New Windsor, NY – Café Spice Beetroot Rasam Soup has been named a finalist in the Specialty Food Association’s 2015 sofi™ (Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation) awards competition. “We are honored that our soup has been appreciated by the Specialty Foods Association. I'm so proud of our culinary and creative teams!“ said Café Spice President Sameer Malhotra. A sofi is a top honor in the $109 billion specialty food industry. Only125 finalists were selectedby a national panel of specialty food experts from nearly 3,000 entries. In addition, the Beetroot Rasam Soup is a finalist in two categories: Best Soup, Stew, Bean or Chili AND Best New Product!
The Café Spice Beetroot Rasam Soup combines aromatic roasted beets and golden lentils, pureed in a tomato base, with special ingredients such as tamarind, garlic, chilies and a blend of freshly ground South Indian spices, sure to satisfy one's whims for a virtual mealtime journey to a tropical destination. Nutritious and filling, the soup rides the trend for healthy, comforting food composed of fresh and whole ingredients, without additives or preservatives.
“My inspiration for the soups arose in my grandmother’s kitchen when I was a little boy in Southern India," said Café Spice’s culinary director, celebrated chef Hari Nayak. “I created this soup to build on a traditional south Indian staple comfort food, blending locally sourced ingredients to create a unique soup.”
Other soup varieties produced by Café Spice include Chicken Mulligatawny, Madras Squash, and Bombay Lentil. The recipes respond to emerging personal tastes, with chicken that is raised humanely without antibiotics and vegetarian fed; vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options; as well as spiciness levels ranging from mild to medium and hot.
The soups are sold at Whole Foods Market in 24-oz. containers and at a growing number of groceries on the Eastern Seaboard, with nationwide distribution in development. 16-oz. containers will be available this spring. The soups are also available in foodservice packs.
Café Spice is located in New Windsor, New York, in the Hudson Valley, where “we are proud to be a large employer in an area that needs more jobs,” said Malhotra. The company produces several lines of freshly prepared food products for supermarkets, foodservice and its own Café Spice quick-service restaurants and kiosks, including the flagship Café Spice Express in New York City's Grand Central Station.
The sofi Awards are open to members of the Specialty Food Association, established in 1952 for food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs with more than 3,000 members. Winners will be announced June 29, 2015, by Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped, at a red-carpet ceremony at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. For more information on the association and its Fancy Food Shows, go to specialtyfood.com.
Source: Café Spice
