Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/825195
Restaurant Daily News 8 3 Tuesday, May 23, 2017 SEVILLO FINE FOODS – SPREADING THE LOVE Jeff Babikian, Chief Executive Officer of Sevillo Fine Foods, shares why he believes his products are perfectly posi- tioned for foodservice today. RDN: You won three National Restaurant Association FABI Awards in 2016 for your Slow Roasted Red Tomatoes Fire Roasted Artichokes, and two new FABI Awards this year. Congratulations! JB: Thank you! We are very proud of our FABI Awards, because they recognize product innovation, which is at the core of what we do at Sevillo. RDN: This year you introduced a new category of products: sauces and spreads. What can you tell us about your winning entries? JB: Our Harissa Sauce is a spicy, aro- matic blend of roasted chile peppers, sun- dried tomatoes, garlic and spices. It packs a flavorful punch. Our Slow Roasted Sofrito, a diced blend of our award-win- ning slow-roasted tomatoes, onions and herbs sounds simple, but it's deceptively complex, versatile and delicious. RDN: How will chefs use your new sauces and spreads? JB: Our products provide chefs a simple way to upscale their recipes. Based on our research and development with chefs, we believe our Harissa Sauce is the next sriracha. It can be used as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, or as an ingredient in a variety of dishes. Our versatile Sofrito can be used as a spread, or as a base for a variety of salsas, sauces and condiments. Both are delicious on their own, but also allow chefs to innovate their own recipes. RDN: Why do you believe Sevillo prod- ucts are getting so much attention? JB: Chefs regularly express the desire for all natural products they are unable to source. We pride ourselves in listening to their requests and working directly with chefs during Research and development, which results in high-quality, all-natural products with the flavors they are looking for. We save chefs countless hours of time and labor, and deliver products that are made the way they would make them themselves. RDN: What makes your products stand out from the competition? JB: All Sevillo products are all natural, fresh frozen, unpasteurized with zero preservatives. This results in superior fla- vor over other products. Competing harissa products, for example, are shelf stable, in jars, cans, tubes or powders, and have been pasteurized or contain preservatives. Our sauces and spreads are made at our facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, while most competing products are imported. Sevillo products are all avail- able through DOT Foods. RDN: Why do operators love working with Sevillo? JB: Sevillo is a family- owned and -operated business. We have large volume capabilities for foodser- vice, but we care about the products we make, just as we do the food in our own kitchens. Co-Owner and Founder Dan Martinsen oversees our production and facilities, and our plant boasts SQF Level 2 certification. This gives our cus- tomers great confi- dence in our ability to consistently deliver quality product. And, it makes us very proud of the quality and value we can provide to the restau- rant industry. Visit Sevillo Fine Foods at booth #10424, Lakeside Building. Learn more at www.sevillofinefoods.com. CAPTAIN KEN'S: CELEBRATING 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY By Mike Traxler, Co-Owner, Captain Ken's Foods, Inc. Great foods often originate in unlikely places. In fact, Captain Ken Freiberg developed his famous Firehouse Oven- Baked Beans while on duty at Firehouse No. 14 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fifty years later, this signature recipe (plus many others) are made with the same attention to detail and commitment to quality. The story of Captain Ken's Foods began in the summer of 1943, when Ken Freiberg joined the St. Paul, Minnesota fire department. In 1953, he was promot- ed to Captain. As was custom at most fire stations, each fireman took turns cooking meals for his fellow firefighters. Captain Ken's specialty was making oven-baked beans with bacon. Word spread, and peo- ple from the neighborhood would stop by the fire station hoping to sample some of Captain Ken's home cooked oven-baked beans. As Ken's bean recipe grew in popu- larity, his fellow firefighters urged him to start a business, but Ken wasn't ready to give up life as a firefighter. In 1963, though, he used his two-week vacation to sell his oven-baked beans from a food stand at the Minnesota State Fair. The beans were a big hit! A few years later in 1967, at age 55, Ken retired early from the fire department to start Captain Ken's Foods. It didn't take long for Captain Ken's reputation for making quality food products to grow. Today, Captain Ken's processes and markets a diverse range of premium food products for the foodser- vice and retail markets. The company features a broad line of award-winning chilies, made-from-scratch oven- baked beans (not canned!), specialty taco meats, varied flavored macaroni and cheese recipes and more. Other customer favorites include Sloppy Joe Meat Sauce, Tater Tot Casserole, Chicken Pot Pie Filling, Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes, Spanish Rice and Home-style Chicken Chow Mein. All products are made using premi- um ingredients and are pre-cooked, then flash frozen to lock in freshness and nutri- tional value. Captain Ken's Foods is family owned and operated. Products are manu- factured at the company's St. Paul, Minnesota facility, which is a USDA- and FDA-inspected and certi- fied plant. Package types range from institutional size one-gallon pouches to single serve containers. Products are distributed by national and regional broadline distribu- tors. End-user operators include restaurants, cafeterias, resorts, casinos, caterers, con- venience stores, delis, healthcare facili- ties, schools and more. All Captain Ken's products offer quality, consistency and value. Employees take great pride in making great tasting food products and continu- ing the commitment to quality that Founder Captain Ken Freiberg started 50 years ago. For more information, visit www .captainkens.com, call 651.298.0071, contact Mike Traxler mtraxler@ captainkens.com or stop by booth #8062. BOLANI OFFERS 60 DAY SHELF LIFE Bolani has some exciting news to share. All Bolani Flatbreads are now 60 days shelf life fresh – previously only 14 days shelf life. This is due to HPP processing; no ingredients have changed and Bolani is still one of the cleanest ingredient products available. Bolani is the first HPP meal. Furthermore, Bolani's Organic Teas are in stock and ready to distribute. FOB pricing is very aggressively priced. Bolani Organic Teas consist of four fla- vors: Unsweetened Green Tea (only three ingredients), Soothing Mint Green Tea (only five ingredients), Energizing Black Tea (only four ingredients) and Rose Chai Latte (no powders or extracts). Bolani Teas are made from 100 per- cent brewed organic tea leaves with reverse osmosis water. Since Bolani refuses to use any powders or extracts, it has partnered with TetraPak aseptic bot- tles, which allows it to use only the best ingredients and noth- ing added for shelf life while it is still shelf stable. Bolani believes in providing its val- ued customers with products with mini- mal ingredients that they can trust. Bolani Teas contain only five ingredients or less to provide customers with home brewed teas that are available to every- one. Bolani Teas are only sweetened with organic cane sugar and have only 8 grams of sugar per serving (8 ounces). Bolani believes in providing its customers with products that provide nutritional benefits, yet satisfy the need for a deli- cious product. Bolani Teas are the only ready to drink, shelf stable tea that is HPP and 100 percent acid free. For more information, go to www .bolanifoods.com.