Ted Allen of Chopped to Host sofi™ Awards at Summer Fancy Food Show

NEW YORK, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ted Allen, Emmy Award winner and host of three shows on Food Network, including the long-running hit series Chopped, will host the 43^rd sofi Awards at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.

Allen is a contributing writer for Esquire magazine and author of two cookbooks, including "In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks" (Clarkson-Potter, 2012).  He was also a series regular on Food Network's, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," a judge on the first four seasons of Bravo's "Top Chef," and on Food Network's "Iron Chef America."  He was the food and wine specialist on Bravo's "Queer Eye," which was nominated twice for an Emmy and won the award in 2004.

The sofi Awards are the top honor in the $109 billion specialty food industry. They recognize creativity, innovation and excellence in 32 categories, including chocolate, cheese and vegan or gluten free products.

Allen will serve as keynote speaker and present the awards at a red-carpet ceremony on June 29, 2015.

The awards are the must-attend event at the Summer Fancy Food Show, the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages in North America. Owned and produced by the Specialty Food Association, the show will take place June 28 – June 30, 2015, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

"Ted brings with him a passion for food," says Association President Ann Daw.  "Throughout his career he has influenced millions of people, showing them the importance of the craft, care and joy that food can bring.  He is a true inspiration to the industry."

A strong supporter of anti-hunger initiatives, Allen will donate his speaking fee for the event to City Harvest, the Fancy Food Show's anti-hunger charity for 26 years. Allen is a member of City Harvest's Food Council and a frequent participant in the organization's fundraising events.

"We have rescued close to 2 million pounds of high quality food from the Fancy Food Show and delivered it to hungry New Yorkers, and we are grateful for the support of Ted Allen who is generously donating his speaking fee to support our work," says Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest. "City Harvest appreciates its 26-year relationship with the Specialty Food Association and we are proud to partner again on this exciting event, which is one of our largest annual food rescues."

Press Registration 
The Summer Fancy Food Show is a trade-only event. The Specialty Food Association provides complimentary press badges to qualified media. Learn more and register. Press is invited to attend the awards ceremony.

About Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs who bring craft, care and joy to the distinctive foods they produce.  Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,000 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 (formerly the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.) owns and produces the winter and Summer Fancy Food Show, and presents the sofa Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com

About City Harvest
Founded in 1982 as the world's first food rescue organization, City Harvest is dedicated to helping feed the more than 1.4 million New Yorkers facing hunger.  City Harvest will collect 50 million pounds of excess food from restaurants, grocers, bakeries, manufacturers, and farms, and deliver it free of charge to more than 500 community food programs across the city this year.  In addition to helping meet the immediate need for food, City Harvest takes a long-term approach to fighting hunger by partnering with residents, local organizations and businesses through Healthy Neighborhoods programs which increase the availability of affordable fruits and vegetables in low-income communities and provide the nutrition education and resources to maintain a wholesome, food-secure diet. 

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SOURCE Specialty Food Association

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