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O C G S h o w D a i l y 3 5 M o n d a y, J u n e 8 , 2 0 1 5 look which continues to be a priority for many of our customers." The new range of Cafe Valley loaf cakes were created to fill a void in the market place that speaks to small batch, handcrafted bakery goods. Rick Wolff, VP of Culinary Innovation and research and development have devel- oped four flavor profiles with visual layering and movement. The challenge of delivering a rich, dense and moist loaf cake that embraces traditional pound cakes at a price point retailers can be successful with has been met by Cafe Valley by introducing these loaf cakes to the market. The selection of flavors reach vary- ing tastes. Chocolate Marble Loaf pres- ents varied imported chocolates, ranging from sweet to semi-sweet, espresso, real vanilla and streusel crunch that is layered and moving throughout the loaf. Cinnamon Streusel Loaf is layered with cinnamon smear, cinnamon chips and several different cinnamons – to con- trast the imported vanilla cake layers – which are all topped with a crunchy streusal and cinnamon chip finish. Lemon Iced Loaf is a rich, moist cake which delivers great taste, using real lemon juice to create a zest throughout the cake. The shimmered lemon zest is a Cafe Valley (Cont'd. from p. 1) great finish to this classic loaf cake. Orange Cranberry Loaf is loaded with sliced fresh cranberries and real orange zest. The top is finished with a cranberry streusel and Demerara sugar for a lightly sweet crunch and visual glimmer. Cafe Valley has been an innovative leader in developing quality bakery goods for nearly three decades. Its line- up of croissants, cream cakes, loaf cakes, gourmet muffins, mini muffins, turnovers and other products offer retailers a great opportunity to increase sales and profits. Fully finished thaw and sell products continue to become a larger part of the bakery category each year. Cafe Valley, based in Phoenix, Ariz., recently opened its second production facility located in Marion, Ind. Ron Ogan, CEO of Cafe Valley, said, "With the opening of the second 300,000 square foot production facility, we can more efficiently service our customers in the East and the West to better meet their needs." Cafe Valley has a strong presence in the in-store bakery segment, along with the substantial business in Food Service/QSR and Club nationally and internationally. For more information, visit booth #2809 or go online to www.cafevalley.com. natural seasonal butters like Parmesan Basil Garlic Butter, French Onion Asiago Cheese, Southwestern, Lemon Dill and Garlic Herb. Chef Shamy Gourmet Butters make gourmet cooking at home simple and easy. On the sweeter side, they offer three new premium honey butters: Cinnamon Brown Sugar Honey Butter, which is per- fect as an addition to morning coffee, oat- meal, pancakes, bagels and vegetable dishes;Vanilla Bean Honey Butter, deli- cious on French Toast, hot rolls and as a fun new twist on popcorn; and last, but Chef Shamy (Cont'd. from p. 1) not least, Passion Fruit (Lilikoi) Honey Butter, a great variation of a delicious new flavor. Coming this fall is a European style whipped butter with almost half the calo- ries per serving than regular butter with all the benefits of Chef Shamy flavored butters. Chef Shamy offers all of these great products in retail, foodservice, and club pack sizes with butters that are kosher, halal certified and carry the "REAL" but- ter seal. For more information, visit booth #4170 or go online to info@chefshamy.com. CHEESEMONGERS CELEBRATE SPRING FRESHNESS By Lorrie Baumann Kelsie Parsons, an American Cheese Society Official Cheesemonger from 2014 and a cheesemonger for Sobey's in Kitchener, Ontario, likes to make his cheese selections a celebration of spring. "This time of year, I usually like to offer fresh cheeses. It's a new season, it's like a rebirth. Salt Spring Island Cheese in British Columbia does some really nice fresh goat cheeses, and they do one that is topped off with some edi- ble pansies. It's just so nice to have some color on a cheese board in the springtime after a winter of gray skies and dreary weather. Those flower goat cheeses just put a smile on my face when I see them. Salt Spring Island does a bunch of fresh ones, some with flowers, some with basil leaves, some with rosemary and garlic," he said. But goat cheese isn't the only way to celebrate spring, he adds. "I am a big fan of sheep's milk cheeses, and this is the time of year when the sheep would have just given birth, so they're now lactating again. We're getting more young sheep's milk cheeses on the mar- ket, and one that I really like is called Madawaska, which is made by Back Forty Artisan Cheese in Lanark, Ontario. It's a raw sheep's milk bloomy rind cheese." The cheesemongers at Antonelli's Cheese Shop in Austin, Texas are excit- ed about the spring cheeses from the southern half of the United States. Cheesemonger Francis says, "I'm lov- ing Garrett's Ferry, a bloomy-rinded crottin made from the herd of sheep at Many Fold Farm in Georgia. It's creamy and rich with a milky tang. We just got our first batch of the season about a month