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GOURMET NEWS AUGUST 2016 www.gourmetnews.com SFF WRAP-UP 2 4 Virginia Diner Renews Norman Rockwell Licensing Agreement Virginia Diner has renewed its licensing agreement with the Norman Rockwell Family Agency. The first year of the Nor- man Rockwell agreement was an over- whelming success, said Scott Stephens, Director of Sales and Marketing with Vir- ginia Diner. "Our initial Norman Rockwell launch has been well received by retailers who realizing record sales for this cate- gory. The complete 2016 collection de- buted at the Summer Fancy Food show in New York, June 26-28." Virginia Diner has incorporated a number of original Norman Rockwell images into its Merry Christmas labels and used various designs to invoke the nostalgia and history of the Diner, which was established as a roadside diner in 1929 and today is the oldest continually operated roadside diner in the state of Vir- ginia. "There isn't a more iconic illus- tration of the holi- days than the Norman Rockwell collection.... We are very excited to be associated with the Norman Rock- well family," said Stephens. The full product offering will be released this fall, but can be previewed by contact- ing the Virginia Diner at 888.482.6887. The Virginia Diner 888.823.4637 www.vadiner.com Passage Foods Thailand Range of Simmer Sauces Passage to Thailand™ sauces are a part of a simple three-step meal solution that sat- isfies the needs of the time-starved con- sumer. Add the sauce to meat, seafood or vegetables, simmer and serve over rice for a gourmet meal in less than 20 minutes. Passage to Thailand Simmer Sauces have been available in the U.S. since 2010. Consisting of three different all-natural sauces, each is a recipe of traditional eth- nic cuisine created to deliver authentic restaurant quality flavor and made only from fresh, natural ingredients. The range consists of Pad Thai, Thai Basil and Sweet Chili and Red Thai Curry sauces. With spices sourced directly from various re- gions of Thailand and Southeast Asia, each product is free of gluten, MSG, preservatives and is non-GMO. "The growing ethnic diversity in our U.S. population and a resurgence in cooking driven by chef-hosted programs has grown the mar- ket for ethnic foods to a record high," noted Passage Foods' Mark MacKenzie. "The ethnic Asian food market is a $2.2 billion retail industry in the U.S. and is expected to expand an additional 20 percent over the next four years, with Indian and Thai foods showing the largest increase in consumer demand." Passage Foods 800.860.1045, ext. 204 www.passagefoods.com Croccantini Bites from La Panzanella La Panzanella ® Artisanal Foods Co.has just introduced Croccantini ® Bites. These new bite-size crackers are loaded with flavor and excellent for snacking. They come in three bold flavors: Italian Herb, Sundried Tomato Basil and Spicy Olive. They are great on their own or with a favorite dip, spread or hummus. They are available in convenient, 4.75- ounce re-sealable pouches. La Panzanella Artisanal Foods Co. 206.903.0500 www.lapanzanella.com ecoLife Staying True to Organic Founded nearly 20 years ago, ecoLife ® was established by passion to offer sus- tainable organic food while empowering and improving the daily lives of farming fami- lies. ecoLife provides farming communities with assistance and free education in current social, economic and environ- mental best practices. ecoLife offers over 20 items across four food categories, including aromatic basmati rice, high-pro- tein quinoa, freekeh, chickpeas and many other nutrient-rich items. An exceptional item in the line is the Quick Cook Brown Basmati Rice. What differentiates this or- ganic brown rice is its reduced cooking time of just 12 minutes, a con- venient alternative to the 40 minutes normally required to prepare brown rice. The full range of authentic rice, ancient grains, pulses, and beans are all USDA Or- ganic and Non-GMO Project Verified products. Good for people. Good for the planet. Live the ecoLife™. ecoLife www.liveecolife.com Island Treasures Gourmet Rum Cakes from Cassandra's Gourmet Classics Entrepreneurial spirit and an island vaca- tion inspired the start of Cas- sandra's Gourmet Classics in Ken and Cassandra Craig's kitchen. In 2006, Cassandra started baking rum cakes to for- mulate just the right recipe for a smooth, moist cake with flavors that were enhanced by the rum, rather than overpowered by it. She found rum made from a leg- endary Hawaiian recipe that was the per- fect balance to create her exquisite Made in America rum cakes. They named their rum cake brand Island Treasures Gourmet™ and designed the packaging to evoke the deep vibrant colors of a tropical sunset. Island Treasures Gour- met Rum Cakes capture the sweet taste of a tropical getaway. These smooth, moist cakes are baked in Manassas, Virginia and are hand glazed with rum. They started selling 32- ounce Vanilla Rum Cakes in 2007 and additional flavors followed. Today, the selection includes seven flavors in both 32-ounce and 4-ounce sizes and a Sampler Pack of four 4-ounce cakes (Vanilla, Coconut, Chocolate Chip and Cinnamon Pecan Streusel). Cassandra's Gourmet Classics 703.590.7900 www.islandtreasuresgourmet.com Holiday Hammond's Style New this year Hammond's Candies is of- fering Egg Nog and Milk & Cookies, which has a cookie cream filling. Also brand new from Hammond's this year, Dunking Spoons! These delicious, hand poured chocolate spoons come in a va- riety of flavors and are the perfect treat to spice up your warm milk or coffee. In its bestselling line of caramels and marshmallows, Hammond's now has Peppermint Mitchell Sweets and Pepper- mint chocolate caramels to sweeten up the holiday season. Lastly, Hammond's now has a line of Fudge cups, per- fect for hosting gifts and stocking stuffers. Ham- mond's gift to you this season are all these great new products and fla- vors, and traditional Hammond's quality! Hammond's Candies www.hammondscandies.com Pearls of Flavor Give You More Taste, Less Sugar CocoaPlanet distributes drops or "pearls" of flavored fill- ings throughout pre- mium dark chocolate (64 percent cacao), giv- ing More Taste, Less Sugar™ than traditional filled chocolates. The chocolate's structure is designed to readily de- liver flavor throughout your palate using much less filling. The result is that each single serving of chocolate has less than 100 calories, 8 grams of sugar or less, and net carbs of 9 grams or less. Flavors include Salted Caramel, Deep Dark Truffle, Vanilla Espresso, Mandarin Orange and CocoaMint™. CocoaPlanet chocolates are made with all-natural and mostly organic ingredi- ents, including Fair Trade Cocoa certified by Fair Trade USA. They are Non- GMO Project Verified and Gluten-Free Tested. Three of the flavors (Vanilla Espresso, Mandarin Orange and CocoaMint) are vegan. Cocoa Planet 707.721.1275 www.cocoaplanet.com Mouthwatering New Line from Emmi Roth The new Kindred Creamery cheeses from Emmi Roth are made by a creamery that's espousing a new Cows First™ animal wel- fare program. Flavors include Forage Mushroom & Spring Onion Jack Round, Spicy Sriracha Jack Round, Ghost Pepper Colby Jack, Wild Ginseng & Garlic Jack Round, Sweet Fire Mango Jack Round. Mmm, fondue anyone? Those are in addi- tion to the classics that Americans already love: the cheddars in mild, medium and sharp, Pepper Jack and Monterey Jack, a Hickory Smoked Cheddar Chunk and a Natural Smoked Gouda Round. These cheeses are being sold under the Kindred Creamery brand from Emmi Roth USA. The milk comes from cows that are provided free access to pasture and fresh water, enough space in their barn so the cows can all lie down at once and a diet that doesn't include animal by- products. The cows aren't dosed with growth hormones or subther- apeutic antibiotics, and their tails aren't docked. Participating dairy farmers are regularly audited to ensure that they're complying with the agreement they sign when they join the program. Emmi Roth USA www.emmiusa.com

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