Sabra Brings Top Influencers to the Table - Welcoming the 2012 Sabra Tastemaker Panel

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Sabra^® Dipping Company (www.sabra.com) is inviting some of the brightest stars of the blogosphere to the table as part of the Sabra Tastemaker Panel.  This select group of influencers will participate in a guided taste adventure throughout the year including an intimate behind the scenes at Sabra's award-winning hummus facility in Virginia.  Tastemakers will participate in curated tastings and new product evaluations.  In turn, they will share their expertise with the brand while discovering new finds in the world of food preparation, ingredients, agriculture, and food photography.

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Best known for its top-selling hummus, Sabra produces more than a dozen varieties including Tuscan Herb and Southwestern as well as single serving size and hummus packaged with pretzels.  Hummus is one of the fastest growing products in its category.  Sabra recently introduced authentic, fresh refrigerated Salsa, all natural Guacamole, as well as Greek yogurt based vegetable dips.  

"Sabra loves connecting with fans in person, online and at home.  Whether through our nationwide Taste Adventure sampling tours or our social media community, we especially enjoy hearing from our fans as we share the Sabra story," said Mina Penna, Senior Brand Manager for Sabra Dipping Company.  "This year's Tastemaker Panel is made up of unique and inspired individuals who share our passion for new experiences and adventure through food.  By joining us at the Sabra table, they will not only help more people discover Sabra, but help us shape our own story."

Sabra's 2011 Tastemaker Panel helped select the limited edition Season's Finest Rosemary, Olive Oil and Sea Salt hummus last year.

Who are the 2012 Sabra Tastemakers?

Matt Armendariz – www.MattBites.com

MattBites.com has been recognized by numerous publications, editors and writers and is one of the charter members of Martha's Circle, a selection of lifestyle blogs selected by the editors of Martha Stewart Living. Matt has appeared on Martha's daytime TV show, and in addition to blogging also teaches workshops devoted to food photography as well as speaking on food styling and photography at conferences, schools and colleges. Matt released his first cookbook, "On A Stick" in 2011.

Elise Cobb – www.hungryhungryhippie.com

Hungry Hungry Hippie is a lifestyle blog focusing on Elise's passions, including trying new foods and creating recipes. Elise blogs about food, fitness and her job as a Registered Nurse. She follows a mostly plant-based diet and has a following among people with similar lifestyles.

Aviva Goldfarb – www.thescramble.com

A freelance writer, advocate for better nutrition for children, and mother of two, Aviva started the healthy family dinner planning site The Scramble in 2003. She is the author of two popular cookbooks, "Six O'Clock Scramble" and "SOS! The Six O'Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families," the latter of which was named one of the best cookbooks of 2010 by The Washington Post. Aviva is also a weekly contributor to PBS Parents Kitchen Explorers, is a featured chef on PBS.org, and is frequently quoted in national parenting, lifestyle and health magazines and appears regularly on television to discuss healthful recipes and meal strategies for busy families.

Matthew Long – www.landlopers.com

As Editor-in-Chief and creator of LandLopers.com, Matt shows people that it's possible to have a job and family and still see the best the world has to offer. Matt shares his travel tips and expertise so that you can get out and explore the world - one adventure at a time. Matt is a Lonely Planet Featured Blogger as well as a contributor to many other travel sites and publications. Matt's site is listed as a top travel blog by many companies including Viator Travel, easyJet and Washington Flyer.

Shulie Madnick – www.foodwanderings.blogspot.com

Shulie is a recipe developer, food and cultural writer, a food photographer and a cooking instructor. She likes to incorporate both her Indian and Jewish heritage into her cooking.  Her recipes and photos have been published in The Washington Post, Fine Cooking magazine, Washington Jewish Week, The Jew and the Carrot among others.

Brooke McLay – www.cheekykitchen.com

Brooke McLay is a food blogger/photographer, life writer, recipe developer and mom to four kids. Her blog has a focus on realistic, plant-based food you can actually make—and that the whole family will actually eat. When not attending to her blog or her kids, she freelances for Disney's Babble, Betty Crocker, General Mills, writes vegan cookbooks, and hosts cooking shows like ChefMom.com.

Marnely Rodriguez – www.cookingwithbooks.blogspot.com

In addition to running Cooking with Books, Marnely Rodriguez-Murray is also a freelance food and travel writer. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Marnely has worked as an overnight bread baker in Colorado, a chocolate maker in Virginia as well as a pastry cook on Martha's Vineyard. Influenced by her hometown of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, she is on an endless search for Caribbean flavors, new adventures and gastronomic inspiration, which she then shares in her food writing and recipe development.

