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News & Notes BRIEFS GOURMET NEWS JANUARY 2017 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 A World of Creativity in Store at Las Vegas Market this Winter Dorothy Belshaw, President Gift+Home Décor, International Market Centers, has been working overtime since she joined the organization upon her departure from the company that produced the NY NOW trade show to improve the selection of gourmet housewares and giftware that's offered in the Las Vegas Market's showrooms. Over the last year or so, we've seen those efforts come to fruition with expansive displays in the temporary booths in the Pavilions, a collection of exhibit spaces across the courtyard from the three main buildings that house the Market's permanent show- rooms as well as Building C, the permanent home of many gourmet housewares, table- top and giftware collections. For this year's Winter Market, scheduled for January 22- 26, we can expect an early look at an im- pressive array of hot new products and the chance to see them in a city that offers warm winter weather as well as an enter- tainment bonanza and relatively affordable hotel rates. Frieling will be showing its new offerings in a showroom on the 11th floor of Build- ing C, where it will be launching the CASO German Design VC300 Vacuum Food Sealer, which the company is positioning as the premium quality choice for fresh food storage and sous vide cooking. The system provides an airtight seal every time, and a double sealing bar with electronic temper- ature control ensures the seal's durability. The vacuum pump offers both power and precision, and the unit offers a vacuum roll storage box that eliminates clutter and sim- plifies use, while a snap-out bag cutter makes it easy to customize bag size. The unit retails for $199.99. Frieling is also offering the CASO Air Fryer, a sleek countertop appliance that uses high volume hot air circulation tech- nology to fry food with little or no added oil. The Air Fryer features digital touch controls with six presets for popular fresh and frozen comfort foods and a large LED display. Temperature is adjustable from 140 to 400 degrees F, and there's a 60-minute timer with automatic shutoff. The remov- able parts are all dishwasher safe, and the stainless steel interior wipes clean. The unit retails for $199.95. Capresso is also in Building C, and for this Winter Market, the company is bring- ing its froth MAX Automatic Milk Frother, which offers patented frothing technology that delivers maximum milk froth at the touch of a button. There are three temper- ature settings and a large capacity – 8 ounces for frothing or 12 ounces for heat- ing without frothing. The machine comes with two frothing disks and one heating disk and retails for $59.99. The Capresso 8-Cup Perk features durable stainless steel construction with a glass view-through lid. It can brew four to eight cups of coffee in less than a minute per cup and has an automatic keep-warm function. The drip-free pouring spout and detachable power cord simplify serving, and it's countertop-friendly, with a heat-re- sistant base that's safe for any surface. It re- tails for $59.99. Kuhn Rikon will be showing some great gadgets on the 11th floor of Building C, in- cluding the Kuhn Rikon Easy Cut, which operates with a pull mechanism that rotates the blades in the four-cup container to slice and grate cabbage, potato, carrots or cheese. This energy-efficient design is safe and incredibly fast, and the high-quality stainless steel blades on the cutting discs stay super sharp. The Easy Cut retails for $80. The Kuhn Rikon Wine & Champagne Bottle Sealer is dependable enough to allow the wine bottle to be stored on its side. The sealer is made of stainless steel with an ex- pandable silicone gasket that keeps flavor in and air out. It's 1.5 inches in diameter and 3.25 inches high and retails for $10. Peugeot's Tahiti Duo Mills are now avail- able in a fresh new color palette inspired by the seasonal colors of na- ture. Each set features grace- fully curved 6- inch pepper and salt mills made from beech wood in France. Each set includes one mill with its mechanism optimized for pepper and one for salt. These mechanisms are highly efficient and fully adjustable, offering a consistent high-out- put grind. At $65 per set, they come in Spring (green and yellow), Summer (blue hues), Autumn (two shades of orange) and Winter (chestnut browns with red under- Price Tag for Turkey Day Dinner Takes a Dive The American Farm Bureau Federation's 31st annual informal price survey of classic items found at Thanksgiving Day dinner indicates the average cost of this year's feast for 10 is $49.87, a 24-cent decrease from last year's average of $50.11. The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – came in at a total of $22.74 this year. That's roughly $1.42 per pound, a decrease of 2 cents per pound, or a total of 30 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2015. The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10. Kroger Hired 4,000 Veterans and their Family Members at November Recruitment As a result of its one-day Honoring our Heroes hiring event held on November 9, The Kroger Company hired more than 4,000 military veterans and their family members. Kroger has hired more than 35,000 veterans since 2009 as part of its commitment to active duty troops and the nation's 23 million veterans. Grocery Market Sees First Line-Free Checkout Amazon isn't the only one betting that line- free checkout will be a key competitive edge. Walmart's Sam's Club Scan & Go rolled out this year to a great reception, with a similar rollout expected at Walmart proper next year. FutureProof Retail launched the first store in the U.S. to open with line free checkout in November, San Luis Obispo's California Fresh Market. FutureProof's whitelabel technology provides line-free checkout, and unlike Amazon's, it's available now and it's an easy upgrade for existing stores. Fiesta Mart Announces Acquisitions, Multiple Upcoming Grand Re-Openings Houston-based Fiesta Mart LLC held grand re- opening ceremonies at Houston's newly remodeled Main Street store and two former Minyard stores in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in December. The company also announced the recent acquisition of three grocery stores in the Houston area that will be transitioning to Fiesta and holding their own grand re-openings in the early months of 2017. The stores will be offering a wide variety of international and specialty foods. The Kroger Co. Reports Q-3 Earnings The Kroger Co. reported net earnings of $391 million and identical supermarket sales growth, without fuel, of 0.1 percent in the third quarter of 2016, which ended on November 5. Net earnings in the same period last year were $428 million. Continued on PAGE 8 CAPRESSO FROTHER KUHN RIKON EASY CUT PEUGEOT KUHN RIKON WINE & CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE SEALER CASO VACUUM FOOD SEALER CASO AIR FRYER CAPRESSO 8-CUP PERK

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