Gourmet News

Summer Fancy Food Show: Day 3

Published June 20, 2022

The third day of the SFA Summer Fancy Food Show saw less foot traffic than Day 2, but many exhibitors were excited about the contacts they made the previous day. Somehow, I thought it was going to be a slower-paced day for me, but I still didn’t get to visit some booths I’d wanted to see.

Nancy Wekselbaum, aka The Gracious Gourmet, and I keep crossing paths! I interviewed her by phone last year for an article on Hatch chiles. Then at the Winter Fancy Food show, which she was attending but not exhibiting, she happened to sit at the table I was at between booth visits.

This time, I was invited to a scrumptious five-course seafood dinner and olive oil tasting sponsored by Onsuri and who should be seated next to me but Nancy! The next day, I stopped by her booth and finally got to taste a variety of her products. I love pesto, so there was no arm-twisting to get me to try her Roasted Tomato Pesto and Lemon Artichoke Pesto – I could eat a whole jar of those. The Strawberry Black Pepper Jam was outrageously good. She’s got a new Hatch product that’s delicious, too, White Balsamic Hatch Chile Jelly.

I was impressed with Yoele’s new chips, made with the ancient West African grain fonio. The gluten-free chips have the texture of tortilla chips, but not as crumbly. When I got home, I made nachos with them – yum! Fonio is a tiny grain and grown using regenerative farming. Yoele is planning to have more fonio products on the market.

Sweet Logic showed off its Mug Muffins and cake and brownie mixes. They’re keto friendly and just right for those of us who just need a quick, sweet snack. I’m told the Ultimate Carrot Mug Cake mix tastes just like carrot cake. I brought a packet home to test that theory (haven’t made it yet).

I met John Arnold and his family, who create small batch craft nut butter in Vermont as Mixed Up Nut Butter. I can’t say enough good things about the Mud Season nut butter, crunchy cacao nib and coffee with late-season maple sugar and vanilla bean. I also liked Maple Creemee with Vermont maple, cashew, pecan and vanilla bean. I learned that creemee is a rich, soft-serve ice cream, famous throughout Vermont. They had a large poster pairing nut butters with wines – these are my kind of people.

While we’re talking sweets, I got to chat with Eileen Gannon, founder and CEO of Sunday Night Foods. All of the premium dessert sauces were delicious and Eileen says they’re much more versatile than adorning ice cream. If you add powdered sugar, they can make frosting and with vodka and cream, chocolate martinis.

David Little promised me a chocolate food fight at this booth for Immunity Goodness, which didn’t happen, though he gave me handfuls of infused chocolates to take home with me. (I should have taken more Immunity Chocolates – Belgian Milk Salted Caramel Apple Chocolate bites with Vitamin C, zinc, elderberry extract and tetrahydrocurcumin from turmeric – with me because apparently, I brought a cold home.)

We’ll have a roundup of the Summer Fancy Food Show in the August issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe now so you don’t miss anything!

Amber Beverage Group Taps Ruslan Romanenko as CFO

Published June 20, 2022

Amber Beverage Group has appointed Ruslan Romanenko as group chief financial officer. Romanenko is a senior financial executive with over 25 years of experience in the industry and becomes part of the ABG executive board.

Before joining ABG, Romanenko worked as chief financial officer at Nemiroff, one of the leading vodka producers in Ukraine. Prior to this, he held similar executive roles at companies that included TerraFood, Bunge, and Philip Morris Ukraine. As well as being an experienced financial manager, Romanenko is able to develop and lead large multicultural finance and accounting teams.

“I am thrilled to have been appointed to this key role by Amber Beverage Group,” Romanenko said. “This global company, which has operations in several countries, will bring interesting and exciting new challenges where I can use my experience to help drive further growth. I am already enjoying my new environment as this role entailed a move from Kyiv to Riga. I am especially proud to join a company that has been offering so much practical and financial support to the people of Ukraine.”

Amber Beverage Group is a rapidly growing global spirits company, whose products are found in millions of households and venues across the globe. ABG’s core brands are Moskovskaya Vodka, Rooster Rojo Tequila, KAH Tequila, The Irishman Whiskey, Writers’ Tears Whiskey, Riga Black Balsam, Cross Keys Gin and Cosmopolitan Diva.

ABG produces, bottles, markets, distributes, exports, and retails a comprehensive range of beverages of which it owns more than 100 and is responsible for marketing and distributing 1,300 third-party drinks brands, spanning everything from premium vodka and sparkling wines to specialty Mexican tequilas and Irish whiskey.

The company has grown from its original core production business in the pan-Baltic region established in 1900, to a global spirits industry player that unites around 2,050 employees in almost 20 companies including Austria, Australia, the Baltic States, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

The August issue of Gourmet News will include an article about how specialty food companies with ties to Ukraine are supporting the country because of the Russian invasion. Subscribe now so you don’t miss it!

Joe Parisi Named President of Gristedes & D’Agostino Supermarkets

Published June 20, 2022

Joe Parisi has been appointed as president of Gristedes & D’Agostino’s, Manhattan’s largest chain of supermarkets. Parisi holds the titles of president and chief operating officer of the 30-location New York City supermarket chain, bringing with him four decades of experience in the food and grocery industry.

Parisi joined Gristedes & D’Agostino in 2021 after more than three decades with Kings Food Markets, Inc./Balducci’s KB US Holdings Companies in New Jersey. Until 2021, Parisi was chief operating officer and board member at Kings, overseeing 33 high-end supermarkets across four states.

“His passion for the food industry is remarkable and will take the supermarket industry into the 21st century,” said John Catsimatidis, chairman/CEO of Red Apple Group. “He has a great vision for the 132-year-old Gristedes and 90-year-old D’Agostino, and we are confident that his leadership will bring our stores to new heights.”

Parisi assumed his new role on June 14. Parisi resides in Rockaway, N.J., with his wife, Gina, and three children, Joseph, Gianna and Jayson.

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