Specialty Food Magazine

38 SPECIALTY FOOD SPECIALTYFOOD.COM Maha Freij VILLAGE GOURMET/LES TROIS PETITS COCHONS Maha Freij, president of Les Trois Petits Cochons (Three Little Pigs) brand, draws a lot of pride from the company's success. "This brand feels personal. I work as if I own it, and it makes me very happy," she says. Freij has been with Three Little Pigs for 37 years, working her way up from a part-time position in accounts receivable, transitioning to national sales manager, then VP of sales, before being promoted to president. "What attracted me to Three Little Pigs was the quality of the product and its ingredients," which reminded Freij of her childhood in Lebanon. "We used to eat only fresh food from the market." After coming to the U.S., she was shocked to see unhealthy eating and worrisome ingredients embedded into the culture. She said that she was struck by Three Little Pigs' clean-label ethos, and was familiar with its product, having eaten French- imported pâté in her youth. During her tenure, she helped grow the brand from a local, specialty pâté maker in New York into a national specialty brand known for charcuterie staples including foie gras, cured meats, and sous-vide egg bites. SFA's Fancy Food Shows helped Freij build relationships with industry stakeholders and she, in turn, inspired the success of others by serving on SFA's Recognition and Membership Councils. Freij says that she owes much of her success to the brand's founder, Alain Sinturel, who made her believe that she could accomplish anything she set out to achieve. "In the beginning, I didn't know what the hell I was doing," she says. "But his support was very good." Then, when he sold the company, Freij says that she was wary about sticking with the brand until she met the new CEO, David Kemp. She was struck by his vision. "He is one of the smartest people I have ever met in my life," she says. In 2020, Kemp spearheaded the creation of Village Gourmet, which markets the Three Little Pigs, Fabrique Delices, Uncle Charley's, Esposito's, and Longhini specialty brands. Freij's leadership tactics are focused on democratizing the corporate structure. Being a leader means "being in the same position as everyone on the team," says Freij who will retire at the end of the year. "My team hides my weaknesses and embellishes my strengths." —G.H. Phil Gatto TRUE STORY FOODS Phil Gatto has made a career out of doing what he loves. Although he was only 10 years old at the time his family acquired the Columbus Salame Co., Gatto was soon tagging along to work with his father, uncle, and their cousin, and he decided to heed the advice of his uncle: "Think about something you love to do and make it your job." "Sixty years later, I still find it rewarding and exciting," says Gatto. He grew up working at the company, which changed its name to Columbus Craft Meats, and served for more than two decades as its CEO. He left to found True Story Foods, which makes a variety of natural and organic sausages, deli meats, bacon, and fresh pork products, while promoting sustainable farming and production practices. In addition to True Story Foods, the company also makes products under the Fork in the Road brand for Whole Foods Market. At Columbus Craft Meats, Gatto led the company to respond to supermarket demands for more cooked meats and salads, establishing Columbus Distributing, the distribution arm of the company, and launching Nonna's Kitchen, supplying premium specialty salads, tamales, and other prepared foods. Columbus was sold to private equity in 2006. "I personally didn't feel that I had done my best work yet, and I teamed up with my current partners and started today's True Story Foods," Gatto says. He describes True Story as a natural and organic further processor of deli meats and sausages, as well as a vertically coordinated fresh pork program. Gatto has been an active proponent of California's Proposition 12, which prohibits producing and selling products in the state that involve "gestation crates" for mother pigs and the extreme confinement of egg-laying chickens and calves used for veal. He cites the "many, many, many amazing people" he's worked with as highlights of his time working in the specialty food industry. These people, he said, "are willing to share their perspectives openly creating a collaboration for the betterment of the industry, and creating foods people rave about."—M.H. 2024 Hall of Fame Inductees

• Cover