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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JUNE 2016 n GOURMET NEWS 1 2 4 Making Cannoli an Everyday Snack Experience Golden Cannoli is a 40-year old second gener- ation family owned business and makers of pre- mium cannoli shells, chips and fillings. It is continuing to expand with great success in all trade channels with the production of 'The Original Cannoli Chip,' a crispy snack chip. The company plans to make cannoli "an everyday snack experience." Golden has found great success in the bakery department with cannoli chips and dip over last three years, with sales growing over 100 percent per year. This item has created more cannoli awareness and offered opportunities for contin- ued expansion into other market locations. With the launch of the cannoli chip, the entire cannoli category has improved across the country, with Golden leading the industry. The snack chip is sold in 5-ounce and 14- ounce bags, and the chips contain no artificial ingre- dients, no trans fats, no preserva- tives and are nut- free. The product will be sold as a retail snack in supermarkets, delis and in spe- cialty departments coast to coast. Golden Can- noli intends to launch "limited batch" flavors throughout the year and continue to innovate far beyond expectations. Besides its quality cannoli products and packaging, the company has been recognized for impeccable customer serv- ice, commitment to quality and on-time deliveries. Golden plans to launch these snack chips coast to coast in Q3 of 2016, and offers support in development, private label and creative solutions for point of sales. For more information, email Owner and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Valerie Bono at valerie@goldencannoli.com. Bellwether Farms Rings the Bell with Blackstone By Lorrie Baumann Bellwether Farms' Blackstone was released to the market in small quantities just this Jan- uary, and despite the very limited release it's had so far, the cheese already has a small but growing fan base. It's a mixed milk cheese that's made from two-thirds Jersey cow milk and one-third sheep milk, with black pepper- corns incorporated into the paste and a hand- rubbed black rind that combines rosemary and black pepper with vegetable ash. The three-pound wheel has the elegant eminence of Patrick Stewart declaiming Shakespeare. When it's cut, slices from the wedge have a thin black border that lends a satisfying weight to even the thinnest of slices and a color contrast that adds beauty to their arrangement on the cheese board. Blackstone's flavor is strongly influenced by the tang of the sheep milk – think Manchego – with extra zing and texture from the peppercorns along with caramel notes and a rich and satisfying mouthfeel that come from the Jersey milk. It pairs beauti- fully with a wide range of beers, and the pep- pery/herbal notes make a nice complement to a pinot noir or Syrah. The black rind was part of cheesemaker Liam Callahan's original inspiration for the cheese, he said. "There aren't that many aged cheeses that have a rind that actively con- tributes interesting flavor notes to it. It's more common for washed-rind cheeses, but with aged cheeses, it's just protecting it from the environment," he said. "For this cheese, the rind is more than something to nibble up to and throw away, more than a board-fla- vored musty component. The rosemary does- n't taste of rosemary, but it helps give a savory element to the rind. Plus, it looks cool. As soon as you put it out there, people say 'What's that?' They are drawn to the look of the cheese." The vegetable ash/rosemary/black pepper mix- ture is hand-rubbed onto the cheese in several stages as it ages over about 10 weeks. The ash helps control the acidity at the cheese's surface, but it also melds together the different particle sizes of the rosemary and black pepper, Callahan said. "The very powdery vegetable ash just helped to hold it all together." Blackstone starts its aging on wood shelves, and then it's moved to wire shelves and then back to the boards, with the transi- tions timed to respond to the moisture levels at the rind. "We're still playing with the tim- ing of those transitions to get the right mois- ture on that rind at the key moments when it needs it," Callahan said. Distribution for the cheese is still ramping up, and it's currently available almost exclu- sively in California, where it's selling readily for prices between $25 and $30 per pound. "It's a difficult cheese to make, and at retail, it's an expensive cheese that demands the right attention to it," he said. "But restaurants love to feature something that's so visual on the cheese board." "I never make more than about 120 wheels at a time. All of our vats are small, and it's hands-on," he added. "It's been figuring out how to ramp up production in a way that main- tains the quality and consistency. It's really been a fun cheese to work on." Callahan expects Blackstone to reach a wider audience once more people have had the opportunity to taste it and as his produc- tion increases. "We're ramping it up through