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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JANUARY 2017 n GOURMET NEWS 4 6 Release of Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil Expected in Spring The B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company was founded in 1990 with the first bottling of its Olive Hill Estate Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil. One of the first estate olive oils produced in Northern California in more than a century, B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Com- pany helped launch the California olive oil renaissance. The historic estate Picholine olive grove, of more than 450 trees, sur- rounds the B.R. Cohn Winery grounds and date back to the mid-1800s. In tandem with a fruitful harvest of its her- itage olive trees, B.R. Cohn relaunched the annual Sonoma Extra Virgin Festival in No- vember. Hundreds came out to discover and celebrate this ancient fruit along with 15 dif- ferent local olive oil producers, cooking demonstrations, food, delicious B.R. Cohn wine and live music. Join B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company in Sonoma and visit its website for updates to next year's festival: www.sonomaextravirginfestival.com. The 2016 Picholine harvest went smoothly, and its team hand harvested just prior to the rain sea- son starting. The olives were pressed within hours of harvest, and now will be allowed to settle prior to racking to ensure the high- est quality oil. The company antic- ipates a release of the Picholine Extra Virgin Olive Oil in spring. It is known for its distinctive fresh, full olive flavor, hints of citrus and pleasing pepper finish. In the style of a French olive oil, it is more subtle than Italian oils and exceptionally clean and light on the palate. This exquisite oil can be served straight from the bottle as a finishing oil, bread dipper or combined with a B.R. Cohn vinegar to create an out- standing dipping oil or vinai- grette. Sprinkle on soups, stews, salads and pasta dishes for added flavor. The Picholine olive oil is part of B.R. Cohn's full lineup of extra virgin olive oils and hand-crafted wine and balsamic vinegars. Visit B.R. Cohn Olive Oil Company at booth #500. Gruyère AOP Announces Winners of 2016 Scholarship Contest, Trip to Switzerland The Interprofession du Gruyère has an- nounced the winner of its 2016 'Scholarship' Contest, launched at the American Cheese Society 2016 Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. Part of the news is that there is not a single winner, but three! The judges felt that the quality of the competition, held among Certified Cheese Professionals ® , was so ex- traordinary that choosing multiple victors was the only way to properly honor the en- deavor. The winners will receive a trip to the Gruyères Region of Switzerland in the Spring of 2017, where they will travel to sev- eral areas within the PDO (Protected Desig- nation of Origin, or AOP in French), and discover the special properties of the people and the region that create Gruyère AOP. In order to earn their prize, the competitors had to answer a series of questions regarding Gruyère AOP, and were then asked to high- light an aspect of Gruyère AOP and present it – in a recipe, a showcase, etc. The esteemed panel of judges consisted of Peggy Smith (President of the American Cheese Society), Lassa Skinner (journalist and owner of Culture - The Word on Cheese magazine) and Alexandre Herrmann (Direc- tor of Swiss Tourism Americas). After much thoughtful consideration, they agreed to honor the following three contest winners (listed alphabetically by last name): Ann Campbell, Di Bruno Bros - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Izzy Creveling, Pastoral Cheese Company - Auburn, Washington, USA; and Wendy John- son, Whole Foods Market – West Des Moines, Iowa, USA. As the winners visit with milk producers, cheese makers and refin- ers from various areas within the region, they will learn, but will also teach – they will be asked to discuss their work, so that Gruyère AOP can better serve their needs in the U.S. going forward. Gruyère AOP has stated that it is proud to have the opportunity to present its process to these important members of the U.S. cheese market, and to introduce representatives of its partners in production, without whom its outstanding product would not be possible. As the company says, "Without excellent milk, a cheese maker with enduring skill and longstanding know-how, and a refiner that takes proper and round-the- clock care of the cheeses, Gruyère AOP is not possible. The respect for the heritage of Le Gruyère AOP is indeed the reason for all