Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2014 www.gourmetnews.com SPECIAL FEATURE 2 0 BY DONNA BOYLE SCHWARTZ Innovation and fun are essential ingredients to any backyard barbecue, and suppliers are offering some interesting ideas in grilling accessories. A new company, Grillight, launched its stainless steel spatula with a built-in LED light to widespread acclaim at NY NOW. "Our Grillight products have got- ten off to a very successful start and built quite a bit of buzz since our launch in Jan- uary," said Colton Knittig, Grillight Sales Director. "Almost every person that has ever cooked food outside knows the frustration of not having enough light. They might have tried a head lamp, a light mounted on the grill or even flood lights, but nothing seemed to really solve this problem. Our product has a light directly incorporated into the handle, which shines a perfect beam of light onto the work area and will always aim directly where you are cooking. "Consumers are, without a doubt, em- bracing the outdoor lifestyle," added Knittig. "People love to entertain and socialize with their family and friends. Doing so around the fire of a grill or patio table just adds a layer of intimacy that isn't there otherwise." Talisman Designs debuted its own collec- tion of stainless steel spatulas at NY NOW, featuring solid rosewood handles etched with humorous sayings, such as "Grilling Animal Meat … Aromatherapy for Men." "Outdoor living and entertainment is just another way consumers can nest with fam- ily and friends while also enjoying the re- freshing aspects of Mother Nature," said Kimberly Timmons, Sales and Marketing Specialist for Talisman Designs. "Our prod- ucts are not only functional but also very gift-able. Our new turners are the perfect gift for that special man in your life." GN drift is the companies' collective apprecia- tion for cocktails. Each company offers a number of suggestions for how best to use its products in mixing up the perfect drink. GuS, for example, recommends combining its Meyer lemon soda with rum and mint to prepare its spin on the classic mojito: the GuS-ito. One can also mix GuS ginger ale with sake and lime to make a NaGuSake. Spindrift advocates mixing its low-calorie seltzers with vodka to create the perfect skinny cocktail. And Joia offers a diverse array of products that mix perfectly with everything from vodka to gin to rum to tequila. With craft sodas growing increasingly popular among today's consumers, more and more restaurants are now offering their clientele the option of these lower calorie, all-natural artisan sparkling drinks. According to Hersh, his company's products are particularly good for pairing with food, as they are not particularly heavy on sugar and thus do not over- whelm the palate. Today, GuS sodas are available in restaurants around the coun- try, including a number of famed Ameri- can eateries such as The French Laundry, Per Se and Bouchon Bakery. Haygood similarly argues that her com- pany's products are a perfect addition to any restaurant menu. For her, the care that goes into crafting Spindrift products more accurately reflects the care that restaurants put into their menus. "Where we're doing really well, and where our focus has been, is fast casual restaurants or where people eat lunch," she said. "We go in and we see that there is incredible care taken with ingredients for salads, sandwiches, beautiful breads. And then at the end there's a beverage that doesn't re- ally match. I go in and I say we make our beverages like you make your food, and there's this instant connection." For gourmet soda companies, making specialty sparkling beverages is truly a craft in the most essential definition of the word. Just as innovative food companies have transformed the landscapes of beer, ice cream and chocolate, taking the prod- ucts to a truly gourmet level, craft soda companies are doing the same with soda. "With craft beers and other craft types of things, people are looking for more com- plex flavors," said Johnson. "You see herbs and spices going on in ice creams and crackers and all sorts of stuff. I think peo- ple's palates are just becoming more and more complex." GN Companies Debut New Outdoor Barbecue Equipment at NY Now more complex. We talk about layers of fresh flavor." GuS Grown-Up Soda has taken a differ- ent approach in crafting its products, opt- ing to appeal to adults' nostalgic affection for classic American flavors like cola, root beer and ginger ale. "It's enough of a broad range that we're not trying to create really esoteric flavors that are maybe not as ap- proachable and that you'd need to educate someone about," said Hersh. "One doesn't need to be educated about cola, root beer, ginger ale or lemon soda. For the most part, ours is an adult-oriented, natural twist on everyday soda flavors." One thing that unites Joia, GuS and Spin- Summer Continued from PAGE 18

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