Bring on those lazy hazy crazy days of summer the song goes…we in the Mid-Atlantic have surely had enough of them and it’s only July. As much as I love going down the shore, this year I can’t wait for the leaves to change color.
The NASFT 56th annual Summer Fancy Food Show was held at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City from June 27 to 29. The show is always the largest marketplace for specialty food and beverages in the U.S. filling all exhibit space in the Javits Center with 2,400 domestic and international exhibitors from more than 80 countries. As many as 180,000 products ranging from artisan cheeses to savory snacks, frozen desserts, ethnic sauces and dark chocolate are on display. The top food trends for 2010 have been picked by a panel of experts including Sara Moulton, chef, cookbook author and Good Morning America food personality. Among the trends are: great vinegars with many innovative flavors in the mix; Indian products; grains, nuts and seeds; and squash, pumpkin and sweet potato.
Other emerging trends identified were fig products, including a cabernet wine and fig preserve; unusual teas infused with turmeric and cardamom; and specialty flavored honeys such as chestnut, lime, pine and raspberry. Sounds yummy to me. We ran into many retailers, distributors and manufacturers from our area including George Endrigian, George’s Dreshertown Shop ‘n Bag with his family; Scott Selkowitz and his crew from International Cheese; and the folks from Cento Foods, Al and Rick Cicotelli who brought along their sales and marketing team to sell more Ferrara, Bellino and Cento products. Due to major renovations being done to the Javitz Center, the Summer Fancy Food Shows in 2011 and 2012 will be held in Washington, DC.
Well, it’s official, Tastykake has transitioned the remaining two Tastykake production lines from the company’s Hunting Park facility to its new, state-of-the-art, LEED-registered (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) bakery at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The company’s 88-year-old, six-story Hunting Park bakery at 2801 Hunting Park Avenue in the Allegheny West area of Philadelphia officially closed for production on June 24th. Tasty Baking Company announced in April 2010 that it had entered into a purchase and sale agreement with TKMG Associates, L.P. and its guarantor, Metro Development Company, for the sale of the Hunting Park property along with the company’s former corporate offices and distribution center at 3413 Fox Street for a price of $6.0 million. The company has also sold the physical assets at the old Hunting Park Bakery for a price of approximately $0.7 million. The full operation of the seven production lines at Tasty Baking’s new 345,000 square foot manufacturing and distribution facility occurs just over three years after the company announced its strategic transition plan in May 2007. The one-story bakery at the Philadelphia Navy Yard features new, highly automated baking equipment and a “straight line flow” from production to packaging to warehouse that opens significant opportunity for product and packaging innovation, while achieving more efficiency in the baking of Tastykake’s products. Currently registered under LEED and awaiting official certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the bakery will be the world’s largest “green” bakery, featuring environmentally-friendly components such as water conservation, the use of recycled building materials, daylight harvesting and energy-efficient HVAC systems.
“While we celebrate our new bakery and the future of the Tastykake brand with significantly-enhanced manufacturing capabilities, we simultaneously celebrate the legacy of the Hunting Park bakery and its irreplaceable role in the development and growth of the company and our beloved brand,” said Charles P. Pizzi, president and CEO, Tasty Baking Company. “Now that we have transitioned all seven of our production lines to the new facility at the Navy Yard, we can turn our focus to the optimization of our operations there, a process which we expect to last through the third quarter of 2010.” Pizzi continued saying, “We believe that the many chapters of Tastykake history at the Hunting Park bakery will be tightly bound to those chapters that we will begin to write at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.” The new bakery’s lobby, which will serve as the public gateway and ticketing center for The Tastykake Bakery Tour, features an oversized wall print of the Hunting Park facility. The Tour, which is expected to open to the public in 2011, will also contain historical film and prints from the Hunting Park bakery. What a wonderful way to retain a delicious part of Philadelphia’s history!
The EPPA had its annual golf outing and clam bake on Jun 21st at the Rockaway River Country Club in Denville, NJ. With perfect, weather 97 golfers went out to play on this mature but beautifully maintained course. Prizes were awarded to the following: Larry Dann of AFCO Sanitation Chemicals, low gross; Ricky Martin of AFCO Sanitation Chemicals, low net; closest to the pin, Steve Hungerbuhler, Foodtown; and longest drive went to Jeff Lane of Northeast Food Marketing. After golfing, the participants were treated to a tasty clambake and barbeque which included everything from a raw bar to ribs! To top it off, cigars were freshly rolled on the spot for all to enjoy. The next EPPA event, a social networking seminar and dinner is scheduled for October 5th at the Liberty Science Center. For more information go to www.eppa.org .
Mike Eardley, director of deli, cheese and prepared foods for HEB Grocery Co., received the 2010 International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association’s President’s Award at the awards banquet, the closing event of Dairy-Deli-Bake 2010. John J. Sullivan, President of the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association and president and CEO of Norseland, Inc., selected Eardley for the honor which recognizes distinguished service or contribution to the industry and honors those who have led with vision and dedication.
According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) website, Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park is the “first undisputed dynasty” in the history of PETA’s prestigious rankings when it comes to meat-free foods. Visitors to the stadium can find a wide variety of offerings, from faux chicken sandwiches and vegan rice crispie treats, to veggie burgers, Southwestern black-bean burgers, veggie dogs, faux steak sandwiches, veggie chicken steaks, mock crab cakes, hummus and pita chips, and fresh fruit. What next, will the Phillies be playing with vegan baseballs?
Congratulations are in order! The NFRA announced the winners of the “March is Frozen Food Month” Golden Penguin Awards. Gold Penguins were awarded to Acosta Sales and Marketing, Bozzuto’s and Kings Super Markets. Silver Penguins were awarded to A&P, Douglas Sales and Wakefern.
Best store display went to the Kings Supermarket in Bedminster NJ assisted by Douglas Sales. Congratulations to all!
Dan McKeone of Innovative Food Sales wrote to tell me that the jumbo shrimp at the AMR/MAFTO golf outing in May came courtesy of Jim Randazzo of Tastee Choice. They were delicious! Thanks again, Jim and Dan.
About 370 hand guns were turned in to the Philadelphia Police at the Enon Tabernacle Church on July 3rd as part of the Brown’s Super Stores’ “Goods for Guns” turn-in program. With no questions asked, donors were given a $100 ShopRite gift card when they turned in a hand gun. Partnered with the Philly Police, the DA’s office, PA State Senator Vincent Hughes, Congressman Chaka Fattah, Safety Net and Radio One, Brown’s arranges about 5 of these events each year. Congrats to Jeff Brown and his crew for getting more guns off the streets of Philadelphia.
We recently received news of the passing of Joseph Calabro, founder of Calabro Cheese Co. in East Haven, CT. Mr. Calabro emigrated to the U.S. in 1948 from Italy. Over the past 50 years he and his family have manufactured and sold Italian cheeses throughout the Northeast and parts of the Mid Atlantic under the Calabro name. Mr. Calabro was 88 years old.
Birthday shout-outs for the explosive month of July go out to: Joe Fantozzi, White Rose; Kelly Tarzwell, Burris Logistics; Tim Summy, BBU; Daryl Thomas, Herr Foods; Alvin Schwartz, Hagerty Schwartz/ ASM; and my son Gino Marfuggi Jr. who turns 21 this month! Buon Compleanno a tutti!
Celebrating wedded bliss this month are Paul and Monica McGurkin of Integrity Food Marketing; and Jim and Joan Kinney, former VP/GM of Food Trade News. Happy Anniversary!
Quote of the month: “Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Henry James