SAN FRANCISCO — The competition was fierce – and fun – at the Front Burner Foodservice Pitch Competition at the Specialty Food Association's (SFA) 43rd Winter Fancy Food Show. When the scores were all tallied, Brooklyn Delhi and its Tomato Achaar won. The event was hosted on January 22 by the SFA's Foodservice Council.
Tomato Achaar is a condiment made with locally-grown tomatoes, tamarind, a mix of Indian spices, red chili powder, unrefined cane sugar and sesame oil. It has a savory, spicy and tangy flavor. Traditionally, achaar is eaten with rice, curry, dal and yogurt, but you can top most anything with it.
"I'm putting out the flavors that I grew up eating and I'm excited to make those more accessible to a larger audience," said Chitra Agrawal, founder of Brooklyn Delhi, who made the pitch presentation. Representatives from three companies were each given five minutes to pitch their products to foodservice professionals at the event.
Agrawal was up against Gerard Bozoghlian of Gardel's Fine Foods who pitched Gardel's Chimichurri Autentico, and Daron Fitch of Food Specialties Trading/De Nigris who pitched Modena Pearls.
"The Front Burner competition offers brands like Brooklyn Delhi the opportunity to flex their business-building muscles in a real-world situation, and helps event attendees understand the complexities of selling to foodservice," said Phil Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association. "Foodservice is an important segment of specialty food sales. In fact, foodservice is growing at a faster rate than retail for us. It's important we educate members to be successful in that channel.
"The SFA is committed to building stronger relationships between specialty food producers and affiliated businesses – buyers in particular. The Front Burner Foodservice Pitch is part of that. Agarwal made an impressive pitch, and we look forward to seeing Brooklyn Delhi's Tomato Achaar go on to great success."
The Front Burner Foodservice Pitch Competition judges tasted each product, and after hearing the pitches, assigned scores for innovation, quality, and chef-appeal for foodservice. The judging panel included:
- Adam Moskowitz, president of Columbia Cheese and Larkin Cold Storage.
- Arn Grashoff, director of merchandising and marketing for European Imports.
- John Venegas, regional vice president heading national pantry services for Best Vendors, the Canteen National Accounts arm within Compass Group.
- Joanne Weir, a 4th generation professional cook and James Beard award-winning cookbook author.
As the winner, Brooklyn Delhi receives a promotional prize package from the Specialty Food Association, including an ad in Specialty Food Magazine, editorial coverage in Specialty Food News, and more.
The first-ever Front Burner Foodservice Pitch Competition took place in January 2017 at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. The second competition was in New York at the Summer Show in June of last year. Winners were Hummustir, a take on deconstructed hummus, and TBJ Gourmet with their black pepper bacon jam, respectively.
About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,600 members in the U.S. and abroad the tools, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.
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Source: Specialty Food Association
