Sukhi’s Named Best in Frozen Savory

Sukhi’s Samosa with Chutney from Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods took top honors in the Frozen Savory category, winning a Sofi Gold Award at the 55th Summer Fancy Food Show last night, Monday, June 29, at the Javits Convention Center in New York.

Sukhi’s got the top nod in frozen savory over two other finalists: Callie’s Charleston Cocktail Ham Biscuits from Callie’s Charleston Biscuits and Greenwich Spinach Crepini from Crepinicafe.com.

The awards are presented annually at the Summer Food Show by the National Association of Specialty Food Trade (NASFT). Chef Ming Tsai, star of his own PBS television show “Simply Ming” and the owner-chef of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass., presented the keynote address. He also assisted NASFT staff in presenting the 33 Gold Award winners with their Sofi statuettes.

Finalist in each of the 33 categories are awarded silver Sofi statuettes and the winner in each category is presented the coveted gold Sofi at a special awards ceremony at the annual summer gourmet food show in New York.

Other freezer case delectables that took home honors at the Sofi awards were Cia Bello’s Key Lime Graham Cracker Gelato, which won the gold award in the Perishable Foodservice Product category, and Silver Moon Ice Cream and Sorbet from Silver Moon Desserts, a silver Sofi finalist in the Product Line category. Pink Grapefruit Super Sprint from Pregel America was a silver finalist in the Dessert or Dessert Topping category.

TFFG Says: I was on hand for the reception prior to the awards ceremony and was able to enjoy some of the other finalists and gold award winners in non-frozen categories. Some standouts were:
* Wild Maine Blueberry Jam from Stonewall Kitchen.
* Wimmer Gruener Veltliner, a delicious white wine from BittnerAmeria Specialty Imports. A Bittner rep told me this wine from Wimmer in Austria retails for about $20 and is distributed from Florida and now New York.
* Grafton Duet from Grafton Village Cheese Co.
* Acai Black Currant Superfruit Syrup from Sonoma Syrup Co. is a terrific non-alcoholic beverage for summer entertaining. A Sonoma Syrup staff member told me that bartenders in Sonoma County (California) and the Bay Area are using the Acai Black Currant Superfruit Syrup as a key ingredient in their summer cocktail recipes, using it as a base for gin- and vodka-infused drinks.
* Cucina Viva Roasted Red Tomatoes from European Imports Ltd., great with an appetizer-size piece of bread or gourmet wheat cracker.
* Danielle Fruit Chips--Roasted Coconut from New England Herbal Foods, which won the coveted Sofi gold award for New Product.