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NATURALLY HEALTHY www.gourmetnews.com n MARCH 2020 n GOURMET NEWS N H 5 4 DeBrand Chocolate Art Boxes DeBrand Chocolate Art Boxes are hand- crafted, exceptionally unique edible master- pieces. One of the newest additions to DeBrand's collection of Chocolate Art Boxes is Draped in Gold. This box is elegantly adorned in ed- ible stunning 24-karat gold leaf and is hand- crafted in rich, dark chocolate. The perfect, unique gift for someone who has everything, it adds a touch of luxury to any special event. Not only is it stunningly beautiful, but is also delicious! Indulge like royalty with the mag- nificent Draped in Gold Chocolate Art Box and leave a lasting impression. DeBrand's collection of Chocolate Art Boxes also includes Flower Power, Polka Dot, White Rose and Seashell. Visit www.debrand.com to see each stunning box. For the ultimate gourmet experience, these incredible, edible pieces of art can be filled with an assortment of DeBrand's popular Classic Collection or decadent Truffle Col- lection. Each box can hold approximately 12 Truffles or 23 Classic Collection pieces. The Classic Collection is perfect for those who appreciate quality and tradition. It in- cludes timeless favorites such as luscious caramel variations, pure fruit creams bursting with won- derfully intense flavors, as well as re-inspired tradi- tional selections such as Gourmet PBJ, Orange Cream and Strawberry Rhubarb Caramel. DeBrand's Truffle Collec- tion is the perfect gift for the ultimate choco- late lover. These 12 incredible Truffle variations seem almost too beautiful to eat … almost. Each oversized piece is individu- ally and artistically designed, but their true beauty lies within. Every silky, rich Truffle is a luxurious choco- late dessert that will entice each and every customer! Not only does De- Brand carry impres- sive chocolate gifts, but also provides many options for tempting impulse chocolates such as Caramel Pretzel Bars, Peanut Butter Cups, Mint Cookie Crunch Tasting Bars, Sea Salt Caramels and more. For more information, go to www.debrand.com. Lemon & Vine: Dedicated to the Art of Food By Alethia Erotas, President and Owner, Lemon & Vine Lemon & Vine is a family owned and certi- fied woman owned company dedicated to the art of food with true quality, taste and vi- sual appeal that is made with the best, pre- mium ingredients. The inspiration for the products at Lemon & Vine came from our Yaya (Greek for Grandma). It was 1930 when Angelique came to America from Greece – a young woman with her husband and children. Times were hard, but she held her family to- gether with her boundless love and the won- derful food she prepared. She knew that the dinner table was the center of family life. Just serving their favorite meals was her way of saying "I love you" every day. Lemon & Vine takes great pride in work- ing very closely with our co-packers to en- sure that only the best ingredients and time-honored techniques are used in our products. We order custom made pasta for our Pastichio entrees and only fresh Fillo dough made onsite for our appetizers. Every Lemon & Vine product is handmade to ensure the visual of the food you are eating is as beautiful as the taste is amazing. When you try a Lemon & Vine product, you will think they were made in our own home kitchens – they are that good. We would accept nothing less and neither should our customers. Today, Mediterranean flavors, especially Greek, are gaining popularity at a rapid rate. Discriminating consumers are looking for Greek food products that they can prepare in their own homes yet also taste amazingly au- thentic and make the consumer feel good about what they are putting on their table. Lemon & Vine's soul is based in Mediterranean ingredients and classic recipes as well as a cre- ative modern spin on the traditional and new ideas. For more information, go to www.lemonand vine.com, call 707.927.3249 or email info@lemonandvine.com. From Stacy's Pita Chips to BeBOLD Bars An interview with Stacy Madison, Founder, BeBOLD Bars. GN: You're launching a refrigerated raw en- ergy bar company called BeBOLD. What does this company have in common with your first company, Stacy's Pita Chips? SM: After Stacy's Pita Chips, I focused on raising my twins. When Stacy's sold, I was admittedly lost. I wanted to stay connected to the industry and keep work/life balance in- tact, so I opened a local juice bar. This is where BeBOLD Bars were created and sell like crazy. Similar to snacks, the bar category is super crowded. BeBOLD Bars are the first product I have felt has the same potential as the Pita Chips. I just know it. The common theme between all compa- nies? You have to start with taste, first and foremost. A bar is really a snack and your