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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JUNE 2016 n GOURMET NEWS 2 0 New Products, New Recipes from J&M Foods J&M Foods, maker of award-winning cheese straws and cookies, is back at the Summer Fancy Food Show this year with a host of new products with on-trend new flavors and traditional favorites updated with new recipes. The company has brought back the butter! "Our products use only the finest ingre- dients – we've got the cleanest ingredients label in our space. Three of the new prod- ucts are organic," says J&M's Director of Sales and Marketing Greg Parham. "But- ter's back, and we have followed what the market is dictating." Parham is a son of the company's Founder Jamie Parham, who started J&M foods more than 20 years ago with the help of her daughters Janis and Melanie, and no, it's not a coincidence that their given names begin with J and M. The company's Original Cheese Straws were developed from a 100-year-old family recipe, and the company still provides its customers with the best-tasting cheese straws and cookies in the market – all made with the same care that's a part of the Parhams' family tradition. "Our products stand out from others be- cause of the ingredients, the packaging and the recipes," says Greg Parham. "All of our products are trans fat-free, made from the finest natural ingredients and are baked with care." The new products making their debut at the Summer Fancy Food Show include Cheddar Pecan Cheese Biscuits, perfect for snacking or at either the beginning or the end of the evening meal and Gouda Cheese Straws, another per- fect choice for holiday enter- taining. On the sweet side are Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies and Pumpkin Tea Cookies, as well as Vanilla Wafers, Choco- late Wafers and Meyer Lemon Wafers. J&M is also offering a variety of its flavors packed in a new holiday gift tin with an el- egant snowflake design on a matte silver background. A removable translucent band showcases the product inside. J&M contin- ues to offer other 10-ounce and 16-ounce gift tins of cookies and cheese straws in both everyday and seasonal designs. The new products join an extensive range of cookies that have been reformu- lated with 100 percent butter. These in- clude perennial favorites like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies, Triple Choco- late Cookies and White Chocolate Key Lime Cookies. These four va- rieties are offered in 2.5- and 3-ounce cartons as well as 6-ounce cartons. The Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies and White Chocolate Key Lime Cookies are also offered in 10- ounce gift tins. In addition, J&M Foods does a lively business in private labeling its cookies for other vendors, including some very large retail grocery chains, so you may have tasted the cookies before even if the J&M name isn't familiar. "We do a lot of our products for other people in their boxes," says Greg Parham. For more information, stop by booth #4120. After the show, call 501.663.1991 or visit www.jm-foods.com. Couturier Focused on Quality, Innovation An interview with Pierre Guerin, President, Couturier. GN: What has happened at Couturier NA since the last Summer Fancy Food Show? PG: It has been a very eventful and produc- tive year for Couturier! Thanks to great work from the team in our Hudson Valley production site, we were certified SQF Level 2 in July last year. We are very proud of this accomplishment. It opened a lot of doors for us and confirms our commitment of quality to our cus- tomers. We are also focused on sales and innova- tions. In the fall, we entered, with Norse- land, a strategic alliance for the sales, marketing and distribution of all of our brands and especially our flagship retail brand: Couturier. Norseland is the most qualified company when it comes to spe- cialty cheeses. Norseland has a very strong knowledge and mastery of all aspects from marketing to logistics. We are very excited with this new challenge and we are starting to see a lot from this alliance. Regarding our product offer, we introduced new flavors during the holiday season last year. The Couturier Onion & Chives is delicious and can be found in more and more stores. In addition, we introduced a new Chipotle Goat Cheese. It is a nice balance between the kick of the spices and the freshness of the cheese. New flavors are always exciting in goat cheese, as so many pairing of ingre- dients are possible and surprisingly good! GN: What is coming after such a busy year? PG: Quality remains a main focus of course. We want to sup- ply the best possible products to all of our current customers and all the new ones coming on