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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2015 n GOURMET NEWS 5 4 Cosmos Creations Offers Line of Premium Puffed Corn Snacks When it comes to snack foods, just about anyone can pump out unhealthy products at a rapid clip. Oregon-based Cosmos Creations is slowing things down, making the commit- ment and investment to use natural ingredi- ents to create a line of premium puffed corn snacks with an indulgent, artisan taste. Every bag begins with pure, non-GMO corn meal baked in the oven for a taste that's out-of-this-world. It's easy to brag about what's inside every bag, but what's excluded – gluten, trans-fats, hulls, kernels, preserva- tives and additives – is even more important. Cosmos Creations uses only ingredients you can pronounce with a taste that's almost heavenly. Cosmos Creations offers a variety of sweet and savory flavors, including Salted Caramel, Caramel, Coconut Crunch, Sea Salt & Butter, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Aged Cheddar & Cracked Pepper and its newest fan fa- vorite, Spicy Sriracha. Keeping up with what's popular in the snack food industry is no challenge for Cos- mos Creations, as it continues to add new and exciting flavors to its already existing line of products. As an addition to its fa- vorites, Cosmos Creations introduced Spicy Sriracha in the fall of 2014. Made up of pep- pers, garlic and a hearty blend of spices, its allure is undeniable. Sriracha provides just the right amount of flavor to keep your tongue sizzling after each bite. Every bite is an explo- sion of flavor and a mouthful of happiness. The bold, healthier-for-you products is what Cosmos Creations is now known for, but it hasn't always been what it is today. In 2004, Cosmos Creations began as "Cosmos Caramel Corn" in the kitchen of a culinary artist. After quickly becoming a local sensa- tion, it expanded from the kitchen to a 5,000 square foot facility. After attending many home shows, consumer events and providing samples to attendees, the unique puffed treat quickly developed a loyal following. In July 2011, Cosmos Caramel Corn was purchased by the Strasheim and Tiller fam- ily, under the corporate name of 4 Him Food Group. In September 2012, the company moved to a new production facility and transitioned to the brand Cos- mos Creations as they set up to ex- pand to a national level. Cosmos Creations premium puffed corn is now sold through club, grocery and foodservice channels nationwide. Cosmos even began exporting to Asia and Latin America in late 2014. In order to meet the growing product demands of customers today, Cosmos Creations continued to ex- pand its production footprint last summer when it began constructing its new 107,000 square foot factory in Junction City, Ore. For more information, visit www.cosmos creations.com or call 541-998-8883. The Cosmos Creations booth for the 2015 Winter Fancy Food Show is #1359 and booth #6505 at Natural Products Expo West. Busha Browne's Traditional Jamaican Flavors Classic Caribbean cooking, like the people of the Caribbean, was created out of the tra- ditions, customs and cuisines of many cul- tures – African, Asian, European and Middle Eastern, along with the Taino. Jamaica's inexhaustibly fertile soil has long produced in abundance, and each new culture brought the best of fresh ingredients such as spices, herbs, fruits and staple veg- etables. Today, Busha Browne is pleased to offer the following complement of authentic Jamaican sauces, seasonings and condiments, that are all-natural, healthy, spicy and delicious: Busha Browne's Authentic Jerk Seasoning is a traditional hot and spicy seasoning paste especially compounded for the 'jerking' of meat, fish, vegetables or tofu. When used prudently prior to cooking, this seasoning provides a most pungent flavor and ab- solutely irresistible aroma. Busha Browne's Spicy Jerk Sauce is the quintessential taste of Jamaica – a hot, exotic blend of herbs and spices perfect for use in the preparation of meats, poultry and seafood prior to grilling. This unique sauce can be used as a marinade before cooking, added during cooking or served at the table. Busha Browne's Smoky Jerk BBQ Sauce contains all the natural goodness of its au- thentic jerk seasoning base, while capturing the natural smoky flavor of the traditional 'jerk pit.' It makes a perfect addition to your barbecue artillery. Busha Browne's Honey Jerk BBQ Sauce is rich and flavorful with an inspired blend of traditional spices, and the combination of pure Jamaican honey with the Spicy Jerk Seasoning results in the prefect blend of sweet and spicy – with a kiss of cinnamon for intrigue. This sauce will have your taste buds buzzing! Pukka Hot Pepper Sauce – not for the fainthearted, this is the ultimate sauce for devotees of wickedly hot food. Made from fragrant fresh Jamaican scotch bonnet pep- pers, this sauce has stamina combined with outstanding flavor. No pepper fanatic should be without it. Prepared and bottled in small batches as they were 200 years ago, Busha Browne's award-winning products reflect the rich her- itage of Jamaican cookery. Busha