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GOURMET NEWS OCTOBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com BUYERS GUIDE BUYERS GUIDE 3 0 S W E E T S Chocolate Lovers Choosing Savory Flavors The salted caramel and chile infusions that ignited the popularity of flavored chocolates has inspired customers to looks for more unique specialty blends such as the Chocolate Covered Company's Gour- met Chocolate Covered Jalapenos. This gourmet combination comes in sweet pep- pers or spicy jalapenos and offers a fiery fla- vor of sweet and spicy. The Mo's Bacon Bar from Vosges Haut Chocolat is infused with applewood- smoked bacon, alderwood-smoked salt and rich milk chocolate, for a campfire aroma that offsets the sweetness of the chocolate. The Super Dark Parmesan-Peppercorn Bar is part of the company's super dark line, containing 72 percent dark chocolate, yet still maintaining a gooey texture. "You know, a lot of surprising things can taste great in chocolate. With savory flavors, you can go as far as you'd like, even includ- ing umami," says Brad Kintzer, Chief Choco- late Maker at TCHO. Known as the fifth flavor, umami is finding home in chocolate as a savory inclusion, offering a new choco- late-eating experience, says Kintzer. Traditional pairings with chocolate are making a comeback too, according to Kintzer."Maple is a beautiful partner," he says. In addition to maple flavored choco- lates, Kintzer has seen bourbon-infused nips come back into favor, this time with less sugar and fewer preservatives."It's chocolate re-calibrated for grown-up tastes," he says. Jacky Recchiuti, Creative Director and Owner of Recchiuti Confections, along with her husband Michael Recchiuti, has brought out a new Shiitake Mushroom Truffle, which has an earthy, sweet flavor. "We want to maintain our relationship with Far West Funghi, our neighbor in the Ferry Building, and their shiitake mushroom. It's not about shock value with these infusions; it's about pairing [the mushroom] with chocolate and finding a nice balance of fla- vors," says Jacky Recchiuti. Currently, Recchiuti Confections contin- ues to refine its flavor combinations with earthy, smoky hints in its chocolate. The next few months will see the introduction of the company's new line of nougat can- dies that will be infused with Chinese Five- spice powder, nullifying the traditionally honey notes with a more earthy punch. This line is expected to be launched by the holiday season. GN BY RICHARD THOMPSON The holidays are quickly approaching, and specialty confectioners are looking beyond fruit infusions to cater to more exotic tastes in their chocolate lines. According to the National Confectioners Association, while shoppers are drawn to traditional favorites, they continue to look for new and different items. Confectioners haven't been shy to em- brace this taste shift and the $79 million dollar market share it represents."You have got to get exotic now," says Jack Epstein, Owner of Chocolate Covered Sweets and Gifts. "This is a global craft chocolate thing now.... Some of the more exotic inclusions that I've sold have been the bacon bar, Parmesan bar, blue cheese, porcini mush- room bar and paprika bars." Fruit Bliss' Deliciously Juicy Secret Revealed Fruit Bliss ® ' naturally sun-sweetened USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO veri- fied apricots, plums, dates and figs are in- fused with water to deliver a deliciously juicy fruit every time. Made using high- quality whole fruit sourced from Turkey, France and Tunisia, these fruits are unlike any dried fruits on the market. They are uniquely moist and are a convenient, per- fect snack. The big, but simple, secret of the deli- cious juiciness of Fruit Bliss is simply water. The process is simple. First, the fruit is picked at its peak ripeness and then sun- dried for optimal sweetness. Next the fruit gets a gentle steam bath to infuse some water. Finally, it is packed for on-the-go convenience. Fruit Bliss was founded in 2011 by Susan Leone, a mother on a mission to create a healthy and handy treat for the whole family. As a health-conscious mom, Susan is dedicated to creating a wholesome snack with no additional preservatives or sugars that the whole family can enjoy. Yes, even those pickiest of eaters will enjoy these delicious fruits! "When looking for snacks for my fam- ily that were both nutritious and conven- ient, the grocery store aisles were turning up short. That is when I knew I had the opportunity to offer up something new to other active people like myself – whether looking for some- thing new and healthy to feed the kids, or just a treat for yourself between work and yoga," Leone said. For those living a busy, ac- tive lifestyle or those who find the healthy-snack aisle limiting, Fruit Bliss is a welcome find. Packed with fiber and essential vitamins, USDA Certified Organic, non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, vegan and OU kosher certified, Fruit Bliss snacks are available in both re- sealable 5-ounce pouches and 1.76-ounce individual sized pouches. Fruit Bliss offers Turkish Apri- cots, Turkish Figs, French Agen Plums and Deglet Nour Dates and can be purchased online or in spe- cialty food stores and supermar- kets nationwide. For more information, go online to www.fruitbliss.com. GN Chewing Gum with a Mission Proschan was shocked to find out what was hiding behind the ingredient listed as "gum base" on her chewing gum's label, ac- cording to Cohen. "Gum base is a Food and Drug Administration-approved term that can include up to 80 other ingredients, in- cluding plastics and BHT, which is used to make tires and glue," she said. "'Gum base' sounds like a pretty harmless term, but it can include these unappealing ingredi- ents." After she'd found out what was in the gum she'd been chewing, Proschan began looking around at the market to see if she could find an alternative that would be a better match for the lifestyle she'd adopted. "There wasn't anything offering an all-nat- ural alternative, and she decided there was an opportunity there," Cohen said. Proschan's entrepreneurial instincts had been aroused. "She has a lot of resilience, and she became very passionate about making a better chew," Cohen said. After some research to find the right recipe, Simply Gum was devel- oped, with chicle, which comes from a natural tree sap, instead of "gum base." Handcrafted in New York, it now comes in six flavors: mint, cin- namon, fennel licorice, maple, ginger and coffee. "Our flavors are more subtly sweet than in conventional gums because it's all natural, and we prefer that approach," Cohen said. "It's more sophisticated flavor profile, but once you try this gum, regular gum seems more overpowering and chemical tasting, people tell us." "Another thing that makes our product unique is that because there's no plastic in our gum, it's biodegradable, and our pack- aging is paper too, so overall, it's better for the environment," she continued. "We don't recommend swallowing it, but it is less harmful for you than conventional gum because it doesn't include the plastics. We still don't recommend it, but it's not as detrimental." A 15-piece pack of Simply Gum, which is available in Whole Foods as well as at in- dependent retailers, has a suggested retail price of $2.99. For more information, visit www .simplygum.com. GN BY LORRIE BAUMANN Simply Gum is snack with a mission. "Our goal is really to inspire people to live sim- ply. Because the product uses all natural in- gredients, packaging is very minimalist. It's our overall approach that simplicity is bet- ter than complexity," said Adeena Cohen, Senior Marketing Manager for Simply Gum. Simply Gum is an all-natural chewing gum that comes in six flavors and is made with just six all-natural and transparent in- gredients. "Conventional gum is made with plastic and rubber and aspartame, along with other ingredients," Cohen said. The product was invented by Caron Proschan, an entrepreneur who'd been eating a healthy lunch and then reached for a stick of chewing gum in a neon-blue wrapper. "It seemed so discordant with the other healthy choices she'd been mak- ing that she decided to look into what was in it," Cohen said.

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