Gourmet Food PR

From Jeff Davis’ blog: http://foodfete.wordpress.com/2008/06/25/food-fete-is-full/

Boy, I hadn’t expected to write this post.

The media response to next Monday’s Food Fête media event has been so high (50% more than last summer), that media RSVPs have reached the venue capacity.

That means we find ourselves in a position to evaluate all additional media requests even more closely. As someone who produces media events for a living, the idea of potentially turning away journalists is hard to get my arms around.

Sure, there are always some no-shows at events — freeing up space for a few on-site registrations — so we hope to accommodate as many media as possible.

Food Fête has always focused more on quality than quantity, but it looks like we’re accomplishing both this year.

Tags: food fete, gourmet food, pr

Vote on MyGourmetVideos.com as a killer startup…..

Click here to read the review and vote!

Tags: gourmet food videos, video recipes

Product Review - Duncan’s Foods
6.18.08
Products: Original “Drunken” Weenies, Smokies “Drunken” Weenies, “Drunken” Weenies Sauce, “Drunken” BBQ Sauce (sweet, hot, and fire)

Who is Duncan’s Foods?

Duncan Foods offers a unique line of delicious appetizers and sauces revolving around a sweet, smooth bourbon sauce: Duncan’s Drunken’ Weenies, three types of Drunken’ BBQ Sauces, and Duncan’s “Drunken’ Weenies” Sauce. The unique smooth bourbon flavor comes from genuine Kentucky bourbon which is “flashed off” to only about 2% alcohol during the cooking process, leaving only the sweet, smooth smoky bourbon flavor.

Packaging/Labeling: The “Drunken” line of products comes packaged in very neat glass jars with labeling that, in our opinion, had a cool 50’s retro theme. The “Drunken” weenies came conveniently packaged in a wide-mouth jar that makes for easy serving if you prefer to microwave and serve straight from the jar (although not recommended). The BBQ sauces come in a non-standard jar for BBQ sauce (compared to most plastic flat-wide bottles) - instead it is bottled in a round, slightly stout bottle.

Taste/Consistency/Quality: First, the “Drunken” weenies were very well-received for several reasons. First, the flavor of the sauce is amazing; a definite sweet Bourbon flavor is present, but not overpowering. Second, the weenies themselves were deliciously plump and full of flavor. Most cocktail weenies seem to have a low-quality mushy/soggy consistency to them, while these “Drunken” weenies were perfect and juicy. When simmered in a saucepan over low heat, they really turned out delicious - perfect to impress for a party or event. The Smokies were just as delicious as the original with the same soft-Bourbon taste but with an added smoky kick.

Next, we tried the “Drunken” weenies sauce with some pre-cooked homestyle meatballs that can be found in the grocery section of your local grocery store. After simmering the meatballs in the Drunken weenies sauce on low heat for about 20 minutes in a saucepan, we had a delectable gourmet creation that really had us excited. Not only were they great eaten solo as an appetizer, but they could have been used in a number of ways as a main course - our favorite way was to serve the “Drunken” meatballs over some rice. About half way through, we realized that some green peppers, onions, and other vegetables could be added to make a delicious bourbon-flavored, Asian-style stir-fry.

Finally, we sampled the BBQ sauces with some grilled chicken, which were just as good as the meatballs we previously sampled. Each variety of the “Drunken” BBQ sauce shined in its own way, obviously with the subtle, but perfect amount of Bourbon-flair making its presence known. What we really liked about the BBQ sauces is that the “Hot” and “Fire” versions weren’t overpowering like most fiery BBQ sauces are. Even with the “Fire”, we were still able to taste the sweet and smoky bourbon flavor - which is what makes this BBQ sauce a real winner compared to other basic BBQ sauces on the market.

Uniqueness: “Drunken” Weenies. We haven’t seen too many ‘heat and eat’ cocktail weenies that are really ‘gourmet’, but Duncan’s Foods certainly fits that bill. Normally, you’d end up buying some cocktail weenies and paring them with a separate sauce (or settling for the boring standard weenie sauce), but with these, all you have to do is simply heat and serve the ready-to-eat “Drunken” weenies which area already drenched in a delectable gourmet sauce. Convenient and delicious!

