In & Around Food World

Congratulations to the Network of Executive Women Mid-Atlantic, which held a holiday luncheon in December bringing together leaders in the food industry. The event, co-sponsored by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), was held at the beautifully decorated Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington DC, and brought together more than 100 NEW members and guests.

After opening remarks by GMA President and CEO Pamela G. Bailey, attendees heard proven strategies for advancing their careers.

Sharing their experiences and insights were: Denny Belcastro, executive vice president, industry affairs and membership services of GMA; Mike Gorshe, partner, retail and consumer goods of Accenture; Stephen Neal, CEO and president of KNEAL International Trucks Inc.; and Mark Tarzwell, president, Burris Retail Logistics. Judy Spires, president and CEO, Kings Super Markets, moderated the panel.

Jeanine Jones, Mid-Atlantic co-chair and director of diversity and inclusion for Giant/Landover, credited the region’s event team for “pulling off this event during our busiest time of the year. It just proves that when passionate and committed people work together to achieve a common goal, anything is possible.”

“The Network of Executive Women is a terrific organization that has helped me grow both personally and professionally over the last two years,” noted Phyllis Moore, manager of transportation for Giant. “Participating in the regional events are always a great opportunity to expand my skills and to network with others in the industry. They truly value diversity and promote the idea that all women have a responsibility to bring other women up with them as they progress in their careers.”

We were saddened last month to learn of the death of Charles Hofmeister, one of the most popular and loved people in the Mid-Atlantic food business.

Charlie, as he was known to everyone, was a Baltimore native and lived in Severna Park at the time of his death. A World War II veteran, he was drafted into the conflict at 18. He joined the 82nd Airborne Division and was shipped to Europe to take part in the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded and captured by the Germans. He was liberated, reactivated and then shipped back to the U.S. where he received an honorable discharge and was awarded a Purple Heart along with other citations.

Before being drafted, he had worked for Food Fair as a grocery clerk. After his discharge, he returned to Food Fair and eventually was promoted to Head Grocery Buyer.  He retired after 40 years with the company. He then joined A&P Super Fresh as executive vice president of operations of the Mid-Atlantic division. He retired in 1991.

Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Inga Hofmeister and three sons, Michael, Stephen, a Giant Food store manager, Tom and 14 grandchildren. Charlie was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. He loved the grocery business and the people who work in it, and even in retirement, he loved to talk about it whenever he met anyone involved in the business be they retailers, wholesalers or brokers. He will be missed. Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association. Charlie was 84.

Last month attended the 8th Annual Krautfest held at Gertrude’s Restaurant located inside the Baltimore Museum of Art.

The owner of Gertrude’s is John Shields, whom many of our readers know from his PBS television show, Coastal Cooking. John is also the author of numerous cook books including Coastal Cooking with John Shields and Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields.

If you’ve never been to his Krautfest, make a note to do so next year. It’s a wonderful event and they feature local items like Binkert’s Knockwurst and Bratwurst, Ostrowski’s Kielbasa and a real “oompa” band playing lots of polkas. You will also eat some of the best beer-braised sauerkraut along with some super desserts like double chocolate sauerkraut cake and Krauty Berger Cookie cheesecake.

Your Krautfest ticket includes all food, soft beverages, musical entertainment and service. It’s a fun evening, one the whole family can enjoy.  

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) elected its association officers and members of the board of directors for 2010-2011 at its membership meeting and luncheon held in San Francisco.

Jeff Thomas, VP-sales, Crystal Farms, has been elected chairman of the board. Thomas has been a member of the board since 2004, serving as vice chairman-refrigerated from 2005-2007, secretary in 2008 and as chairman-elect in 2009. He is also a member of The Distinguished Order of Zerocrats.

Other officers sworn at the Association’s 66th annual meeting were: Dan Maloney, Publix Super Markets, chairman-elect; John Larsen, Safeway Inc., secretary; Ray Tarnowski, Philadelphia Warehouse & Cold Storage, treasurer; Shawn Welch, Sara Lee Food & Beverage, vice chairman-frozen; and Scott Haws, Land O’Lakes, vice chairman-fefrigerated.

Elected to the board of directors were: Bob Cronin, Wells’ Dairy, Inc.; David Epps, Sara Lee Food & Beverage; Ken Gipple, Kraft Foods; Jeff Hall, Nestle Prepared Foods; Chris Hooks, Supervalu Inc.; Mike Johnson, Stonyfield Farm, Inc.; Michael O’Keefe, Advantage Sales & Marketing; Joe Oliveri, Dannon Company; Bobby Ray, Allens, Inc.; Angela Rosenquist, Boboli International, LLC; Brent Sherwin, Schwan’s Consumer Brands; Amy Skalny, Pinnacle Foods Group; Yvonne Turnbough, Pepperidge Farm; and Jim Walsh, H.P.Hood, LLC.

