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GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 8 Enjoy Life Foods Continued from PAGE 1 allergy-friendly. Warady can spin them out for you without a second thought: "Cook- ies (soft and crunchy), on-the go bars (clas- sic line and decadent line), cereals that are high in fiber and high in protein, which are adult-focused, Plentils, a salty snack line which is a crunchy lentil chip in four sa- vory flavors. We have the only nut-free trail mix in the market, composed of just seeds and fruit." Enjoy Life's products are not just free of gluten and the eight most common aller- gens, they are also tasty. Over the years, the company has improved the taste across the entire product line. They are a little more expensive than a mass-marketed product, but some of that extra cost goes into rigor- ous testing procedures and quality assur- ance controls that ensure that the products are best in class. "We built the company on three tenets: taste, trust and love," Warady says. "Number one, our consumers have to trust us. They have to trust that our brand won't hurt their children. We build that trust every single day with every cookie we produce." "We talk about celebration. In reality, it's more than just classrooms. It's the birthday parties and the family gather- ings. For years, so many children with food allergies were prohibited from going to birthday parties because there was nothing there that was safe for them to eat," Warady adds. "Because there are these foods now, people can go to parties and enjoy themselves at whatever party they might want to attend." For more information, visit www .enjoylifefoods.com. GN Natural and Organic Brands Invest in a Future without Poverty through Whole Planet Foundation's Supplier Alliance More than 4,570 people around the world will have a chance to lift themselves out of poverty and change their own lives through microcredit thanks to Whole Planet Foundation's 2014 Supplier Al- liance for Microcredit partners. Through the Whole Planet Foundation, 16 like- minded companies each give $50,000 an- nually to support poverty alleviation programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. "For a woman living in extreme poverty, a $200 loan is enough to help her get ahead by launching or expanding her home-based business so that she can gain financial in- dependence and provide basic needs for her children," said Philip Sansone, Presi- dent and Executive Director for Whole Planet Foundation. "Thanks to the gener- ous support of our Supplier Alliance for Microcredit partners, we will be able to em- power thousands of women around the world with a chance to shape a brighter fu- ture for their entire families." In 2005, natural and organic retailer Whole Foods Market established Whole Planet Foundation. Through grants to mi- crofinance partners, the foundation funds small loans to individuals living in impov- erished communities where the grocer sources products. To date, Whole Planet Foundation has authorized $41 million and funded more than $29 million in microfi- nance programs in 58 countries, positively impacting more than 1.95 million people worldwide. Whole Planet Foundation's 2014 Sup- plier Alliance for Microcredit partners in- clude Alaffia, Allegro Coffee Company, BlueAvocado, Frontier Co-op, Garden of Life, Hain Celestial, Hint, IZZE, PACT, Res- cue Remedy, Rishi Tea, Sambazon, Seventh Generation, Teas' Tea/Ito En and Tradi- tional Medicinals. For more information about Whole Planet Foundation and its 2014 Supplier Alliance for Microcredit partners, visit www.wholeplanetfoundation.org. GN Battle Over Sriracha Smell Heats Up in Irwindale, Calif. Huy Fong Foods, Inc., producer of popu- lar Asian hot sauce brand Sriracha, is fighting for its right to continue producing its internationally-celebrated chili sauce in the United States. The company was founded by David Tran, a Chinese-Viet- namese immigrant who came to the United over 35 years ago with pennies in his pocket. Tran is now set to take on the City of Irwindale as both entities head into a public battle that may determine if the heralded condiment maker can keep op- erations open in the city. "The City of Irwindale is trying to shut us down. We're fighting for our jobs, our livelihoods and the business we built from the bottom up into one of the most loved hot sauces in the country," said Donna Lam, Huy Fong Executive Opera- tions Officer. The battle between the City of Irwindale and Huy Fong Foods began in late 2012 when the city received a complaint about a strong chili smell coming from the plant. Now at stake is the company's ability to continue operations for the brand. Since the initial complaint, Huy Fong has been working with South Coast Air Quality Management District, a regulatory agency overseeing air quality control in the region, to determine the nature and extent of