Browne's – fresh ingredients, arti- san quality, Jamaican tradition preserved. For more information, visit www.bushabrowne.com. New Chocolate Bars Added to Collection with New Eye-Catching Packaging Bissinger's introduced three new flavors – and brought back another due to popular de- mand – to its popular all-natural Chocolate Bar Collection. New flavors include Peanut Butter Maple Oat Crunch, Fig Balsamic Truffle and Spicy Catalunya. Coffee Toffee will once again be available and all are scheduled to hit store shelves late this sum- mer. "We had a vision; we wanted to offer a chocolate bar collection made with Rainfor- est Alliance Certified™ cocoa," said Chief Chocolatier Dave Owens. "We wanted to de- velop them to be anything but ordinary." One of the top selling flavors is Coconut Caramel with Red Hawaiian Sea Salt. In addition to its classic flavors like 75 percent Dark Chocolate and 60 percent Dark Chocolate with Almonds, its other, more inspired fla- vors include Quinoa Agave Crunch and Dulce de Leche. At the heart of Bissinger's success is its signature European-style chocolate, clas- sically crafted by Master Chocolatiers with the same technique and skills that have been handed down by generation after generation of choco- latiers. The foundation of its chocolate is its propri- etary cocoa blend – crafted with beans from the Cote D'Ivoire for chocolate that's rich, velvety and never bitter. "We use the same formula for our base so everything tastes cohe- sive," Owens explained. "They taste like they belong in the same family." In addition to the new flavors, Bissinger's has designed new, eye-catch- ing packaging to convey the high-quality, attention to detail and in- tegrity of ingredients that is going into every bar. Beautiful imagery and the Bissinger 's Crest add the final touches to upscale brand strategy. "We want to make sure we take care of our customer," Owens explained. "All com- ponents are very important – the taste profile, the right packaging and the all-natural ingredients. We want to make sure we take care of every last detail." For more information, email sales@bissingers.com, call 888-BISSINGER or stop by booth #788. Columbus Salumeria: Inspired in Italy, Founded in San Francisco There is a reason why wine and salame are always the perfect marriage at any occasion. Wine aficionados understand the key ingre- dients for making a world-class vintage. The combination of great soil, weather, nurturing and patience will result in the production of the highest quality fruit. At Columbus, those same concepts hold true – similar to the core principles that were fundamental to its founders almost 100 years ago: Start with premium cuts of meat and tra- ditional spices, simplicity in its artisanal hand crafted processes, and the commitment of time, to deliver wholesome great tasting salame and deli meats. A century later, Columbus still believes these to be true. Similar to a great glass of wine, you can taste its superior flavors in salame and deli meats that come from using only excep- tional ingredients to start its journey to your market. For its classic and artisan salame, it uses only the highest quality cuts of hand-trimmed pork. It then cures or ages its salame in a traditional way since 1917 using only the finest spices such as Italian fennel, garlic, truffle, sherry wine and even porcini mushroom. The curing process has been used for hundreds of years and is re- sponsible for its great taste and texture. Visitors to the drying rooms will see mil- lions of pounds of salame curing anywhere from 30 to 90 days to achieve its award- winning flavor profile. That same attention and care has also led it to be recognized throughout the years as leaders in the premium deli meat category. It produces the highest quality turkey, chicken, beef and ham items, which have been proven winners time and again in head to head competitive taste tests. All of the deli items begin with USDA Choice top round cuts of beef, inside/outside lean mus- cles of pork, and whole turkey and chicken breasts. All of its uniquely flavored deli meats are applied topically with a propri- etary blend of spices and slow cooked for 6-8 hours in its low temperature ovens. The smoked deli meats are smoked with natural hickory or applewood instead of flavored injections. You will never see fillers, binders, MSG, gluten or trans fat in its pre- mium deli meats and salame. Columbus is also expanding its commit- ment to antibiotic free meats and the removal of nitrates and nitrites from its deli meat line. Come taste for yourself and meet with its experienced sales staff at booth #5037 at the Winter Fancy Food Show or go to www.columbussalame.com. Let the expert sales and customer marketing teams work side by side with you to create a premium showcase for your store, deli case, sliced lunchmeat wall and sandwich menus. Its family heritage and commitment to quality enables Columbus to truly partner with you to create a unique premium environment for your customers. For more information, stop by booth #5037 or visit www.columbussalame.com.

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