Elected for a second term on the board of directors were: Bill Chadwell, Daisy Brand, and Craig Entwistle, Rich Consumer Brands.

NFRA is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. Headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, NFRA is the sponsor of March National Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month, June/July Ice Cream & Novelties promotion and October Cool Food for Kids educational outreach initiative.  

Our good friend Ron Schwartzman of Acme Paper Products has an interesting item that should be of interest to every restaurant owner who has to make sure to wipe off tables. We’ve all seen some wait staff wipe off tables with a cloth or paper that was used to clean other tables. Not too appetizing to watch. Ron is selling wipes which are pre-moistened to clean down a table and then thrown away. If you run a restaurant where tables are cleaned with a wet cloth, this item is perfect for you. Your customers will rate your restaurant as being more sanitary than those that use a rag from table to table. For more information, contact Ron Schwartzman at Acme Paper for more details of this amazing product. And who knows, maybe you might see an ad for Table Wipes in a future edition of Food World.

Last month we traveled to Boston and while there paid a visit to old food broker friends at Johnson,O’Hare Company (JOH). Johnson, O’Hare was founded in 1955 by the late Harry O’Hare and today his son Chip O’Hare is the chairman and CEO and John Saidnawey is president and COO. The company has grown tremendously over the years and is one of the last of the local independent food brokers left in the United States.

And speaking of JOH, Gary Rosenthal, executive vice president and general manager of the JOH Metro Division was presented with the Harry O’Hare Award, the company’s most prestigious award named after the company’s founder.

This award is given annually to an employee who exemplifies the principles that Harry O’Hare valued and upon which he founded Johnson, O’Hare – diligence, moral values, positive attitude, team spirit and exceptional performance.

The award was presented to Rosenthal by John Saidnawey, president and chief operating officer of Johnson, O’Hare.

Past recipients of the Harry O’Hare Award include Bob Trumbour, Ken Black, Debby Bioneloli, Kathy Ascolillo and Carl Annese.

Fortune Magazine last month released its “100 Best Companies to Work For” list ranking Wegmans Food Markets No. 3 and making the New York-based grocer the highest-ranked retailer on the list. Wegmans has appeared on the Fortune list for 14 consecutive years, every year since the list was first published in 1998.

Also on the list are Whole Foods (No. 24) and Publix Super Markets (No. 67).

The Food Marketing Institute (FMI) last month announced a call for entries in the 2011 FMI Store Manager Awards, an annual program recognizing supermarket store managers who generate sales growth, provide great customer service, contributorily attain company goals and are an integral part of the communities they serve. The awards program will take place at Future Connect, the industry leadership education event, May 10-12, 2011 in Dallas, TX.

“Store managers play an essential role in enhancing supermarket business operations. They train and mentor their employees, work hard to provide excellent customer service and are actively involved in their communities,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and chief executive officer.

“We are very proud to acknowledge their leadership, customer service and community commitment with the FMI Store Manager Awards.”

Companies are invited to submit stories that demonstrate how a store manager created positive growth and customer satisfaction during the past 12 – 18 months. Entries will be scored based on the overall content and the store manager’s ability to: generate sales growth and positively impact the overall business of the store; go above and beyond the ordinary to provide customer service and community relations; execute innovative in-store programs and special events that improve overall customer service and community relations; demonstrate a balance between people skills and operations skills; and lead or mentor the team members from their store.

Three grand prize winners will each be awarded a $1,000 cash prize and a crystal award. Nine finalists, including the three grand prize winners, will receive two complimentary registrations to Future Connect and three nights of hotel accommodations in Dallas.

For more information contact Meredith Esbeck at 202-220-0728 or [email protected] for more information.

Birthday wishes go out this month to: International Food and Beverage’s (IFB) Frank Rich; Lancaster Foods’ John Gates; DBC Sales’ Kathy Carter; Hughes Sales’ Linda Hughes; Safeway’s Glenn Davis; Food Trade News’ Mike Keba; Advantage Sales and Marketing’s Pat and Nancy McBride; Metromedia’s Harriet Finkelstein, Stuart Sobotnick and Ed Hopkins; Acosta’s Kathy Chandler Poteet; and Master Food Consultant, Mike Wilson.

Anniversary wishes go out to Pastore’s Mike and Delores Pastore on their 62nd and to McCormick’s Joe and Judy Conoscenti on their 36th.

You can reach Dick at [email protected].