The “Drunken” Weenies sauce is certainly a unique product - unlike anything we’ve sampled. Sure, the natural use is going to be as a sauce for cocktail weenies, but you could really use this sauce with almost any meat in place of traditional marinades and condiments. We felt that the sauce was PERFECT for simmering meatballs as they soaked up the flavor of the sauce and added to the juicy texture. We also agreed that the sauce would have been great on some grilled chicken.

As for the “Drunken” BBQ sauce, we were a bit skeptical because it seems as if everyone has a BBQ sauce these days, and so many don’t have anything unique about them. However, Bourbon-infused BBQ sauce was something we weren’t too familiar with, so it definitely had a unique appeal right away. Other than Duncan’s Foods, I think we had only heard of one other Bourbon-based BBQ sauce (which none of us had tried). After sampling each variety, we were glad we did as we realized that Bourbon makes a wonderful ingredient in BBQ sauce. If you haven’t tried a Bourbon BBQ Sauce, (which most probably haven’t), we strongly suggest you give it a try!

Summary: Duncan’s Foods really offers a delectable lineup of ‘crowd-pleasing’ products with many ways to shine. Not only are they ideal appetizer products - garnering our “Amazing Appetizer” nomination, but they also have a definite place in everyday use.

How to purchase: Consumers can order directly online at www.DrunkenWeenies.com.

Tags: bbq sauce, cocktail weenies, gourmet appetizers

/>

Product Review - Glad Corn “A-Maizing” Corn Snack
6.18.08
Products: Original, BBQ, Jalapeno, and Gourmet Cheddar Flavors

What is Glad Corn?

What started as a Corn Ethanol experiment in the kitchen of Stan Friesen turned out to be what could become America’s next great snack food. The best description we can come up with is a mixture between regular pop corn, and Corn Nuts.

Packaging/Labeling: Glad Corn is available in 2 sizes for each of their 4 flavors with brightly colored, high-quality, thick bags. We agreed that the packaging allows Glad Corn to be a good fit for any type of store; upscale gourmet food stores, mass market retailers, and convenience stores.

Taste/Consistency/Quality: What makes this product so amazing and unique is the hybrid texture of the products. It’s not quite as soft as traditional popcorn (although some kernels are), yet not as hard on the teeth as a product like Corn Nuts. Somehow with their secret process, Glad Corn has created a delicious combination of fluffy-crunchy goodness that is sure to crave the greatest of salty-snack cravings.

We found the Gourmet Cheddar and Jalapeno flavors to be our favorite with not too much of an over-salty or artificial-flavor taste. The jalapeno provided a nice, mildly-spicy kick, but not so much as to scare off those afraid of burnt taste buds and heartburn. The Gourmet Cheddar hit a home run with a perfect cheese taste that so many snack companies go overboard with, thus drowning out the flavor of the snack’s base itself.

Best of all, when eating Glad Corn, we didn’t get the guilty feeling of eating 2 weeks’ worth of butter or oil that you’d get in popcorn and the dehydrated-thirsty-mouth sensation that comes with too much salt/sodium intake.

Uniqueness: When you think of corn snacks, instantly Corn Nuts, popcorn, and Fritos chips come to mind - and Glad Corn is a nice breath of fresh air in comparison. Never before have we experienced such a pleasant hybrid combination of fluffy and crunchy in a snack food as we did with Glad Corn. We can, with confidence, say that there is nothing else like Glad Corn on the market right now.

Summary: Glad Corn gets our “Snack Food Innovator” nomination for surprising us with a must-have snack product that really brings a smile to your ‘sick-of-the-same-old-stuff’, snack-hungry face.

How to purchase: Consumers can order directly online at www.GladCorn.com, www.iBuyGourmet.com, or in several retail location which can be found at Glad Corn’s website.

Tags: corn snacks, gourmet snacks

2008 MARKS 26 YEARS IN BUSINESS FOR PIONEERING ENTREPRENEUR

FELTON, CA - Soy Vay Enterprises, Inc. celebrates its 26th anniversary manufacturing all natural, high quality sauces, marinades and dressing. Founder Eddie Scher notes, “It’s incredible. When we started, there was virtually no high quality choice out there. We wanted to create something better. We were the first to use premium, fresh ingredients in our sauces.” Over the years, the specialty food market has grown exponentially and shelf space is increasingly valuable. Still, Soy Vay continues to be the top-ranked item in its category in national chains and grocery stores everywhere. “Consistent high quality is our number one priority,” Scher states. “That’s the secret to our success.”

