Top Specialty Foods of 2015 Announced at Summer Fancy Food Show

NEW YORK, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Raspberry Rhubarb Goat Milk Caramels from Big Picture Farm in Townshend, VT. is the winner of the sofi™ Award 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.

The winners were announced June 29 at a red-carpet awards ceremony at the 61^st Summer Fancy Food Show in New York. Ted Allen, host of Food Network's Chopped delivered a keynote address, and the coveted gold sofi chef statues were handed out by Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, a popular Chopped judge.

This year's winners were selected from 2,715 entries across 32 awards categories. The final voting ended at the trade show. A sofi is considered the top accolade in the $109-billion specialty food industry. "sofi" stands for specialty outstanding food innovation.

See the sofi winners here.

The 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
Callies Charleston Biscuits: Cheese and Chive Biscuits

Outstanding Cheese - Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.: 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, Pate, 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

The sofi Awards contest, now in its 43^rd year, is 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.

For a behind-the-scenes look at the judging, including photos, stats, and trends, view Specialty Food News' live blog coverage

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 sofi Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

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Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150317/182518

SOURCE Specialty Food Association