sofi™ Gold Awards Announced at Summer Fancy Food Show

Top Five Food Trends at Summer Fancy Food Show Announced New flavors, unusual combinations, and fruit of the moment Washington, D.C. (July 13, 2011) – The top five food trends for 2011 have been picked by a panel of trendspotters at the 57th Summer Fancy Food Show in Washington, D.C. The three-day event, which ended yesterday, is the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages in North America. The exhibit halls at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center were filled to capacity with as many as 180,000 products including the latest in single-origin chocolate, artisanal cheese, olive oil, salsas, snacks, teas and spice blends. The trends are: Booze-Infused Foods - Chili Lime Tequila Tortilla Brittle, Anette’s Chocolates - Happy Goat Scotch Caramel Sauce, Happy Goat Caramels - Roasted Peach Whiskey Sauce, Stonewall Kitchen Give it a Try Kits - Grow Your Own Mushroom Garden, Back to the Roots - Mozzarella Cheese Making Kit, Roaring Brook Dairy - Warm Belgian Chocolate Soufflé Kit, My Cup of Cake Popped Food - Black Truffle & White Cheddar Popcorn, 479 Degrees Popcorn - Bourbon Infused All Natural Popcorn, Metropolitan Bakery - Air-Popped Sorghum Grain, Mini Pops Japanese Inspired Eats - Yuzu Gummy Pandas, Bissinger’s Handcrafted Chocolatier - Tonton Hibachi Japanese Steak and Barbecue Sauce with Sake, Argo Century, Inc. - Matcha and Sencha Teas, Rishi Tea Cherries - Bada Bing Cherries, Tillen Farms - Spiced Sour Cherry Spread, The Gracious Gourmet - CocoNova Cherry Cacao, Honest Tea Other trends identified at the Summer Fancy Food Show include coconut in food and beverages, salts from around the globe and innovative dairy products such as goat milk yogurt. The trendspotters are: Kara Nielsen, The Center for Culinary Development, Rachel Mount, O, The Oprah Magazine; Denise Purcell, Specialty Food Media/foodspring.com; Joe Yonan, The Washington Post; Nancy Wall Hopkins, Better Homes & Gardens; Nycci Nellis, The List Are You On It, Foodie and the Beast Radio; Bonnie Benwick, The Washington Post; Miri Rotkovitz, About.com; Joan Nathan; author and contributor to The New York Times; Diane Welland, food and nutrition writer, Relish, Clean Eating, and other publications