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GOURMET NEWS MAY 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 Kitchen United Continued from PAGE 1 food producers who are developing recipes. A retail space is there for grab-and-go sales, pop-up events and market testing for new concepts. "With these two sides of the busi- ness, the kitchen share very much supports artisanal food producers, so that they can start making their products available," said Atul Sood, Kitchen United's Chief Business Officer. "We definitely have interest from that kind of customer base. We feel that we're going hand in hand to support the community so they can place their product in grocery retailers." The facility is seeing interest from people who have one or two recipes for artisanal products and a dream of going into the food business, added Noja de Marco. His team can retool those treasured recipes so they're ready for commercial production and then develop new recipes for complementary products, so that the original recipe or two become the basis for a fully developed product line or a complete foodservice menu. "They would like to produce what they are making, right now, in their home and see it on the shelves of a market," he said. "I have goosebumps working with a couple of these young entrepreneurs. ... I want to provide you with the tools that will help you get your product out there." While the facility doesn't have either the licenses or the packaging equipment to process shelf- stable products, the team can offer experi- ence and knowledge to help producers of food products that are sold fresh to go from the cooking they've been doing in their home kitchen to foodservice operation, in- cluding instruction and mentoring in apply- ing for local health department licenses in a range of California jurisdictions, accord- ing to Noja de Marco and Sood. "We have created templates for a lot of the different health departments in the West. One of the biggest issues that the entities have is that very difficult applications come in with minor blanks that end in them being pushed back for review," he said. "We pretty much hold their hands. We have people who can provide insurance, workers compensation, packaging, re- search, helping restaurants figure out what travels best and how it can get to a home looking like it was served in the restaurant." The Pasadena facility is just the first of an expansive plan that includes additional facilities in southern California. As those new facilities come online, Noja de Marco anticipates that at least one of them will offer more capabilities for artisanal food producers. "As we grow to other facilities, packaging, bottling and maybe dedicated kosher and gluten free areas, depending on the ask of the people who want to rent spaces," he said. "We'll be able to facilitate an area that will provide those spaces for them." Funding to build out the next spaces in southern California has already been secured through Cali Group, the holding company behind Kitchen United, and other investor angels with experience investing in restaurant technologies, ac- cording to Sood. Plans are also in process for an additional round of financing later this year. "We're in this to go big," he said. "We feel comfortable that we have the fi- nancing in place to hit those goals." GN Sweets & Snacks Continued from PAGE 1 free-from products, new portion control packs, and hot flavor trends. Registered attendees have access to nearly two dozen educational seminars. Among this year's topics: a panel discussion on the multicultural opportunities in treats and snacks; exploring the world of craft choco- late; and the power of storytelling at retail. Eight companies will be featured in the Expo's Innovation Avenue, including It's My Mom's, which makes Snow Crunch yo- gurt-covered snacks; Riff 's Smokehouse, showing a line of single-serve, hand-pulled barbecued pork sandwiches; and Tru Fru, showing off its freeze-dried fruits enrobed in dark chocolate. The winners of this year's Innovation Awards will be announced in ceremonies at 10:15 am on May 22, winnowed from more than 300 submissions to 45 finalists ― nine each in five categories: Chocolate, Non-Chocolate, Gum and Mints, Novelty and Licensed, Gourmet and Premium, Sea- sonal, Salty, Sweet and Savory. The judging emphasized taste and innovation equally, with "saleability" rating above packaging. The Specialty Market, a section of the show featuring more than 120 companies, focuses on the issues driving today's consumers: Fair Trade, sustainability, transparency, organic, premium, gourmet and more. Of course, retailers are also interested in technology and merchandising, so the expo will again highlight the newest solutions. One especially interesting development is RoboMart ― the first driverless store. GN sofi Award Continued from PAGE 1 and ingredient quality, while new product winners were also judged on innovation, which was defined for the judges as an un- expected culinary experience, creativity in making the product healthier and/or sus- tainable or a sense that the product is on trend with changing consumer preferences. All of the winners will be displayed in the sofi Awards showcase at the Summer Fancy Food Show, June 30-July 2 at Javits Center in New York City. Gold awards also went to Loacker USA, Inc. for its Loacker Gran Pasticceria Tortina White in the baked good category, to La Tourangelle for its Roasted Virgin Peanut Oil in the baking ingredient category and for its roasted Pistachio Oil in the category for nut oils. La Tourangelle's Roasted Wal- nut