of its suc- cess." The Interprofession du Gruyère represents the milk producers (2200), cheese- makers (165 village cheese makers, and 53 alpine cheese makers) and refiners (9) of Gruyère AOP Switzerland. Responsibilities of the Interpro- fession include overseeing, controlling the quality, the quantities and the marketing of Gruyère AOP Switzerland, as well as the de- fense of the trademark and PDO in the U.S. and worldwide. More information on Gruyère AOP Switzer- land can be found at www.gruyere.com. The Interprofession du Gruyère will be present at booth #4651. Passage Foods Thailand Range Available in More Countries than Any Other Thai Range Passage to Thailand™ Simmer Sauces, Australia's No. 2 Thai cooking sauce, has been available in the U.S. since 2010. Con- sisting of three different all-natural sauces, each is a recipe of traditional ethnic cuisine created to deliver authentic restaurant qual- ity 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 regions 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 market for ethnic foods to a record high," noted Passage Foods' Mark MacKenzie. "The ethnic Asian food market is a $2.2 bil- lion retail industry in the U.S. and is ex- pected to expand an additional 20 percent over the next four years, with Indian and Thai foods showing the largest increase in consumer demand." In addition, the Asian/Indian restaurant segment has seen double-digit growth for the last four years, and although retreating some recently, the number of ethnic grocery offerings expanded as more people try cooking Thai, Indian and other ethnic foods at home. As more consumers identify themselves as 'cooking enthusi- asts' and look to experiment with new flavors, they are fueling the demand for what were once ex- otic foods. Today's ethnic con- sumer is more mainstream, more affluent and younger according to Mintel In- ternational. While young adults are the most adventurous in trying global cuisines, they are also very demanding of products that offer all-natural and healthy ingredients – a cornerstone of the entire Passage Foods product line. Passage to Thailand sauces are a part of a simple three-step meal solution that satisfies 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. About Passage Foods Passage Foods is an affiliate of Flavour Makers Pty. Ltd., the sec- ond largest seasoning manufac- turer in Australia. All Passage Foods Simmer Sauces are manu- factured in the company's ISO certified fa- cilities and conform to some of the most stringent and clean product manufacturing requirements in the world. For additional product and consumer market information, call 800.860.1045, ext. 204 or visit Passage Foods online at www.passagefoods.com. Making Sauces the Gourmet Way The inspiration for Corine's Cuisine came from the traditions of a family that loves to cook together and loves to share meals together. While living on the Caribbean is- land of St. Barth, Corine and her husband hosted dinners for a steady stream of friends and family visiting from up north, serving variations on traditional favorites that suit the climate: grilled mahi-mahi, poulet colombo and barbecued marinated pork. Corine developed a small set of home- made sauces that suited these dishes well, both to use in cooking and to serve at the table. The common-sense key to great condi- ments and cooking sauces, Corine discov- ered, is utilizing only the highest quality peppers, vinegars, oils and herbs, as well as matching contrasting ingredients to strike ex- actly the right flavor profile. Soon Corine's secret recipes had a big enough following that every trip up to New York meant filling a suitcase or two with bubble-wrapped jars and bottles of home- made products. Confident that she could scale her recipes up while preserving the original taste, texture and color, Corine teamed up with a test kitchen and manufacturer in Florida for nearly one year of exacting R&D to perfect the products and make them shelf-stable. Determination paid off in the form of the Corine's Cuisine flagship line of five sauces, which the company brought to shelves in New York City and Baltimore in 2016. Each of the five unique sauces has its own fans, and Corine's Cuisine has at- tracted thousands of follow- ers on social media who post their favorite pairings for each sauce. Three additional gourmet sauces will be intro- duced in early 2017, includ- ing a sweet-and-spicy sauce that was the most popular request Corine re- ceived from foodies and sauce lovers. Visit Corine's Cuisine at booth #5716. For more information, go to www.corines cuisine.com or follow on Instagram @corinescuisine.

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