the summer and expect to see it in wider dis- tribution by the end of the summer," he said. "We are actively talking about it now, and samples are getting out there, and people are hearing from folks – they're really liking it so much.... We really do expect this to be a major cheese for us. It's so good, and we like it so much, and it's unique in the market- place." A Greek Ambassador: Loumidis Foods Loumidis Foods is an importer of Greek prod- ucts, but in reality it is the ambassador of Greece's leading brands. It brings Olympus Greek cheeses, Ready meals from Palirria, Sparta EVOO, Filosophy frozen pies, Pa- padopoulos cookies and wafers and even Saf- fron and LOUX Juices, amongst others, from Greece. The highest level of certification and nu- merous awards are what describe and charac- terize the products it brings and represents. Loumidis Foods has unique partnerships in the U.S. market with leading distributors and also with major supermarkets. Its service and professionalism is what it goes by every day, taking away the issues of logistics, language and distance when dealing with European producers. Loumidis Foods products are strictly all natural, non-GMO with an emphasis on healthy and unique attributes that the modern consumer seeks to find in products. Its inten- tion is to have quality products, and "it all starts from the raw materials." Innovation in packaging is a significant aspect of working with a brand to bring to the U.S. As a brand ambassador, Loumidis Foods creates tailor made programs with price struc- tures that allow products to compete, and has a strong demo/sampling strategy so con- sumers get to know its products. Mediterranean diet is the way to go, and Americans are looking for foods that fit in the category. From Greek yogurt, to cheeses, to extra virgin olive oil and jams, from pies to olives and Greek Ready meals – a plethora of items. Greek origin and Greek products are a significant reason for the Mediterranean diet, and Loumidis Foods embraces this every day. The company seeks to find partners to have in specific states and regions so it can work together to achieve growth and long-term ben- efits for all, thus working for the U.S. con- sumer every day. With passion for food, with ethos and will to bring the best possible products, it can make one promise – it will work every day to lay the foundations so the brands it represents have a long and successful presence in the market. Dietz & Watson Announces Originals Recognizing the increased consumer de- mand for choice, Dietz & Watson launches Originals, a new line of No Antibiotics Ever deli meats, organic deli meats, franks and sausages, Italian specialty items and artisan cheeses free from rBGH, a bovine growth hormone. "One of the main reasons for our suc- cess over the past 75 years has been our ability to not only react to consumer de- mands, but to anticipate them. We have been working hard on perfecting the Orig- inals product line for years," said Lauren Eni, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Dietz & Watson and great-granddaughter of company Founder Gottlieb Dietz. "There is no question that consumers are interested in ABF and organic products, which is why we want to continue expand- ing the Dietz & Watson Originals line to include even more No Antibiotics Ever premium meats and rBGH free artisan cheeses." Dietz & Watson has a history of work- ing with responsible supply partners for all of its raw material. The supply is hu- manely raised on farms without the use of hormones and from partners who limit their use of antibiotics. The new Originals line is unique from Dietz & Watson legacy products in that they have partnered with farms that provide raw material that never receive antibiotics. Eni states, "We want everyone to know that that these products have the same great taste and quality as every product in the Dietz & Watson line and that the only difference is in the raw material." About Dietz & Watson Founded in 1939 by Got- tlieb Dietz, Dietz & Watson remains true to the original old-world recipes and Gottlieb's commit- ment to "Quality Above All Else." Creat- ing the freshest and leanest beef, ham, pork, turkey breast and chicken breast, Dietz and Watson's products are enhanced with all-natural spices and seasonings for increased flavor. All of its products are free of artificial flavors, colors, fillers, ex- tenders and MSG. Currently headquartered in Philadel- phia, Pennsylvania, Dietz & Watson con- tinues the tradition of family and commitment to expecting the best. Under the lead of Gottlieb Dietz's daughter, Ruth Dietz Eni (Chairman), Dietz and Watson con- tinues to lead the indus- try in Premium Deli Meats and Artisan Cheeses. In addition to the guidance from Ruth Dietz Eni, the company is led by Founder Gottlieb Dietz's grandchildren, Louis Eni (President and Chief Executive Officer), Chris Eni (Chief Operating Officer), Cindy Eni Yingling (Chief Financial Offi- cer) and now the fourth generation, Lau- ren Eni and Christopher Yingling have joined to company to carry the tradition further. For more information, go to www .dietzandwatson.com.