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General News GOURMET NEWS JULY 2015 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 6 BY LORRIE BAUMANN In 2012, Superstorm Sandy destroyed The Madelaine Chocolate Company's in- ventory and equipment. Although the storm put the company out of business for eight months, that time gave company CEO and President Jorge Farber and management time to reflect on the com- pany's focus during the rebuilding. Now, Madelaine is adding new products to the 67-year old company's traditional line of quality Swiss-formula chocolate made in New York and foiled in exquisite Italian foils. "We're going more towards giftables, which will be interesting for the fancy food trade. We're featuring our seasonal foiled chocolates and specialty gift packaging," Farber said. New for this year's Christmas holiday season, the company is introducing their Holiday Hunt which is an extension of its successful Chocolate Hunt™ game line. Many families make an annual tradition of a chocolate Advent calendar, but by De- cember 1, Advent calendars have all been purchased and retailers have an empty spot that the Chocolate Hunt™ is de- signed to fill. It's a game similar to an Ad- vent calendar, with doors or windows to open and reveal a chocolate and a clue about the location of the next piece of chocolate. Players follow from clue to clue until they find a chocolate Santa at the end. "You can buy one for each child. You can have it as a game for Christmas Day or during the holiday season. It's 16 pieces of chocolate, so you can go through the game fairly quickly, and everyone will have had multiple pieces of chocolate. It retails for $9.95," Farber said. Madelaine is also introducing a whole new line of seasonal four ounce chocolate gift bags for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. The gift bags are available in dark chocolate, milk chocolate or filled chocolates. "We also have some exciting Chocolate Parades for the holidays dis- playing our traditional foiled seasonal chocolates perfect as stocking stuffers," Farber added. One of Farber's other primary focuses has been maintaining affordable prices de- spite the volatile chocolate market. In fact, Farber proudly mentions that he has even lowered prices this year due to increased ef- ficiencies and improved equipment per- formance. Email service@madelainechocolate.com for more information. GN Madelaine Chocolate Company Back After Superstorm Sandy Destruction Mary H. Weiser has watched in terror as her child was gripped by a severe allergic reaction after she ingested a simple food that most of us eat on a daily basis. It's a moment that the Ann Arbor, Michi- gan, resident will never forget, and one she'd never wish on anyone. In the hope that families living with food allergy will have better treatment options, Mary Weiser has become a passionate, tireless advocate for a path toward cures and dedicated her- self to activism for the cause. "When she was just a year old, I fed my daughter a bite of egg and she immedi- ately slumped in her high chair and soon began vomiting. We found out she was al- lergic to multiple foods and since then have discovered additional food allergies after several terrifying, severe reactions that sent us to the emergency room," says Mary Weiser, who has served as chair of the U-M (University of Michigan) Food Allergy Center's advisory board. Weiser's son also has been diagnosed with multiple food allergies. "I want my kids to have the same oppor- tunities that everyone wants for their chil- dren, and I know that in some ways, their lives will always be different. As their par- ent, I am committed to helping make their lives better and as an advocate, I'm also committed to improving the lives of the 15 million Americans who suffer from food al- lergies." To honor Mary Weiser's advocacy, the U-M Food Allergy Center will now be named the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center, and the Weiser family is also making significant financial commit- ments to the U-M Food Allergy Center. Ambassador Ronald N. Weiser and Eileen L. Weiser are directing $9.5 mil- lion from their recently announced $50 million campaign contribution. In addi- tion, Mary and her husband Marc A. Weiser will provide $500,000, bringing the family's total gift to the Food Allergy Center to $10 million. Ambassador Weiser said: "We hope that this gift will have a positive impact on this epidemic of food allergies. We hope it also encourages others to support the university, as we have." "In every conceivable aspect, food al- lergy is on the rise," says James R. Baker Jr., M.D., Director of the Mary H. Weiser Food Allergy Center at the University of Michigan Health System. Today, nearly 8 percent of children in the U.S. – two kids in every kindergarten class – have a food allergy, nearly double the rate since 2007. The number of children with a life- threatening