The Specialty Food Association named the winners of this year’s sofi Awards. The winners were revealed on June 29 at a red-carpet awards ceremony at the 61st Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.
Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped delivered a keynote address, and chef Alex Guarnaschelli, a Chopped judge, handed out the gold sofi chef statues.
Winners were selected from 2,715 entries across 32 awards categories. The final voting ended at the trade show. A sofi, which stands for “specialty outstanding food innovation,” is considered the top accolade in the $109-billion specialty food industry.
This year, Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramels from Big Picture Farm in Townshend, VT picked up the sofi for outstanding new product of 2015. The confection is one of 33 winners in the annual competition which honors excellence across all specialty food categories, from appetizers to pastas to vinegar.
Now in its 43rd year, the sofi Awards are open to members of the Specialty Food Association, owner and producer of the Summer Fancy Food Show. In the spring, a national panel of specialty food professionals and food journalists selected the finalists over eight full days of tastings at the Specialty Food Association’s offices in New York.
This year’s sofi winners are:
Outstanding Appetizer, Antipasto, or Hors d ‘Oeuvres: Lone Mountain Wagyu: 100% Fullblood Wagyu Beef Summer Sausage
Outstanding Baking Ingredient, Baking Mix, or Flavor Enhancer: Sutter Buttes Natural and Artisan Foods: Blood Orange Olive Oil Brownie Kit
Outstanding Bread, Muffin, Granola, or Cereal: Callie’s Charleston Biscuits: Cheese and Chive Biscuits
Outstanding Cheese: Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.’s Bay Blue
Outstanding Chocolate: Laurie & Sons Dangerously Delicious Black Licorice Chocolate Toffee
Outstanding Classic Product: Vermont Creamery: Cultured Butter Sea Salt Basket
Outstanding Cold: Beverage Owl’s Brew: White and Vine
Outstanding Condiment: Sir Kensington’s: Special Sauce
Outstanding Confection: Big Picture Farm: Goat Milk Chai Caramels
Outstanding Cookie: Brownie, Cake, or Pie Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery: Organic Molten Chocolate Cake – Dark Decadence
Outstanding Cooking, Dipping, or Finishing Sauce: TIE Charissa: Authentic Moroccan Seasoning, Kitchens of Africa: Zanzibar
Outstanding Cracker: Grains of Health: Laiki Black Rice Crackers
Outstanding Dairy or Dairy Alternative Product: Bellwether Farms: Blackberry Sheep Milk Yogurt
Outstanding Dessert Sauce, Topping, or Syrup: Coop’s MicroCreamery – Salted Caramel Sauce
Outstanding Foodservice Product: Crown Maple – Grade A Very Dark Color Strong Taste Maple Syrup
Outstanding Frozen: Savory Callie’s Charleston Biscuits – Country Ham Biscuits
Outstanding Hot Beverage: Tea Forte – Vanilla Pear Tea
Outstanding Ice Cream, Gelato, or Frozen Treat: Steve’s Ice Cream – Speculoos Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Outstanding Jam, Preserve, Honey, or Nut Butter: Manicaretti Italian Food Imports – Sicilian Pistachio Spread
Outstanding Meat, Pâté, or Seafood: Fra’ Mani Handcrafted Foods – Salametto Piccante
Outstanding Oil: Culinary Collective: Castillo de Canena Smoked Arbequina Olive Oil
Outstanding Pasta, Rice, or Grain: Nella Pasta: Corn, Caramelized Onion & Thyme Ravioli
Outstanding Pasta Sauce: Sauces ‘n Love: Pumpkin and Kale Alfredo Sauce
Outstanding Salad Dressing: Nago Foods – Cracked Sesame Miso
Outstanding Salsa or Dip: Wozz! Kitchen Creations – Kiwi Lime Salsa Verde
Outstanding Savory Snack: Maya Kaimal Fine Indian Foods – Sweet Chili Chickpea Chips
Outstanding Soup, Stew, Bean, or Chili: Cook San Francisco – Nona Lim Thai Curry and Lime Broth
Outstanding Sweet Snack: Pipsnacks Kettle Pipcorn
Outstanding Vegan or Gluten-Free Product: Tate’s Bake Shop Gluten Free Ginger Zinger Cookie
Outstanding Vinegar: Ritrovo Italian Regional Foods Organic Apple Balsamic Vinegar
Outstanding Product Line: Fat Toad Farm – Farmstead Goat’s Milk Caramel
Outstanding New Product: Big Picture Farm – Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramels