505 Southwestern, Famous for Hatch Chile Products, Celebrates 25 Years of Flavor
505 Southwestern, the country’s leading flame roasted green Hatch chile brand, celebrates 25 Years of Flavor this year and is hosting a major event in Albuquerque to celebrate the milestone in the location it was originally founded by local restaurateur and entrepreneur Roy Solomon.The celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at Tin Can Alley, on Alameda Boulevard just east of I-25. Tin Can Alley has gained national recognition as an innovative venue featuring locally inspired food, beverages, and entertainment. Santa Fe Brewing is an anchor tenant alongside several other local vendors.
As part of the year-long silver anniversary celebration of the brand, 505SW invited its fans to submit recipes featuring its world famous green chile. The winner of the contest, Southern California resident Merry Graham, is scheduled to be in attendance, and Chef May will share his twist on the winning recipe, Air Fryer Southwestern Salsa Verde Corn and Bacon Rangoons.
The event is open to the public (subject to capacity limitations) and the first 150 people to buy tickets will receive a commemorative gift bag. General admission tickets are $25 and include food from all Tin Can Alley food vendors. Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite HERE.
Fans who are unable to join for the event can celebrate with 505SW virtually by participating in 25 Years of Flavor contests and virtual events by following 505SW on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.
“For 25 years, 505SW has been committed to creating the highest quality products using the best and most simple ingredients from the Hatch Valley. Now we want to celebrate with the people who have made our success possible,” said Rob Holland, executive chairman of 505SW. “We will be demonstrating our commitment to our fans and communities with a recipe contest featuring incredible prizes, other giveaways, special offers, and charitable giving all year long.”
505SW started in 1997 when Albuquerque resident Solomon began bottling and selling his unique recipes for green chile sauce and salsa. Honoring his local area code to develop the brand, Solomon’s “magic ingredient” was fire-roasted, Hatch chile.
With humble beginnings as a local favorite, the brand has grown today to become the largest nationally distributed jarred green chile sauce brand. 505SW is sold in every U.S. state and internationally. 505SW’s parent company, Flagship Food Group, operates multiple facilities in New Mexico throughout the state and created the 505SW – New Mexico True Scholars program in 2017 to support local New Mexico high school students interested in studying agriculture in college.
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Healthy Living Natural Food Retailer Hailed as Outstanding Vermont Business
Healthy Living, an independent natural foods retailer, was named as the 32nd recipient of the Deane C. Davis Outstanding Business of the Year Award by Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
The award honors sustained growth and “an acute awareness of what makes Vermont unique.”
“Like Davis himself — former [Vermont] governor, president of National Life of Vermont, and environmentalist — each finalist reflects Vermont’s diverse nature and, at the same time, radiates a savvy business sense,” John Boutin, publisher of VermontBiz and co-presenter of the award, said in his publication.
Healthy Living has long embodied the values honored in the award; when Katy Lesser opened the South Burlington store in 1986, she wanted to bring healthy, natural foods to the family table. In the three decades since, the brand has expanded to include locations in Williston and Saratoga, N.Y.
Lesser co-owns Healthy Living with her children, Eli and Nina Lesser-Goldsmith, who serve as CEO and COO, respectively. Together they have created 350 jobs, supported the economies of Vermont and New York, and worked tirelessly to fuel a passion for great food, health and well-being and establishing a sense of place where people gather to shop, eat, and work.
The company gives back to nonprofits quarterly and just this year became one of the first retailers to join the Northeast Organic Family Farm Partnership, encouraging shoppers to buy local and support participating producers.
Healthy Living’s dedicated, expert staff bring ready-to-eat meals, groceries and wellness items to shoppers each day — with everything sold held to the store’s strict ingredient standards.
“This award means so much to us, because it acknowledges our core values and celebrates them,” Lesser said. “Deane C. Davis became governor at age 68, which shows that you really can switch careers and make an impact. That’s what I did as a young mom in the 1980s, and I’m still learning every day.”
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Standard Meat Promotes Tom Allen to Chief Operating Officer
Eight-year Standard Meat Company veteran Tom Allen is the new chief operating officer, said Ben Rosenthal, co-president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth-based meat company.
Standard Meat is a family-owned meat processing and packaging company with plants in Dallas, Fort Worth, Saginaw and Ponder, Texas. The company is a global supplier of custom meat portioning and packaging solutions for the foodservice and retail industries.
“Tom has done an incredible job with our Saginaw facility,” said Rosenthal. “Beginning in 2014, he served as the vice president and general manager of the facility, during which sales have almost quadrupled. His experience led us to tremendous growth in Saginaw; now, his insight and vision will focus on our entire operation and not a single facility.”
As chief operating officer, Allen will oversee all company operations. His focus will ensure the facilities operate efficiently and effectively and are on track with Standard Meat’s strategic goals.
As part of senior leadership, Allen will lead the development of Standard Meat’s five-year strategic growth plan. He will ensure the company’s ongoing and future success across all facilities and within individual departments.
“Tom had extraordinary experience in the meat industry before joining us at Standard Meat Company,” said Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld, co-president. “He has worked in many of the most important meat-producing locations across North America. His stellar performance in Saginaw is only a preview of what he will do as chief operating officer.”
Before joining Standard Meat, Allen worked for Cargill, ultimately leading a pair of beef processing facilities. In those facilities, he supervised thousands of employees and oversaw harvesting as many as 6,000-head of cattle per day. Allen holds a bachelor of science in business degree from Oklahoma State University.
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