Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/375622
Who says sugar free cookies can't taste great?? Introducing... N O N Pro ec t V E R I F I E D G M O Tickle your tastebuds! ® ® • Sweetened with monk fruit! • All natural with zero grams of sugar • Non-GMO, kosher and vegan! Proudly made in the USA www.koochikoo.net info@koochikoo.net TEL: (206) 352-7034 The World's First All Natural Sugar Free Cookie EffiesHomemade.com malted …a biscuit for tea…a cracker with cheese …a cookie as a light and tasty snack New! lifetime achievement awards Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 1484 Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 688 Accomplishments At an Inter- national Trade Fair testimonial din- ner in 1960, Ries was honored for his outstanding efforts in building the import trade in Chicago. A 2011 New Yorker article recalls a time when the company hired Bela Lugosi to pro- mote a tough sell: the Reese Spooky Gift Set, featuring chocolate-covered ants, roasted butterflies, and barbe- cued bees. The insect-laden kit promptly sold out—a testament to Ries' avant-garde culinary creativity and his flair for glamour. Ries died December 30, 1984. At the Lifetime Achievement Awards ceremony, Ries' son Michael accepted the award on his behalf, saying his father would want to share the award with his wife, Ilse, "his partner in life and in business." Michael continued: "He can be best described by four T's: truthful, trustworthy—the relationships he built with his custom- ers were based on quality products and mutual trust sealed with a handshake—transformative, and thankful—he shared of himself by giving back to his community in Chicago and in war-torn Europe. He rebuilt synagogues, helped fund a hospital, founded a group home in Chicago for victims of World War II, gave people jobs, and allowed them to live with hope and dignity." RUSS VERNON West Point Market Russ Vernon could have pursued other career paths after serving in the Air Force. But in 1960 he accepted an invitation to join the family business, where he began a 50-year career proving that specialty foods were in demand all across the coun- try, not just the East Coast. Foray into Food. After working at the Bank of Albuquerque in New Mexico, Vernon decided to join the family business, an inde- pendent specialty grocery in Akron, Ohio, whose roots can be traced back to the Great Depression. "I was given an opportunity to join West Point Market with the potential of an eventual partnership," recalls Vernon. "From that point on it was pure passion for the business and the drive to succeed. I had to prove I was able, at age 24, to work beside two 50-year-old partners." Vernon attended his first Fancy Food Show at Columbus Circle Coliseum in New York City in 1962, an experience he remembers being quite intimidating. "I was young and inexperi- enced," says Vernon. 72 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com