ago – after a hiatus – and it's exciting to have it back in the shop. Both the cheesemongers and customers alike love it." Cheesemonger Hannah, also from Antonelli's, has a local choice. "Winter's tough when you love fresh goat's milk cheeses like I do. Fortunately, our spring comes earlier in Texas, so we get some of the first goat's milk cheeses of the season. You can't get much fresher than buying from a local producer. One of our favorites is Pure Luck Farm & Dairy out of Dripping Springs Texas, another farm- stead cheeesmaking operation. They make their cheeses with milk from their herd of Nubian and Alpine goats," she said. "While I love everything Amelia and her family makes, my favorite right now is their Anaheim Red Chili Chevre. It's always in my fridge. The grassy and citrus flavors of the goat's milk are complemented by the slight heat of the peppers, making for a refreshing bite." Ali Morgan, Cheesemonger from Rare Edibles, a specialty distributor based in Dallas, Texas, has a cheese program that's focused on Southern cheeses. "A lot of them are really hard to get, because there are not a lot of good distribution links here in the South." She notes that one reason for that is that the southern states' warmer climates pose a challenge for transport- ing specialty cheeses safely and in good condition from the farm to the retailer or restaurant. That means that Morgan is always on the lookout for cheeses that are really worth the trouble. One of her favorites comes from a dairy farm in Rougemont, North Carolina. "Prodigal Farm is a goat dairy, and they make wonderful little cheeses," she said. "Goats and sheep produce seasonally, and sometimes the first batches of the season get people really excited, but that milk comes in while the goats are still eating hay, so some- times I like to wait a little later in the season. Field of Creams is all goat's milk with a bloomy rind. The cool thing about what Kat (Prodigal Farm co-owner and cheesemaker Kathryn Spann] does with that cheese is that she packs a selection of herbs around it, attached on the really young wheel, so the bloom grows around those herbs, encasing the cheese. You get those herbs that are infused into the cheese, but not so they're overwhelm- ing. You can still taste the beautiful quality of the fresh goat's milk. She has a really delicate hand, and the herbs don't take away from the taste of that milk and the cheese." DM: Probably our favorite testimony to share was from a woman from the Bronx who told us that after 40 years of Friday night fresh-dough pizza making for her family, she decided to "cheat" and give our crusts a try. To her delight, her 86 year old mother told her, "It took her 40 years, but she finally got it right!" OCD: What makes your Pizza Crusts different from others sold in stores? DM: The bite. Our Traditional Crusts are formulated with specialty "00" pizza flour, which helps create a light and airy bite. We also ferment our doughs extensively, which adds distinc- tive flavor, aroma and texture. Plus the water, right? OCD: You also make some crusts with organic flours, don't you? DM: Yes, our Ancient Grains Pizza Crust is formulated with organic Khorasan, also known as Kamut, which was known in biblical times as the staff of life, so you don't get more ancient than that! Khorasan has a sweet, nutty flavor, much more aromatic than other ancient grains. All of our Pizza Crusts are formulated with nonGMO ingredients. OCD: Any new Brooklyn Bred ® breads coming to market? DM: We have just introduced our new Bistro Sticks- made with olive oil and sea salt- and our new pre-sliced Bistro Buns- formulated with potato flour. OCD: As delicious as your crusts? DM: We would not put our name on them if we did not think that they were. OCD: The Bistro Sticks are different and Damascus Bakeries (Cont'd. from p. 1) versatile. I imagine they have many applications for entertaining. DM: Absolutely. "Our BRED, Your Imagination!" Dip them, dunk them, top them. Toast them. Love them with warmed butter and cinnamon! OCD: And the Bistro Buns? DM: Definitely not your ordinary buns, either. They're naturally fermented and outspoken on the outside, soft and savory inside, just like a real Brooklynite. Each has just 100 delicious calories. A healthy bread and breakfast way to start your day. OCD: Would you mind re-telling us about that house that is depicted on your packaging? DM: That house, a Brooklyn brown- stone, had belonged to my grandfather, Hassan, who was our bakery's founding father. It is the house where my mother first enjoyed talking about bread with her father. The house where my mother grew from a wholesome, young girl into a lovely and beautiful woman. OCD: So, the house is kind of a tribute to your predecessors? DM: Yes. It's homage to the first and sec- ond generations. Perhaps it's even a mes- sage to the next, fourth, generation. OCD: What message is that? DM: That no matter what you do with your life, no matter where you may go in your life, there's no bread like home. For more information, visit booth #2942, go online to www.damascusbakery.com, call 718.855.1456 or contact David Mafoud at 917.709.3736 or dmafoud@damascusbakery.com.