British potato chip takes new product honor

NEW YORK--Tyrells Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Potato Chips took home Outstanding New Product honors at the Summer Fancy Food Show here July 9.

Importer Chelsea Market Baskets/Fine Food Marketing, based here, entered the chips into the competition. Barbara Anderson with Chelsea Market Baskets, said the importer discovered Tyrells at the Winter Fancy Food Show and added the hand-fried potato chips from Herefordshire, England, to its product mix about three months ago. "We've all eaten a lot of chips," said Anderson. "These are incredible."
Farmer Will Chase grows the potatoes from heirloom seeds.Right on the farm, the potatoes are cut, fried and packaged within hours of being harvested. The potato chips, available in 150-gram and single serve, 1.4-ounce bags, are available in four other flavors and seasonal varieties. Each bag is stamped with the varietal of potato used. Vegetable chips and parsnip chips are also part of the line. Tyrells is also imported by Britsh Wholesale Imports, Westlake Village, Calif.

Formerly known as the NASFT Product Awards, the Sofi Awards present the best specialty food products in 30 categories:

Outstanding New Product: Tyrrells Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Potato Chips, Chelsea Market Baskets/Fine Food Marketing, New York; www.cmb-wholesale.com

Outstanding Product Line: Cypress Grove Chevre, Cypress Grove Chevre Inc., Arcata, Calif., www.cypressgrovechevre.com

Outstanding Appetizer, Antipasto, Salsa or Dip Product: Rick's Picks Phat Beets, Rick's Picks LLC,New York, www.rickspicksnyc.com

Outstanding Baked Good, Baking Ingredient or Cereal Product: English Lemon Pudding,The Sticky Toffee Pudding Co.,Austin, Texas, www.stickytoffeepudding.com

Outstanding Cheese: Vermont Bonne Bouche, Vermont Butter & Cheese Co., Websterville, Vt., www.vtbutterandcheeseco.com

Outstanding Chocolate: Theo Organic, Fair Trade Artisan Confections, Theo Chocolate, Seattle, www.theochocolate.com

Outstanding Cold Beverage: NOP Organic Merlot Grape Juice Didier Goubet, Crystal Food Import Corp., Lynn, Mass., www.crystalfoodimport.com

Outstanding Condiment: Truffle Gatherers' Sauce, FungusAmongUs Inc., Snohomish, Wash., www.fungusamongus.com

Outstanding Confection: Gourmet Chipotle Caramels, Bequet Confections, Bozeman, Mont., www.bequetconfections.com

Outstanding Cookie: Elegant & English Ginger & Lemon, Cheese From Britain LLC, Cincinnati, www.cheesefrombritain.com

Outstanding Cooking Sauce or Flavor Enhancer: Roasted Apple Grille Sauce, Stonewall Kitchen, York, Maine, www.stonewallkitchen.com

Outstanding Cracker: Biscotti Di Camillo, Di Camillo Bakery, Niagara Falls, N.Y.,www.dicamillobakery.com

Outstanding Dessert or Dessert Topping: Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet,Ciao Bella Gelato Co. Inc., Irvington, N.J., www.ciaobellagelato.com

Outstanding Diet and Lifestyle Product: Belizza Pomegranate Acai Sorbet, Caffe Classico Foods Inc., Concord, Calif., www.belizza.com

Outstanding Food Gift Product: Backpack Through Provence, Les Trois Petits Cochons Inc., New York, www.3pigs.com

Outstanding Foodservice Product: Lebanese Yogurt Sherbet, Ciao Bella Gelato Co. Inc., Irvington, N.J., www.ciaobellagelato.com

Outstanding Frozen Savory: Mushroom Truffle Risotto Phyllo Flower Hors d'Oeuvres, Dufour Pastry Kitchens Inc., New York, www.dufourpastrykitchens.com

Outstanding Hot Beverage: Fran's Premium Hot Chocolate,Fran's Chocolates Ltd., www.franschocolates.com

Outstanding Innovation in Packaging Design or Function: Chocolate Quail Eggs, Knipschildt Chocolatier, Norwalk, Conn., www.knipschildt.com

Outstanding Jam, Preserve, Honey or Nut Butter Product: Sour Cherry Preserve, Harvest Song, Great Neck, N.Y., www.harvestsongventures.com

Outstanding Meat, Pate or Seafood Product: Fra'mani Salame Gentile, The Cheeseworks, Ltd., Ringwood, N.J., www.thecheeseworks.com

Outstanding Non-Food Specialty Item Product: Red Oak Gourmet Grilling Planks, Fire & Flavor Grilling Co., Bogart, Ga., www.fireandflavor.com

Outstanding Oil: Castelas Olive Oil, De Medici Imports Ltd., New York, www.demedici.com

Outstanding Pasta Sauce: Farmhouse Sugo Pasta Sauce, Bella Cucina Artful Food, Atlanta, www.bellacucina.com

Outstanding Pasta, Rice or Grain: Soy Bean and Wild Rice Salad Azuma Foods International Inc., USA, Hayward, Calif., www.azumafoods.com

Outstanding Salad Dressing: Caesar Miso, Galeoscafe, Newport Beach, Calif., www.galeoscafe.com

Outstanding Snack Food: Brent's Micro Brew Firey Beer Brittle, Anette's Chocolate Factory Inc. Napa, Calif., www.anettes.com

Outstanding Soup, Stew, Bean or Chili: Cundy's Harbor Lobster Stew Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co., Harpswell, Me., www.hancockgourmetlobster.com

Outstanding USDA-Approved Organic Product: Organic Strawberry Colorado Mountain Jam, Plum Daisy LLC/dba Colorado Mountain Jam, Palisade, Colo. www.plumdaisy.com

Outstanding Vinegar: Emiliana Honey Dressing (Vinegar), Belgravia Imports, Portsmouth, R.I. www.belgraviaimports.com

The NASFT revamped the competition by separating it into two phases and renaming the awards earlier this year. Part One was comprised of 29 categories and the 122 finalists were displayed at the Spring Fancy Food Show in May. Part Two of the competition consisted of the 30th category--Outstanding New Product 2007--and was judged at the NASFT offices here in June.

During the initial phase of judging, specialty food retailers, supermarket buyers, natural food merchants, chefs and culinary educators analyzed and/or tasted 3,000 specialty food items from more than 1,466 total entries in 30 categories. The judges were: Geri Ackert, Food Emporium, New York; Jennifer D'Aurora, McGinnis Sisters, Pittsburgh, Pa; Michael Handel, Institute for Culinary Education, New York; Brad Hedeman, Zingerman's, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Marko Lalic/Sabrina Meinhardt/Martin Nunez, Union Market, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Mary Moore, The Cook's Warehouse, Atlanta, Ga.: Ronald Rando, Thomas Preti Caterers, Long Island City, N.Y.; and Errol Schweizer, Whole Foods Markets, Edgewater, N.J.

Check out all the winners at the New York Fancy Food Show

wrap on.................