Oil won the bronze award in the nut oils category. Wildly Delicious Fine Foods took home gold in the barbecue sauce category for its Badass Smoked Sriracha & Roasted Garlic Mop Sauce. The award for the best cooking sauce or marinade went to Salsaology for its Ancho Chile & Tamarind Sauce. In the three chocolate categories: one for dark chocolate, one for milk and white chocolate and one for a chocolate candy, the three gold awards went to Poco Dolce for its Olive Oil and Sea Salt Chocolate Bar, to Milkboy Swiss Chocolates for its Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Caramel and Sea Salt and to Droga Choco- lates for its Money on Honey Toasted Co- conut Almond. Milkboy Swiss Chocolates also won the silver award for Swiss Alpine Milk Chocolate with Roasted Almonds and best new product for Swiss White Choco- late with Blue Potato Chips and Sea Salt. Neuchatel Chocolates won the gold award for a vegan product with its Vegan Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Nectar, Honey Mama's won gold in the sweet snack cate- gory with Honey Cocoa Bar Nibs and Cof- fee and Bissinger's Handcrafted Chocolatier won the gold award in the confection cate- gory for its Strawberry Mango Gummy Pandas. Mouth Foods received the gold award for the best cookie with its Smart Cookie Or- ange Pistachio Shortbread, and That's How We Roll, LLC, won in the cracker category for its Kitchen Table Bakers Parm Crisps Original. The award for the best ice cream or gelato went to Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream for its Black Sesame Ice Cream, while the award for the best dessert sauce or topping went to Mount Mansfield Maple Products for its Single Malt Barrel Aged Or- ganic Pure Vermont Maple Syrup. There were two categories for cold bev- erages, one for a drink and cocktail mix and the other for a ready-to-drink beverage. Improper Goods LLC took home the gold award in the cocktail mix category for its The Bitter Housewife Cardamom Bitters, while Brands Within Reach took the gold award for a ready-to-drink beverage for Belvoir Fruit Farms Cucumber & Mint Lemonade. The gold award for the best hot beverage went to Dick Taylor Craft Choco- late for its Drinking Chocolate Belize Toldeo. Date Lady won the gold award for the best condiment for its California Date Syrup as well as the silver award in the dessert sauce or topping category for its Pure Date Syrup and the bronze award in the category for vegan products with its Coconut Caramel Date Sauce. Cafe Spice Global Cuisine won the gold award in the gluten free category for its Cafe Spice Veg- etable Bhajias with Chutneys. In the granola category Cucina Classica Organic Italian 10 Minute Farro won the gold award. It's imported to the U.S. by Ata- lanta Corporation. The French Farm re- ceived the gold award in the honey category for L'Abeille Occitane Pure Laven- der Honey, and Blake Hill Preserves won the gold award in the category for jams and preserves with its Cardamom-infused Meyer Lemon Marmalade. In the nut and seed butter category, Manna Organics won gold with Manna Butter Coconut Cashew and silver with Manna Butter Hazelnut Cocoa Truffle. In the olive oil category, Planeta Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italian Products USA won gold, and the winning vinegar was Villa Manodori Dark Cherry Balsamic Vine- gar of Modena, imported by De Medici Im- ports, Ltd. GN Thirteen housewares suppliers ranging from well-established brands to first-time International Home + Housewares Show exhibitors were honored this year as Global aHonorees of the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) for product design. The Global Honorees in each of 13 categories were announced during the invitation-only gia dinner on the first evening of the 2018 IH+HS, which took place in March at Mc- Cormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Global honorees included Joseph Joseph Inc., which won for its flex toilet brush in the bath and personal care category. Joseph Joseph was also recognized for its Titan trash compactor in the household electrics and home environment category. Jascor House- wares, Inc. was recognized twice also: for its Ta Da Over the Sink Drying Mat and for its Messy Mutts Travel Water Bottle & Bowl. The Fulham Group took home the award in the cook and bakeware category for its Cuisinart ® Venture™ Portable Gas Grill. Eva Solo A/S won the award in the home decor and gifts category for its Globe Wa- tering Can. Travelon's LockDown Cut-Proof Bag win in the home organization and storage cate- gory, and simplehuman's sensor mirror compact won in the personal care category. The JURA S8 by Jura Inc. was the winner in the kitchen electrics category, while Dreamfarm's Fledge flip edge cutting board was the winner in the kitchen hand tools and cutlery category and That Inventions Inc.'s Thaw THAT Deluxe won in the kitchenware category. PLOTT's Cubit was the winner in the smart home category, and Promeco won the award in the tabletop cat- egory for Calido. "Congratulations to these winners of the IHA Global Innovation Awards for product design; they are excellent representatives of the cutting-edge innovation and creativity that is driving the housewares industry today," said Phil Brandl, IHA President and CEO. "Our world-renowned gia program is the ultimate awards event in the industry, honoring excellence in both housewares re- tail and product design." Nearly 500 prod- ucts were entered in the IHA Global Innovation Awards (gia) competition. GN Innovation Recognized at IH+HS

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