peanut allergy has tripled in less than a decade, and more children are suffering acute reactions to food at younger ages. Food allergies send 300,000 children to the emergency room every year. "This disease can affect anyone and re- cently we are seeing children develop food allergies even when they don't have a family history. Overall, 15 million peo- ple now struggle to manage this disease every day. This is, in many ways, an un- recognized epidemic and there's very lit- tle science on the foundations of this disease," Baker says. "That's why this generous financial sup- port from the Weisers and the tireless ad- vocacy of Mary Weiser is so important. It truly will help us improve the diagnosis and treatment of food allergy." The center plans to use this gift to per- form cutting-edge research into the pathogenesis and treatment and become a national center for information and public policy surrounding food allergy. A gift signing ceremony is scheduled for May 28. In December 2014, the university an- nounced a $50 million gift from Ron and Eileen Weiser to the university's Victors for Michigan campaign. The gift supported the Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; the School of Education; the Ath- letic Department; the U-M Health System; the University Musical Society; and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. A sub- stantial part of the gift was to be designated at a future time. This commitment now designates an additional impact area of that gift. "We are proud to support the University of Michigan's efforts to expand access for specialized care in food allergy, and to help create a national destination for patients with nowhere else to turn. Our own family knows the fear and challenges that go along with making sure a loved one with a food allergy stays safe," says Ron Weiser, who along with Eileen Weiser, are vice chairs of the Victors for Michigan Campaign Lead- ership Board. "This gift truly will make the difference in the lives of so many people around the world and is an illustration of how financial support for research can have a direct im- pact in improving human health," says Baker. GN Weiser Family Funds Food Allergy Center BRIEFS Borgnine's Coffee Soda In honor of her father, film legend Ernest Borgnine, Nancee Borgnine has launched her famous, award-winning coffee soda to share with new audiences. You no longer have to be in Hollywood to enjoy a refreshing break with Borgnine's Coffee Soda. It is now available, once again, worldwide. Nancee Borgnine will be touring some of the most popular food shows and conventions across America to share her coffee soda with the world. If you are attending a convention where Borgnine's Coffee Soda is featured, introduce yourself to the superstar of coffee sodas: Borgnine's! Volvic Natural Spring Water Unveils New Look For the last 50 years, Volvic has been recognized for its unique mineral profile. Today, the brand gives itself a new look. At the heart of the new look: the volcano – emblem of Volvic for five decades. The new identity embodies the authenticity and the natural mineral properties of this very engaged brand. One-hundred percent natural, Volvic Natural Spring Water draws its minerals and its unique taste from the 6,000 year-old volcanic rocks nested in one of the biggest and oldest preserved ecosystems in Europe. Volvic Natural Spring Water is available in different BPS-free bottle sizes: 500 milliliters, one liter and 1.5 liters. Spice Hunter Winter Sippers a Holiday Traditional The Spice Hunter offers two delicious holiday drink mixes, Hot Buttered Rum and Mulling Spices, for an easy way to make the season more festive. Hot Buttered Rum is a blend of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, cloves and lemon oil. The Mulling Spices blend contains cinnamon chips, orange rind, whole allspice, whole cloves, cinnamon oil and orange oil. As with all Spice hunter products, Winter Sippers contains the same high quality ingredients customers have come to expect. The line is all natural, certified kosher and gluten free. Both flavors can be purchased in either a 4-5 ounce tin or a 1.2-2.2 ounce packet. McCormick Promotes Two McCormick & Company, Incorporated has promoted Lisa Manzone to the role of Senior Vice President Human Relations and Brendan Foley to President North America effective June 1, 2015. In her new role as Sr. Vice President Human Relations, Manzone is responsible for benefits, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, organization development, succession planning, talent acquisition, safety, wellness and employee relations. In Foley's new role as President North America, he is responsible for the Consumer and Industrial Divisions for the U.S. and Canada, as well as the Human Relations, Quality, Supply Chain and Finance functions for North America. Foley continues to serve as a member of the Global Consumer Strategy Council.