snack should taste great. We started with a great tasting bar. Then it was up to my brother Dave (an original pita chip guy) to scale the company and bring the dream to fruition. This included bringing on some of the people we worked with over the past few decades. GN: You've already had a successful exit with Stacy's Pita Chips. Why would you want to start another company? SM: Stacy's changed the snack food busi- ness. Each time I go to the store and watch a mom put a bag in her shopping cart, there's a sense of reward and satisfaction. That isn't something you can buy, its earned and trusted. I know I can make a similar change in the bar category. Personally, I watch the news and cannot believe what craziness is going on in the world, so for me this is a way of putting some sanity into what I've felt is an insane world. Creating this company is how I know I can make a change, even if it's just as simple as an energy bar, so I am step- ping forward and doing what I know I do well. It might be small, but if we all do a little something, it can make big change. GN: What has the response been to the bars, and why the refrigerated section? SM: When you speak to people about bars, typically they say they are choosing a partic- ular brand for a reason; more protein, whole grains, it's good for me – but rarely do they say, 'I love them, they taste great!' We are not trying to be anything in particular; high protein or low carb, but we are plant-based with clean and pure ingredients. Juice bar cus- tomers would purchase a bar for $3.25, then return and buy 10 for $25. They're in the refrigerator because our base ingredient is nut butter. We add oats, Brazil nuts (yes, those expensive ones), wal- nuts, chia and chocolate chips. Our team likes to say, 'Sweetened with bees and trees' (wildflower honey and dark maple syrup). We mix, press, package. Nothing more, noth- ing less. The protein is from nuts. Gluten and dairy free. Eighteen grams of whole grains and kosher. Personally, I love them frozen, too! For more information, go to www.bebold bars.com, call 855.623.2653 or email info@beboldbars.com. The Forest Farmers Presents New Leaf Tree Syrups New Leaf Tree Syrups (New Leaf), produced by Forest Farmers, is a premium line of cer- tified-organic sweeteners made from a vari- ety of tree species. The company's unique syrups are crafted exclusively from the sap of maple, birch, walnut, beech, basswood and other rare tree species in order to provide the greatest diversity of forest-based sweet- eners in the world. New Leaf is a leading supplier of certified organic tree saps and syrups used by food technologists and man- ufacturers in beverages and packaged goods. Co-founded by Dr. Michael Farrell in 2017, New Leaf is the result of many years of in- novative research and development deter- mining how to best harness the wonderful and delicious diversity of America's native woodlands. "After spending many years as Director of Cornell University's maple research center, it is a unique opportunity to take the lessons learned there and apply them in large scale to harvesting and processing a wide variety of tree saps using the most environmentally friendly and advanced technology avail- able," said Dr. Farrell. New Leaf is proud to be developing the most diverse array of saps and syrups from native trees in wild forests, in particular bigleaf maple syrup from the Pacific North- west. Building upon his experi- ences at Cornell, Farrell is now fo- cusing his efforts on expanding bigleaf maple syrup production through a partnership with private landowners and University of Washington researchers. Until now, bigleaf maple syrup has only been produced on a small scale and has not been available to the trade. Farrell is working to change that by getting more landowners interested in producing the syrup while also carefully blending it with its east coast syrup. New Leaf has developed a signature blend of pure maple syrup produced from sugar and red maples from northeast forests with pure maple syrup from bigleaf maples on the West Coast. The deeper, more intense flavors of bigleaf maple syrup gets a sweet lift from the traditional, iconic sugar maples of New England. Whereas most maple syrup is made in March and April in the northeast, most bigleaf maple syrup production occurs be- tween December and February in the Pacific Northwest. The company works with specialty food retailers, gourmet grocers, restau- rants and foodservice distributors. It provides unique, delicious syrups at competitive prices, which allows retail- ers and foodservice professionals to offer great products and memorable experiences to their customers. For more information, go to www.newleaftreesyrups.com or call 518.637.7000.

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