growing number of entries. After Part 1's Finalists are tallied and announced, the process begins again for the final two coveted titles: Outstanding Product Line and Outstanding New Product. The judges returned for three days in May to evaluate those remaining categories. This year, the judges selected a total of 125 Silver Finalists among 32 categories, basing their evaluations on attributes such as quality, taste, innovation, packaging, ingredients and pricing. The judging panel across eight days included: Paul Abbott and Brooke Hohman, Giant Eagle Market District, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Mary Beth Albright, freelance journalist; Nathan Anda, Michael Babin, Tony Chittum, Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Alexandria, Va.; Gordon Angles, Wythe Will Tzetzo, Toano, Va.; Annie Baum- Stein, Milk and Honey Market, Philadelphia; Dina Cheney, cookbook author and freelance writer, Cos Cob, Conn.; Kate Donovan, InStyle Magazine; Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, Court Street Grocers, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Margaret Furniss, Caviar & Bananas, Charleston, S.C.; Kim Kristofer, KeHe, Romeoville, Ill.; Susan Lacz, Ridgewells, Bethesda, Md.; Eric Larson, Marion Street Cheese Market, Oak Park, Ill.; Erin O'Hagan and Laurie Semon, Olives Gourmet Grocer, Long Beach, Calif.; Chandra Poston, The Fresh Market, Greensboro, N.C.; Adam Rhein, Eli's Manhattan, New York; and Andrew Vialpando, formerly of Central Market, Dallas. In the final round of judging, which took place at the 2012 Summer Fancy Food Show on June 17 and 18, 175 buyers sampled the Finalist products and cast their ballots to determine which entries would ultimately take home a sofi Gold. S4 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com Finalist judging panel PHOTOS: EVA MESZAROS

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