the problem and to take the appropriate measures to remediate the situation. As an initial step, in 2013 the company installed additional filters for air access points to help improve external air quality. "We've been working with AQMD since late last year to see what the problem is," said Tran. "We've proposed a plan to imme- diately fix any problems once we know what steps need to be taken based on AQMD's analysis." Tran recently attended a public hearing on the issue at Irwindale Council Cham- bers in February, where the City Council ultimately voted to postpone making any decisions about the possible closure of the Irwindale plant until the company com- pletes its AQMD analysis. Lam argues that it is simply premature to make any decisions on this issue until the company can assess the situation. "We need to determine what the issue is first be- fore we can solve the problem, but it must be done through the proper channels. A fair and open exploratory process should be the goal of all parties involved, and we implore our supporters to join in the fight to save our Sriracha," he said. "We've opened up our doors earlier this year to public tours so that anyone who wants to see how their favorite hot sauce is made, can feel like part of the family," added Tran. "Already hundreds of people have had an up-close-and-personal experi- ence with our chili peppers, and everyone leaves smiling." Since opening its doors in the U.S. in 1980, Huy Fong Foods has grown to be- come one of the leaders in the Asian hot sauce market. Huy Fong Foods' chili sauces are made from California farmed fresh, red jalapeño chili peppers and con- tain no water or artificial colors, resulting in sauces that are flavorful and hot. Char- acterized by clear plastic bottles, green caps and an iconic rooster logo, Huy Fong Foods sauces can be found at your local retailer. For more information, visit www.huyfong.com. GN Tickets Are on Sale Now for Austin FOOD & WINE Festival Tickets for the third annual Austin FOOD & WINE Festival, April 25-27 are on sale now at www.austinfoodandwinefestival .com/tickets. The Festival will offer more than 40 events over three days, including hands-on grilling demonstrations, inter- active fire pits helmed by an all- star lineup of Texas chefs, panel discussions, Grand Tasting tents offer- ing food, wine and cocktail tastings, live music, book signings and much more. Hosting a national and international audience of food, wine and music lovers and featuring world-class chefs, sommeliers, cocktail experts, culinary personalities and rising stars, the Austin FOOD & WINE Festival sets the stage to showcase the local talent and flavors of Texas. The 2014 festival kicks off on Friday, April 25, with the Taste of Texas, held at Republic Square Park in the heart of downtown Austin. With a lineup show- casing the Lone Star State's brightest chefs. Saturday evening's Rock Your Taco com- petition brings out the competitive side of all participants. With live musical accompani- ment, chefs will square off against one another to create the ultimate taco, with winners chosen by an esteemed panel of judges, includ- ing Christina Grdovic, Graham Elliot and Andrew Zimmern. The festival grounds at Butler Park will once again feature interactive live-fire sta- tions, where Texas chefs will be cooking over fire pits and offering tastes to atten- dees throughout the weekend. Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from last year, the 2014 program will feature two fire pit stations, showcasing four chefs each day, each offering a front-row experience cooking with live fire. A brand-new addition to the annual event is Feast Under the Stars, hosted at Austin's Butler Park. This pre-festival dinner will be a separately ticketed event, held Thursday, April 24. Feast Under the Stars is an intimate celebra- tion featuring five Texas chefs preparing an al fresco dinner. The collaborative, family-style menu will be prepared by chefs Tim Love, Tyson Cole, Kent Rath- bun, Chris Shepherd and Jodi Elliott. For a complete list of programming, including panel discussions, cooking demonstrations and more, visit www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com. Tickets for the 2014 Austin FOOD & WINE Festival are available in two options: Taste ($250) and Savor ($850), and are available at www.austinfoodandwinefesti- val.com/tickets. The Taste pass includes access to over 40 demos, hands-on experi- ences, seminars and tastings, and daily Grand Tasting events. The Savor experi- ence includes priority access to all demos, tastings and hands-on experiences, private Grand Tastings on Saturday & Sunday, ac- cess to a VIP lounge with a bar and addi- tional tastings, and access to both the Taste of Texas and Rock Your Taco evening events. Tickets for Thursday's Feast Under the Stars are $185 per person. GN

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