board with us in 2016. We are also working hard on new prod- ucts. Innovations are very important and consumers are always looking for them. We are preparing a few larger projects for 2017 but I cannot say more for now! Visit Couturier North America at booth #475 to learn more. Wind & Willow Celebrates 25 Years with Original Bread Mixes Wind & Willow, Inc has been a leader in the specialty food industry for years and this year it celebrates its 25th. The company's first products introduced in 1991 were Beer Bread Mixes. The Bread Mixes were retired several years ago as other lines such as Cheeseball Mixes and Dip Mixes exploded in sales. Since that time, impassioned cus- tomer requests to bring the breads back have continued and even increased over the last couple of years. The company felt it would be the perfect time to re-introduce this orig- inal customer favorite line as it celebrates its 25th year. The Bread Mixes currently being pro- duced use the same recipe used 25 years ago. All-natural ingredients such as flour, cane sugar, cinnamon, dehydrated peppers and vegetable pieces and no artificial colors, fla- vors or preservatives. Simple whole ingredi- ents, ease of preparation and outstanding taste and aroma are some of the attributes that consumers love. Just add a can of beer and bake! Five minutes prep and 40 minutes to bake. The easiest way to fill your home with the aroma of bread baking in the oven and to experience the full rich taste of fresh baked bread. There are currently three Bread Mix fla- vors available: Original, Cinnamon and Southern Corn. Directions for each flavor are the same. Mix with a 12-ounce can of beer and bake. As an alternative the consumer may use non-alco- holic beer or other carbonated beverage. There are also simple alternate recipes for each mix as well. Consumers love the easy Corn Fritters, Cinnamon Apple Muffins and Cheesy Garlic Bread recipes. Over the years, one of the categories that has seen exponential growth for Wind & Willow is Soup Mixes. The prepared soups are so rich and creamy, it's hard to believe you just add water and simmer for 10 min- utes. Sales of the Bread Mixes are expected to rise during what the company refers to as "soup season" from the end of third quarter through fourth quarter. There are 10 different flavors of 6-cup Soup Mixes available, as well as four 1-cup mixes. And what goes better with soup than hot homemade bread right out of the oven? Soup and hot bread out of the oven are perfect after a long day at work or any time you are longing for the ultimate in com- fort food. The combo of Soup and Bread Mixes makes a perfect gift choice for anyone on your list who doesn't normally cook. As long as they have water and a can of beer, they can prepare a great meal like a pro! For more information, visit Wind & Willow, Inc at www.windandwillow.com or call 888.427.3235. You can also check out the company on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Natural and Innovative are Revolutionizing the Food Industry Consumers are becoming more aware of what goes into their food. They are looking for products that not only fit into their lifestyles but also tell a story. It is as essential to them as transparency and the list of ingre- dients. They are in line with a changing food system that looks at food as a whole, from the ingredients to the people producing them, and the impact our food choices have to the environment and ourselves. But they are not alone. Smaller food brands have emerged to meet this demand for better food choices and together are shap- ing the food industry. These brands are stay- ing ahead of the curve with product innovation at its core. When it comes to food, smaller brands are more trusting and relatable to this new generation of con- sumers. Element is ahead of the game with a rein- vented snack – a rice or corn cake coated in different fla- vors. It sources high quality ingre- dients from small local farms in Italy and uses tradi- tional recipes to create a natural and flavorful snack. The different flavors fit different taste pro- files, from Dark Chocolate to Sweet Vanilla Orange, there is something for everyone, and the most recent flavor is a fresh and unique addition to the family. Sweet Mint is a corn cake made with non- GMO, organic Italian corn and a rich coating of fresh mint. What makes it so special is the addition of chia seeds to the corn cake and a one of a kind mint flavor. It's the first of its kind in the rice cake category and not to be missed at the Summer Fancy Food show. Stop by booth #4322 to have a taste of Sweet Mint or any of the other flavors. For more information visit www.elementsnacks. com or email info@elementsnacks.com.