Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards Honors the Finest Artisanal Food

Producers Throughout the United States

    NEW YORK, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- After an extensive national search
 and meticulous judging process to unearth the country's top artisanal food
 producers, Gallo Family Vineyards today announced the winners of the 2007
 Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards program.
     From the savory to the sweet, nearly 200 foods spanning the entire food
 spectrum were carefully sampled by a prestigious group of culinary experts.
 Among them were products as divine as they were diverse, including spicy
 asparagus, purple basil jelly, artisanal duck and goat cheese truffles. In
 the end, six winners were declared based on taste, quality and their
 dedicated commitment to traditional artisanal methods of food producing.
 The following food producers emerged as the winners:
     --  Outstanding Bread/Baked Good: Anna Lynn Skamangas (The Baklava Goddess
         Inc.) for Traditional Baklava, Schaefferstown, PA
     --  Outstanding Condiment/Oil Vinegar: Alisa Barry (Bella Cucina Artful
         Food) for Artichoke Lemon Pesto Dip, Atlanta, GA
     --  Outstanding Confectionery Good: Richard A. Shaeffer & Brian T.
         McElrath (B.T. McElrath Chocolatier) for Passion Fruit Truffle,
         Minneapolis, MN
     --  Outstanding Dairy: Michael and Carol Gingrich, Daniel and Jeanne
         Patenaude (Uplands Cheese Company) for Pleasant Ridge Reserve Cheese,
         Dodgeville, WI
     --  Outstanding Fruit or Vegetable: Kathie Rosenschein (Kathie's Kitchen)
         for "Superseedz" (sea salt-flavored pumpkin seeds), Newtown, CT
     --  Outstanding Meat and Charcuterie: Hugh Fitzsimons (Thunder Heart
         Bison) for Thunder Heart Bison, San Antonio, TX
     "This year's judging was a delight of gastronomical proportions, and
 each of our winners was truly exceptional in their respective categories,"
 said Stephanie Gallo, third generation director of marketing for Gallo
 Family Vineyards. "We were immediately impressed by the outstanding quality
 of their foods, but even more so by the commitment to their craft and their
 dedication to using only the finest ingredients. My family welcomes these
 six highly accomplished producers into our extended family."
     The most prestigious prize, the signature "All Artisanal Award," was
 also presented today to a family-owned business that best exemplifies
 exceptional artisanal food production and stands as an inspiration to other
 food industry professionals. After carefully reviewing each winner's
 background, cousins Stephanie and Matt Gallo selected Thunder Heart Bison,
 whose inspirational story most resembled the family values and history of
 the Gallo family itself.
     "Each producer has a great family story to share, but Hugh Fitzsimons
 from Thunder Heart Bison stood out as the most inspirational and
 impressive," said Matt Gallo, third generation winegrower, Gallo Family
 Vineyards. "It's clear how important family is to the daily operation of
 his business, with each member playing a vital role. As someone who spends
 most of his time on the land, I felt an immediate connection to Thunder
 Heart's passionate commitment
     to the agriculture and the animals they raise. We're thrilled to bestow
 them with this much-deserved honor."
     Each winner received a $5,000 business development grant to help
 nurture their commitment to artisanal production, an annual membership to
 the Chefs Collaborative (a not-for-profit organization fostering
 sustainable agriculture), and the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards
 "seal of excellence" for use throughout advertising, promotional materials
 and display on their products as a symbol of quality. In addition, each
 winner received a trip to New York City where Matt and Stephanie Gallo
 honored them during a celebratory luncheon at one of New York's top
 restaurants, Eleven Madison Park. James Beard award nominee Chef Daniel
 Humm expertly prepared a four- course meal featuring the winning products.
     The esteemed judging panel behind this year's winners include: Ed
 Doyle, President, RealFood Consulting, Chefs Collaborative Executive Board
 Member; Malachy Duffy, Wine and Food Writer; Max McCalman, Maitre Fromager
 Artisanal and Picholine, and Dean of Curriculum for artisanalcheese.com;
 Ferdinand Metz, President Emeritus, Culinary Institute of America and
 President of the World Association of Chefs; Sara Moulton, Food Editor,
 Good Morning America, and Clark Wolf, Food and Restaurant Consultant.
     For more detailed information on this year's winners, judges and the
 annual program, please visit http://www.gallofamily.com.
     About Gallo Family Vineyards:
     Gallo Family Vineyards Sonoma has ranked among the world's most award-
 winning wineries since its first wines were released in 1993. Under the
 leadership of third-generation family members, Gina and Matt Gallo, the
 sister and brother team of winemaker and winegrower, along with cousin
 Stephanie Gallo heading up the brand's global marketing, the Gallo Family
 Vineyards line of wines has become the winery's most recognizable flagship
 brand. To learn more about Gallo Family Vineyards, their multiple lines of
 wines, upcoming programs and tasting events, please visit
 http://www.gallofamily.com.
 
 

SOURCE Gallo Family Vineyards