Debra and Rod Smith – www.smithbites.com

Debra and 'The Professor' are husband and wife business partners, freelance writers, storytellers, videographers, photographers and publishers of smithbites.com. They've always been storytellers: professional producers, directors, performers and owners of a multimedia company for more than a decade. Every photograph, every piece of music, every video project, every detail they document must take people on a journey, evoke an emotion, and tell a great story. Working as a team gives them the advantage of blending two unique storytelling perspectives into one cohesive voice. Whether it's places they travel to, who they meet at the market, what they grow in their gardens or create in their kitchen - at Smith Bites, it's the food that connects us all.

Bronwen Tawse – www.spicestationsilverlake.com

Bronwen Tawse is the owner of popular spice shop (both brick and mortar and online), Spice Station, which sells more than 300 spices, herbs, salts, peppercorns and chilies. She and her husband opened the shop in 2009 when she realized how difficult it was to obtain high quality, exotic spices in the US.  Bronwen was recently profiled in an Oprah.com feature entitled "How They Discovered Their Dream Careers."

Shauna and Daniel Ahern – www.glutenfreegirl.com

Shauna and Daniel Ahern are the owners of the popular gluten free site, Gluten Free Girl & The Chef.  Writing about food, life, recipes and love, Glutenfreegirl.com was named one of the best food sites in the world by Gourmet.com, Bon Appetit.com, and The London Times, as well as being named one of the 20 best blogs by and for women by The Sunday Telegraph.

Ericka Sanchez - www.nibblesandfeasts.com

Ericka's bilingual blog consists of her experiences with good food, recipes and food products she finds interesting and fun. Her cooking combines traditional Mexican recipes passed down from her mother and grandmother with her own modern, LA mom twist. Ericka is also the "Culture of Food" contributor for the popular blog for parents raising bilingual children, Spanglish Baby.

Monica Olivas – www.runeatrepeat.com

Monica created her blog four years ago to document her weight loss journey, healthy eating and training for her first marathon.  Four full marathons and dozens of half-marathons later, she's still eating fro-yo and sharing her life online! She is dedicated to finding healthy foods that are delicious too. In addition to blogging, she is a certified Personal Trainer and coaches an entry-level 10K running group in Orange County, CA. When she's not running or eating she is a freelance writer.  Run Eat Repeat was a Shape Magazine 2011 Blogger Awards finalist. 

Jordan Reid – www.ramshackleglam.com

Ramshackle Glam presents "inspired lifestyle ideas for the experimental urbanite," and includes frequent webcasts on Vimeo and YouTube. Reid is the lifestyle expert for nationally syndicated women's program BetterTV, and is also a correspondent for MSNBC, VH1, WPIX 11, and other nationally and internationally syndicated lifestyle and entertainment programs. She has spoken on panels during Social Media Week and Internet Week, and is a regular contributor to numerous publications and websites, including Celebrations.com, TimeOut NY, Mommyish.com, and The Gloss.com. Reid is partnered with AOL StyleList for fashion and beauty coverage, and also works with Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network as a Conversation Leader.

Olga Berman - www.mangotomato.com

Olga is one of those people who think about dinner while still having breakfast. She is constantly creating recipes in her head and in her kitchen inspired by a childhood in Russia and travels through the US and abroad. Mango & Tomato is where she shares her love of food and nothing makes her happier than when readers create her recipes to rave reviews.  When she's not obsessing about food, Olga obsesses with the people in her life, salsa dancing, jewelry, orchids, photography, travel and home decorating. 

Follow along with the Tastemakers on www.twitter.com with #SabraTastemakers.

Sabra hummus, available in more than a dozen varieties, can be found in the refrigerated section of the deli in club stores, supermarkets and specialty retailers nationwide.

About Sabra Dipping Company, LLC

Sabra Dipping Company, LLC is a leader in the refrigerated dips and spreads category and producer of America's top-selling hummus. Sabra's award-winning hummus, available in more than a dozen flavors and a wide range of authentic, healthy and vegetarian dips and spreads, can be found nationwide in club stores, supermarkets, specialty retailers and through food service. Sabra operates a silver LEED certified factory in Virginia, and in 2011 received an A-Classification from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) audit board for food safety for its California plant. Visit Sabra at www.sabra.com, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sabra and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sabra.

SOURCE Sabra Dipping Company, LLC