Who's News in Catering for February 26, 2022

Products on the Market

Los Angeles-based Postal Petals is a farm-to-table fresh flower delivery service designed for people who like to make their own flower arrangements.

Oren’s Coffee, the beloved New York City coffee shop, is celebrating its 36th year in business with a limited run Oren’s Anniversary Blend 2022.  A blend of Ethiopia Sidamo Shantawene, Papua New Guinea Mile High A and French Roasted Colombia beans brings together the three primary coffee growing regions in one aromatic cup. Notes of raspberry jam meet citrus with a caramel and bittersweet chocolate finish to round out the flavorful coffee blend.  The Oren’s Anniversary Blend 2022 is reminiscent of Oren’s Mocha Java and French Roast blend, the most requested blend during the company’s first year in business.  

OnTerra Systems (www.OnTerraSystems.com), the developers of RouteSavvy route planning software (www.RouteSavvy.com), today announced a new RouteSavvy Mobile App with new delivery & service call management functionality and enhanced smartphone-based GPS tracking. RouteSavvy is web-based, subscription-based, software-as-a-service (SAAS) route planning software. Designed specifically for the needs of small to mid-sized businesses & non-profits, RouteSavvy generates more efficient routes for deliveries, pick-ups, service calls & sales calls. More efficient routing significantly reduces fleet operating costs for fuel costs, maintenance expenses, and labor costs. In addition, RouteSavvy’s ability to generate more efficient routes typically leads to increases in business revenue, because more deliveries, pick-ups, or service calls can be shoe horned into the work week.   

Kari-Out Company, a leading manufacturer, importer and nationwide distributor of paper, aluminum, and recyclable packaging products in the restaurant takeout industry, today announced a significant move to bolster its innovative line of sustainable packaging solutions. The company’s largest investment to date will expand manufacturing capabilities in its Specialty Quality Packaging (SQP) facility in New York, where Kari-Out’s popular Food Trays, Eco Box™ and Eco Earth™ paper food containers are produced.  SQP, founded in 1981, has been a Kari-Out company for over fifteen years and has helped Kari-Out drive innovation with a highly experienced manufacturing team. 

Royal Hollandia superior quality imported Dutch cheeses announce their debut in the United States at The Winter Fancy Food Show. Offering a full lineup of wheels, wedges, snacks, slices, and a new entry pack size cheese line. A combination of traditional Dutch cheeses from Mild & Aged Gouda, Maasdam, and Edam to Chili Pepper and Mediterranean Herb are offered in different formats to meet the needs of consumers. Royal Hollandia is truly being defined as “premium” transcending the notion of superior quality.  Royal Hollandia cheeses are made with the highest quality ingredients and are produced in a meticulous fashion, which began over 120 years ago, delivering premium cheese products. Dutch cheesemakers have a long, rich history in cheese-making, and cheese is ingrained in their culture. This makes them expert cheesemakers. The Royal Hollandia brand offers retailers exceptional product standout on the shelf and at the counter. The visible brand offers strong assets that help consumers navigate the deli and drive purchases.  This new product has consumer-friendly packaging making it easy to select your cheese of choice with easy-to-read cheese types, flavor descriptors, and an important symbol. Pairing options and a flavor scale are also included in the entertainment cheese assortment of Wedges and Entry Packs.  

 Hot Off the Presses

Fine dining restaurant Luce at InterContinental SF Hotel partners with the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies program for the 11th Annual Culinary Clash 2022, a fundraiser for CCSF's Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies scholarship fund. Six rising CCSF students and recent graduates take over Luce's world-class kitchen on three consecutive Mondays (March 14, 21 & 28, 2022) to showcase their very own three-course fine-dining menu as they compete for scholarship and cash prizes. CCSF Culinary Arts & Hospitality Studies students/grads gain unprecedented real-world kitchen experience while a panel of special guest judges and Rogelio Garcia (Luce, Executive Chef) judge the tasting menus to see which ones truly stand out in flavor, technique, pricing, and originality. 

People on the Move

Michael Green started in the wine business when he was only six years old, helping his father ring up customers in New York's oldest wine shop. He would stay on throughout his academic career which helped him to pay for college and a study abroad at Cambridge. However, this year he's celebrating a 35-year milestone with his luxury wine and spirits tasting business through which he entertainingly makes this high-brow art form accessible to everyone by easing audiences with his theater background and down-to-earth personality. No wonder why he is one of the most sought-after wine and spirits experts in the country, and why for more than two decades he was a consultant for Gourmet Magazine! Most recently, Michael will be hosting the Anguilla New Epicurean Festival featuring local and international chefs from May 11-15, 2022.  Due to the pandemic, he has also pivoted to online courses and a hybrid model for the luxury hospitality brands and Fortune 500 clients he caters to.

Michael Freitas Finete has taken the helm as president and chief executive officer of SupHerb Farms, an agriculture-based business specializing in the production of individually quick frozen (IQF) herbs, specialty vegetables, purees and globally-inspired culinary pastes and blends for foodservice operators and food manufacturers. Finete has more than 25 years of experience in the global food industry. Most recently, Finete served as general manager at Sensient Natural Ingredients LLC. Prior to this position, he was a founding partner and general manager of Santo Amaro Foods and served as general manager of Advance Impact SAS. Finete began his career with General Mills, HJ Heinz and Samsung working in international sales and marketing, business development as well as procurement. Finete earned his master’s degree in International Marketing from the University of San Diego and his bachelor’s degree in Management Science from the University of California in San Diego. He has dual citizenship in the United States and Portugal and is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. 

Association Updates

 The International Caterers Association Educational Foundation (ICAEF) has announced its 2022 scholarship recipients: