Shitake Teriyaki Sauce Wins Best in Show at Kosherfest 2007 New Products Competition

Mikee Shitaki Teriyaki, produced by Exotic Sauce Packaging of Farmingdale, New York, emerged as the big winner at the Kosherfest 2007 New Products Competition. The product won both Best in Show and Best New Savory Condiment, Spice, Sauce, Oil, Vinegar or Dressing.
Winners in 15 separate categories of new kosher food products were crowned by a panel of professionals at the offices of Diversified Business Communications, co-producer of Kosherfest, one of its three Cultural Food New York events. Cultural Food New York is the new umbrella brand name for the food and beverage trade exposition that will showcase kosher, Hispanic and Asian foods on November 11-12 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
“The judging panel was very impressed by the Mikee product in terms of its taste, high quality and marketability,” said Brian Randall, Group Vice President, Diversified Business Communications, who moderated the judging. “This year was particularly competitive, with a number of exceptional products competing.”
Entries were judged on the basis of such criteria as their newness, quality, taste, salability, and retail price point. The winning products will be displayed at Kosherfest, where the awards will be presented.
In addition, two products from Oxygen Imports of Carteret, NJ won awards. Strawberry Vanilla Fruit Fusion won for Best New Fine Foods from Israel and Tishbi Estate Red Wine Preserves won in the Best New Jam, Preserve or Spread category.
The judging panel consisted of Joseph Plueger, Director of Grocery, DPI-Midwest, Arlington Heights, IL; Marty Stein, Account Manager, Tree of Life, Albany, NY; Yakov Yarmove, Corporate Ethnic Category Manager, SuperValue, Melrose Park, IL; and Nancy Dumais, Marketing Manager, Hannaford Supermarkets, Scarborough, ME.

Here are the winners of the Kosherfest 2007 New Product Competition:
· Best New Cheese or Dairy – Kids Pizza Pouches, Quality Frozen Foods, Brooklyn, NY

· Best New Baked Goods, Breads, Grains or Cereal – Bagle-O’s, Kedem/Bagle-O’s, Bayonne, NJ

· Best New Dessert, Candies, Cookies, or Crackers – Marzipan Sushi, Shabtai Gourmet, Woodmere, NY

· Best New Snack Food – Zesty Veggie Latke Crisps, Thou Shall Snack, Seattle, WA

· Best New Fine Foods from Israel – Strawberry Vanilla Fruit Fusion, Oxygen Imports, Carteret, NJ

· Best New Beverage – Totally Light Energy Rush Berry, 4C Food Corp, Brooklyn, NY

· Best New Savory Condiment, Spice, Sauce, Oil, Vinegar or Dressing – Mikee Shitaki Teriyaki, Exotic Sauce Packaging, Farmingdale, NY

· Best New Pasta, Rice, Bean or Soup – Instant Noodles, D&S Distributing, Los Angeles, CA

· Best New Jam, Preserve or Spread – Tishbi Estate Red Wine Preserves, Oxygen Imports, Carteret, NJ

· Best New Kosher Organic Product – Elite Naturel Honeydew Melon Juice, Elite Naturel/Organic Juice USA, Bohemia, NY

· Best New Foodservice Product – Shofar So Good Apron, Davida Aprons & Logo Programs, Huntington Park, CA

· Best New Packaging/Design – The Exceptional Brownie, The Exceptional Dessert, New York, NY

· Best New Passover Product – Ten Plagues in Pyramid Box, Shulsinger Judaica, Brooklyn, NY

· Best New Wine, Beer or Spirit – Rimon Pomegrante Dessert Wine – 2005, Rimon Winery (Cannonball Wine Co.), Menlo Park, CA

· Best Meats, Seafood or Poultry – Beef Jerky, R.J.’s Kosher Beef Jerky, Los Angeles.

· Best in Show – Mikee Shitaki Teriyaki, Exotic Sauce Packaging, Farmingdale, NY

Diversified Business Communications launched the Cultural Food expos in direct response to the continued surge of ethnic food and beverage, with American consumers spending a reported $1 out of every $7 on ethnic foods. Diversified launched Expo Comida Latina in 2002 which has grown into the largest series of Hispanic professional food and beverage events in New York and Los Angeles. In 2003, the company strategically acquired Kosherfest and KosherToday, the world’s largest professional kosher event and business newsletter. Diversified launched All Asia Food in New York in 2004 and All Asia Food in Los Angeles in 2005.

Cultural Food New York and Cultural Food Los Angeles events directly reach an estimated 16,000 food and beverage professionals who look to the events for news, information, new products and strategies to grow their business.