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GOURMET NEWS www.gourmetnews.com n JUNE 2018 n GOURMET NEWS 1 1 4 past five years. The Sweet Shop Fit brand meets this popular request by including new health and wellness oriented options featur- ing organic ingredients, super foods, reduced sugar and protein-rich ingredients. New Sweet Shop Fit products available for tasting at the show include: Organic Dark Goji Berry Crunch Bar and Milk Chocolate Nut Bar, both made with organic ingredients. New Sweet Shop Fit will join the Sweet Shop Candies, Inc. family of brands: Sweet Shop USA, Mrs. We- instein's Toffee and Price's Fine Chocolates. Known by many as the largest handmade chocolate manufacturer in the country, the award-winning company of Sweet Shop Candies, Inc. was founded in 1972 and cur- rently holds the Guiness World Record for the Largest Chocolate Truffle. All-natural and made with Belgian choco- late, Sweet Shop USA products are OU Kosher Certified and handcrafted in small batches to ensure the highest quality possi- ble. The Sweet Shop USA collection in- cludes 80 truffle creations, nine signature toffees and toffee corn, snack mixes, cake bites and many chocolate-dipped treats. The new Sweet Shop Fit Line is available now in Dark Goji Berry Crunch and Milk Chocolate Nut Bar. About Sweet Shop Candies Sweet Shop Candies, celebrating 46 years of handmade chocolates, was founded in Fort Worth, Texas in 1972 and is a privately-owned chocolate manufacturer dedicated to preserv- ing the craft of American handmade choco- lates. Now located in Mount Pleasant, Texas, the 80,000 square-foot factory makes Sweet Shop the largest handmade chocolate factory in the country. Sweet Shop has received na- tional recognition for creating over 100 vari- eties of handmade pieces including various truffles, Famous Brags ® , Nuts and Chews, and signature Fudge Love ® . All-natural handmade products are distributed to over 10,000 retail- ers nationwide, including gourmet, gift, coffee, floral and specialty retailers as well as major department stores. Branded collections include the Sweet Shop USA label, Mrs. Weinstein's Gourmet Toffee and Price's Fine Chocolates. Price's Fine Chocolates was founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1919 and is known for its most popular creation: Annaclair's ® . Sweet Shop USA products are available online at www.sweetshopusa.com as well as pre- ferred retailers across North America. Visit Sweet Shop Candies at booth #2836. Sweet Shop (Cont'd. from p. 1) casting 'Liqueur Praliné' for our European- style liquid-center chocolates. It's a hand- crafted art that starts by encapsulating liquid in a sugar crust, and then coating it in choco- late. The process we use is more than 200 years old, and to our knowledge, we are still the only manufacturer of this specialty con- fection in America. GN: Why is this process so unique? LD: The sugar crystals literally lock to- gether, forming a crystalline shell that's only a few sugar crystals thick. This forms an edible moisture barrier between the chocolate on the outside and the liquid cen- ter. Because of this, you truly do have a large volume of liquid inside a very thin chocolate shell. You must place the entire product within your mouth or your chin may have all the fun! GN: Are the results as delicious as they sound? LD: Yes! The other exciting aspect of this sugar shell is the way it actually enhances the flavor within and protects the identity of the flavor profile. Just as sugar on sliced straw- berries will bring out the flavor, this sugar shell intensifies the liquid flavor. The iden- tity of a liquor is carried in the volatile essences, which normally oxidize, evaporate or migrate through chocolate. The sugar shell becomes an edible moisture barrier that cap- tures those essences, so that the identity re- mains intact and suspended until you crush the shell. It is so good at this that you can do a taste test between two straight bourbons, where both are hand-made, small-batch bourbons and you can taste the difference be- tween the two! GN: Besides bourbon, what other sorts of liquids do you use for the center? LD: Europeans primarily make brandy-filled chocolates. Since Americans do not typically drink Kirschwasser as a rule, we created liq- uid center chocolates filled with premium spirits, wines, coffees and fruit nectars – fla- vors that cater to American tastes. We also create specialized flavors for customers with a private labeling program. We can put your chosen liquid into the chocolates and have a specialized label created just for you. GN: What's the most unusual flavor request you've received? LD: A man wearing a Stetson and a gun walked in and inquired whether we could put anything into chocolate. I asked what he had in mind, and his response was, 'Sheep Dip!' When I said, 'Sir, I don't believe that's edible!' he explained Sheep Dip was the name of a single-malt scotch from Scot- land. GN: It sounds like your customers do a good job getting the word out about Quintessential Chocolates. LD: It is great fun to watch our customers bring friends and family in, and then proceed to repeat our 'schpiel' about our chocolates, right in front of our own salespeople. Often they do such a great job, we just let them continue! For more information, go to www.liquid chocolates.com or call 800.842.3382. Quintessential Chocolates (Cont'd. from p. 1) 1991 with the help of my wife and partner Amy and our mutual appreciation of fresh caviar. Paramount Caviar stands behind and fully supports the efforts of CITES (Conven- tion on International Trade in Endangered Species) to protect species from extinction, by importing and distributing only legally farm-raised or wild domestic caviar. Para- mount is at the forefront of the industry in an effort to conserve the remaining species by adhering closely to all Fish and Wildlife reg- ulations. I fully believe that we can enjoy caviar responsibly. GN: What is your goal for the show? HA: Our goal is to increase awareness regard- ing the current fresh caviar industry. The regu- lations for the legal importation and sale of caviar are continuously changing due to the regulations of the Fish and Wild Life and CITES organizations. It is our responsibility as a purveyor of this special product to guarantee our clients that the products they rely upon us for are legal and of the best quality they can be. GN: What is your company most proud of? HA: For the past 26 years, Paramount Caviar has built a reputation for maintaining a com- plete line of imported and domestic caviar. We offer a fine product with consistent pric- ing with an emphasis on quality and service. GN: Are you launching any new products this year? HA: We are introducing our newly designed custom clamshell packaging. For the past few years, there has been more of an emphasis on the self-service refrigerated gourmet depart- ments. We have created a custom package that will ring all the bells for retail store owners and excite the consumer. The launching of the new clamshell package will introduce it to the store owner looking for new products for the anticipation of the third and fourth quarters when caviar is traditionally purchased for hol- iday gift giving or in home celebrations. The caviar is packed in glass jars and sealed, showing the end user exactly what they are getting. The upright position main- tains the integrity of the caviar and has a long refrigerated shelf life. The laminated, dou- ble-sided clamshell insert is visually appeal- ing and informative, including a recipe card and complete description of the species pur- chased. The clamshell is heat sealed, adding the anti-theft dimension. GN: Who are your target customers? HA: Both the individual gourmet and gro- cery store chains with refrigerated gourmet departments. Our clients are those who have an appreciation for fresh caviar and sharing it with their clients. With the wide variety of both imported and domestic caviar, the con- sumer can try one every other week and have a complete educational experience within a short period of time. Additionally, each species has a specific recipe created for the in-home chef, giving another dimension to the caviar experience. GN: How do your products or services help your customers compete in their marketplace? HA: Our new clamshell packaging is the per- fect solution for any store owner. Whether one or all 10 species, the store owner has a choice to either stand or hang the clamshell in the refrigerator, making an impactful dis- play. Placed together, the clamshells have been designed to create a banner of color that draws the consumer closer. Enclosed with each jar of caviar is a complementary mother of pearl spoon, specifically used with caviar so not to taint the flavor, as metallic spoons would. Our insert has a wealth of informa- tion, answering the questions consumers often have. Other clamshell packages lie flat or require being hung with the caviar in a closed tin, making it virtually impossible for the buyer to see the quality of the caviar. With our packaging, everything is visible and the buyer leaves with confidence in the product. Visit Paramount Caviar at booth #2038. For more information, go to www.paramount caviar.com or call 718.786.7747 or 800.99.CAVIAR. Paramount Caviar (Cont'd. from p. 1) NZ: The trend of Middle Eastern food is on the rise. Most of our food products are on the NRA's 2018 Culinary Forecast, such as street food inspired dishes, ethnic inspired breakfast items, uncommon herbs, ethnic spices and ethnic condiments, to name a few. We are starting to see restaurants and chains opening in suburban areas. More retailers are incorpo- rating Middle Eastern products in their inter- national sets. We are starting to see fast casual and fast food restaurants selling hummus and shawarma. Middle Eastern food today is where Hispanic food was 15 years ago. GN: Can you talk about the flavor profile of these foods? NZ: The flavor profiles in the Middle East come from rich culinary traditions that are centuries old. There are so many exotic spice profiles that the mainstream consumer is just starting to discover, and they are craving to learn more. Spicy, zesty, tangy, herby ... there are countless delicious flavors to explore. GN: What are some products that a novice consumer should start experimenting with? NZ: Our Ziyad brand Tahini has just won 'Best Tasting' tahini by a major magazine. It really is great and is a major ingredient in making hummus. Everyone should try mak- ing hummus; it's easy and delicious. Za'atar is a delicious condiment of dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds. It could be sprin- kled on fresh bread, pizza, chicken and veg- etables, and it is herby and delicious. Labneh is strained Middle Eastern style yo- gurt. It is so creamy, delicious and nutritious, and you are going to love it. Eating 'savory' yogurt is relatively new to the mainstream market, but use it like you would sour cream or cream cheese. Pomegranate molasses is an awesome pantry essential to have in the kitchen, as well. Use it in place of lemon juice or vinegar in salads for an intriguing tangy flavor. There are so many uses for it, many of them listed in the recipe section of our website. For more information, visit booth #5024, go to www.ziyad.com or @ziyadbrand on Face- book and Instagram, or contact Mark Smith at 708.222.8330 and mdsmith@ziyad.com. Ziyad (Cont'd. from p. 1)