Wasabiyaki® is the latest in Soy Vay Enterprise’s successful line which includes Veri Veri Teriyaki®, Island Teriyaki, Hoisin Garlic Asian Glaze & Marinade and Cha Cha Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing & Marinade. Soy Vay® offers a variety of sizes for the gift, gourmet and food service industries.

Eddie Scher was working at Humboldt State University in Northern California. Of all the people he worked with, there was something about Heidi Chien that especially caught his attention: her lunch. Heidi had homemade skewers of beef and chicken, and she shared them with Eddie. He loved them. Eddie convinced Heidi her marinated skewers were good enough to sell at local fairs. People who tasted them at the fairs loved them too, and the question, “Where can I buy this marinade?” came over and over. They began to experiment with new recipes and were soon bottling their own line of sauces, marinades and dressings. To honor the combined heritage of their two cultures, they dubbed their new venture Soy Vay.® Today Soy Vay® sauces, marinades and dressings can be found in homes, restaurants and supermarkets across America.

In recent news, Suzy Gersman, writing “Where to Buy the Best of Everthing”, a Frommer’s book, chooses Soy Vay’s all-natual, preservative-free line as the Best Sauces… In June of 2008, Men’s Health magazine named Soy Vay® Veri Veri Teriyaki as the Best Marinade in its featured listing of the Best 125 Foods for Men.

The NASFT has honored Soy Vay® Veri Veri Teriyaki and Soy Vay® Hosin Garlic Asian Glaze and Marinade with Silver Finalist trophies for Outstanding Classic Cooking Sauces. Stop by Booth 4627 at the NASFT Summer Fancy Food Show this year to sample these and other wonderful varieties of Soy Vay.

To learn more or to request our free recipe brochure, please visit us online at www.soyvay.com or give us a call at (800) 600-2077.

Tags: marinade, soy vay, teriyaki sauce

Gotta Luv It medal winner at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair

Petaluma, Calif., – Gotta Luv It, provider of “all natural, carb- conscious” gourmet salad dressings and marinades has won medals at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair!

* Double Gold medal -Sweet & Tangy Italian dressing & marinade (no sodium)
* Silver medal - Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing & marinade (no sodium)
* Silver medal - Chipotle Lime Fusion dressing & marinade (low sodium)

Customers and fans of the dressings have nothing but rave reviews on the delicious line. Customer Elaine Bulloch of Novato, CA says, “All of the Gotta Luv It dressings are like tasting a fine wine….you just can’t get enough.” And Petaluma locals like Lorrie Twohill already have favorites. “My very favorite salad is the Caprese ever since I spent a summer in Italy. Since tomatoes are in season, it’s delicious to make. For a change, I tried “Gotta Luv It’s” Sweet and Tangy Italian dressing and it gave a whole new meaning to the Caprese salad.” says Lorrie.

ABOUT GOTTA LUV IT
Gotta Luv It specializes in all natural, carb-conscious, healthy dressings and marinades which can be used to compliment a variety of salads, meats, pastas, or anything that needs just a little extra zest! Gotta Luv It believe that all natural, healthy food should be available to everybody. Only the finest all natural ingredients are selected for these superior dressing and marinades. Based in Petaluma, California, Gotta Luv It is privately owned and operated. For more information and retail locations, please visit www.gottaluvitfoods.com.

Tags: award winning, gourmet dressing, gourmet sauces, salad dressing

June 23, 2008

MagicKitchen.com Announces Expanded Fundraising Opportunities for Schools, Churches and Teams

MagicKitchen.com today announced a much expanded program for fundraising opportunities for Fall 2008.  “This new program offers not only the ability to generate significant funds through personal meal purchases and meal gifts purchased for your friends and family, but also any purchases made by your friends and family anywhere in the United States.  All these people can now be a part of your organization’s fundraising efforts through their meal purchases and their meal gifts for others.” said Greg Miller, CEO of MagicKitchen.com.  “Any purchases made through our website www.MagicKitchen.com or via our toll free customer service lines (877-516-2442) qualify for fundraising for any registered organization.”

