Gourmet Lemon Burst Cookies from WOW Baking Company were named the Outstanding Diet and Lifestyle Product in the NASFT 2012 sofi™ Awards. Winners were announced in a red-carpet ceremony in Washington, D.C., by noted chef and culinary innovator José Andrés, who presented the awards.
The name sofi is an acronym for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation, and receiving a sofi is an honor equivalent to winning an Oscar in the specialty food community. Drawing a record 2,520 contenders in 32 awards categories, 2012 was the most competitive competition in the sofi Awards’ 40 year history.
“It’s really nice that a gluten-free cookie won top honors in the Outstanding Diet and Lifestyle Product category this year, especially with record-breaking entries and intense competition,” said Joy Page, owner and founder of WOW Baking Company. “We just want to be known for creating delicious, gourmet cookies everyone can enjoy.”
The sofi Gold Winners are selected by about 150 specialty food buyers who cast their votes based on quality, taste, innovation, and by which products their customers are inspired to purchase. WOW Baking’s Lemon Burst Cookies took top honor among five Silver Finalists in the Diet and Lifestyle Product category.
“WOW Baking is adding excellence to the gluten-free market, which has helped take the gluten-free category up a notch,” said NASFT Communications Director Louise Kramer, “Joy Page and her staff should be extremely proud of their accomplishments.”
Lemon Burst is one of five flavors available in WOW Baking’s new Grocery Line of mini-sized gourmet wheat and gluten-free “Cookies in a Bag,” noted Page. The other flavors are Snickerdoodle, Ginger Molasses, Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Chip. This new look and packaging allow the cookies to stay fresh, moist, chewy and delicious for nine months in air-tight, re-sealable bags.
This spring, a national panel of specialty food professionals narrowed the field to 125 Silver Finalists in eight days of judging at NASFT offices in New York City. The winners were selected by buyers who evaluated the products and cast votes at the Summer Fancy Food Show that ended Tuesday, June 19, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.
About the NASFT
The non-profit NASFT is celebrating its 60th anniversary as a trade association established in 1952 to foster commerce and interest in the specialty food industry. Today there are more than 2,900 members in the U.S. and abroad and its website, foodspring.com, provides an insider’s look at specialty foods and the companies, entrepreneurs, and artisans behind them. For more information on the NASFT and its Fancy Food Shows, go to specialtyfood.com.
About WOW Baking Company
WOW Baking Company was founded and thrives in the Pacific Northwest, an inspiring environment for all-natural products and an area that whole-heartedly supports “green” business practices. In 2007, WOW outgrew its first production kitchen and opened new offices and a production facility built to meet the growing demand for WOW Baking Company products. For more information about WOW Baking Company, please call (425) 251-0541 or find a distributor on the company’s website: www.wowbaking.com/wholesale/
Source: WOW Baking Company