Full details of the MagicKitchen.com Fundraising Program are available at http://www.magickitchen.com/fundraising.html.  MagicKitchen.com has actively been involved with fundraising programs since the company was formed in 2005.   Gift Certificates from MagicKitchen.com or meal bundles presented at fundraising actions have in the past been a sought after choice of auction-goers.  With these new terms of the MagicKitchen.com Fundraising Program, an organization can potentially generate endless funds.  You can recruit as many people as you want to be a part of the fundraising efforts and the good news is “They all eat every day so they may as well purchase meals or food gifts that will help their favorite organization.  Especially when the economy is tight, people are sometimes not as generous as they could be when times are good.  The nice part about the MagicKitchen.com fundraising program is that it offers fundraising on an everyday expense that everyone has.  Typically food expenses are one of the larger expenses a family has each month.” said Mr. Miller.

For more information on fundraising opportunities or information on MagicKitchen.com in general please refer to their website www.MagicKitchen.com or contact Greg Miller, CEO of MagicKitchen.com.

About MagicKitchen.com - MagicKitchen.com is a rapidly growing web-based company that offers a full menu of Chef Prepared Gourmet Meals delivered to your door nation-wide including Alaska and Hawaii. Founded in 2005, MagicKitchen.com has been revolutionizing the way busy Americans eat, with hand prepared Gourmet meals.  MagicKitchen.com uses only top quality ingredients that are packaged, flash frozen and

delivered to the customer’s doorstep. The company actively participates in community fundraising. MagicKitchen.com can be contacted by calling 877-51-MAGIC

(877-516-2442) or visiting www.MagicKitchen.com.  Company contact Greg Miller, CEO of MagicKitchen.com at Greg@MagicKitchen.com or 650-941-2260.

Tags: chef meals, fundraising, magickitchen.com, meal delivery, prepared meals

Augusta, Georgia
June 14, 2008

DiChickO’s Gourmet Peri-Peri Sauces and Marinade company specializes in flavor as well as healthy living. The sauce company has been in business approx. 5 years and has just opened up it’s first of many Organic Peri-Peri restaurants (inside of New Life Natural Foods in Augusta, Georgia). DiChickO’s Restaurant uses the authentic South African process of preparing it’s Chicken. The Free Range/Organic Chicken is Marinated in DiChickO’s Marinade, Basted with the Wing Sauce and the dishes are finished off with 1 of the 6 flavors of Peri-Peri Sauces.

The Peri-Peri restaurant concept is very popular around most parts of the world, especially Europe and Africa. If you aren’t familiar with this concept, it is based on the Peri-Peri pepper which is indigenous to the Southern region of Africa. This fiery little pepper has a depth of flavor unique unto itself and a medium heat level. The marinade and sauces are made using this pepper along with all fresh ingredients: garlic, onion, lemon, etc. The sauce is different from all other hot sauces mainly due to the long cooking process applied. These products are slow cooked for hours to ensure the depth for which they have become famous.
For the first time ever, the Peri-Peri concept has been merged with the Natural Market to provide it’s customers with the best of both worlds. The DiChickO’s restaurant uses 100% USDA Organic produce, Free Range/Organic Chicken, All Natural Sauces, etc. One can also find Gluten Free and Vegetarian options on the menu.
The owners of DiChickO’s restaurant are family members of the owners of New Life Natural Foods. Both groups are watching as this concept continues to soar. They are working together in an effort to educate the public on Organics. “Many people still do not understand what Organic food really is. They think it is weird…” said Heather D., manager, “We are showing them every day that Organic food truly tastes better than conventionally grown and we are introducing them to the wonderful flavor of Peri-Peri at the same time. The marriage of these 2 worlds is something that DiChickO’s hopes is the foundation for a franchise that focuses on “Making Healthy Easy…and Delicious!”

Tags: organic restaurant, Peri Peri, wing sauce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

A Kentucky Protest Against Imports Gains TractionWestport, KY - June 17, 2008 - With the current consumers’ selection of gift items being limited primarily to products being made in Japan and China, Kentucky’s own Shane Best is waving the flag…and loudly.  Best - president of Kentucky BourbonQ, a local barbecue sauce manufacturer and distributor - had noticed in touring gift shops throughout the Southeast that many tourists were looking at labels of gift products for country of origin.  “It was obvious that they were looking for something made in the U.S.A.,” Best says, “because everything they were picking up and putting back was made in China.”

According to a recent CNN report, “Americans have begun taking a more critical look at where their food comes from, especially food from China. A recent USA Today/Gallup poll found 46 percent of those polled are ‘very concerned’ about the safety of food imported from China; another 28 percent said they were ’somewhat concerned’ about Chinese food products.”  In addition, CNN reports that according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, “60 percent of all recalled consumer products in the United States [in 2007 came] from China — from toys and jewelry made with lead-based paint to small, defective space heaters that could result in fires.”

Well aware of the rampant fear of lead-tainted merchandise from China, Best decided to forge a path into blatant marketing.  Kentucky BourbonQ has now designated a premium marinade as a flagship stand against Chinese imports, complete with a sizzling label filled with Best’s own brand of Southern humor:

“Pappy’s Not Made In China - barbecue sauce without lead paint.”

“Most people get it right off the bat that this could be a sauce for kids - hence the lead paint reference - but most importantly, that it is safe to eat,” Best says with a grin.  “With as bold as this label is, not only is it turning a lot of retailers’ heads, but it’s getting the attention of the consumer, as well.”

People have been more than willing to make what could be construed as a “protest purchase.”  After a debut in January, Pappy’s Not Made In China is already raking in repeat orders, even though the barbecue season has only just begun.  “The best part is, it’s not only Americans that are having fun with this,” says Best.  “I’m packing a container next week bound for Australia!”

Contact Info:

Shane Best

Kentucky BourbonQ

PO Box 16

Westport, KY 40077

502-222-6154

502-222-1848 (fax)

www.BourbonQ.com

Tags: bbq sauce, bourbon sauce, gourmet bbq sauce

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:CONTACT:
Cathy Cunningham Hays
Geraldine’s® Bodacious Food Company
(706) 253-1153
Fax: (706) 253-1156
cathy@bodaciousfoods.com
www.bodaciousfoods.com

All Natural Marries with Bodacious Taste in Geraldine’s®
New Cookie Line

Jasper, GA, 06/02/08 Six months of testing were needed to develop the newest offerings from the Bodacious Food Company. Geraldine’s® has taken their popular Key Lime Cookie along with two new varieties of Wedding Cookies and formulated them with All Natural ingredients.

Each of these cookies boasts a unique blend of sugar coating developed for Bodacious Food Company. David Hays, company Chairman, attests,
“We have baked a key lime cookie for several years with “off the shelf” sugar coatings, but it included several ingredients not even close to our all-natural qualification. It took months of trial and error, but we have created a formula that tastes even better than the previous cookie. The coating clings well to the cookie and it’s 100% all-natural. It was the breakthrough we were looking for.”

Key Lime Cookies, “A Taste of the Tropics in Every Bite”, have been a best-seller for Geraldine’s® before the all-natural reformulation. They still infuse genuine key lime juices from Florida as well as a tango of sweet and tart flavors that make Geraldine’s® Key Lime Cookies an irresistible treat.

A customer request for a “Mexican style” wedding cookie led to the birth of the Santa Barbara Wedding Cookie. However, when Bodacious Food Company President and Chief Sales Honcho Cathy Cunningham Hays began discussions with clients about the new cookie, she realized that the flavor profile of a Mexican wedding cookie was not even as well-known as she initially thought. One common question Hays faced was, “Are they spicy?”

While it may be served at a spicy wedding ceremony, the product has evolved into one sweet cookie. Cathy Cunningham Hays remembered Santa Barbara as a beautiful locale for weddings; hence, the namesake of the cookies was born. Starting with a shortbread base, Geraldine’s® adds roasted pecans and cinnamon to give this sugar-coated cookie a Bodacious blast of flavor.

- MORE -
The Italian Wedding Cookie is another version of the new Geraldine’s® Bodacious cookie line. This cookie, also known as “butterballs”, has served as a staple of Italian desserts for years. Geraldine’s® version utilizes perfectly toasted almonds and a hint of amaretto covered by their custom sugar coating for a flavor that must be tasted to believe!

The three newly-introduced cookies are being added to Geraldine’s® popular line of All-Natural Cheese Straws. “With these new cookies, our entire product line is now all natural,” states Hays.

Customers are looking for “better for you” products. While this was Geraldine’s® goal, they would not sacrifice Bodacious taste in the process. “It’s got to be Bodacious to be Geraldine’s®!”
Geraldine’s® Bodacious Food Company, established in 1995, houses its bakery and production line in the Appalachian foothills of north Georgia, distributing its cheese straw and gourmet cookie varieties nationally in supermarkets, discount retailers and online. Yes, there is a “Geraldine”; Cathy’s mother is the namesake, as it was her recipe for cheese straws that launched the company.

Tags: all natural cookies, gourmet cookies