18 NY Food Companies Named Finalists in Good Food Awards

From New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets:

Eighteen New York companies from seven regions across the state have been named finalists for the annual Good Food Awards.   

The national competition recognizes the country’s best craft food and beverage producers who excel in both taste and sustainable practices in the production of their products. 

New York’s finalists were selected from more than 2,000 entries from more than 30 states. The winners will be announced later today, Friday, Jan. 20 in San Francisco.

 

“New York’s food and beverage producers are second to none when it comes to making delicious products sourced from local ingredients," said state Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball.

"As seen with our New York State Grown & Certified program, we know that New York’s farmers are leading the way in regard to growing high-quality food and doing it the right way — with a focus on food handling practices and environmental sustainability," he aid.

Now in its seventh year, the Good Food Awards celebrate craft food and beverage producers of all sizes who help create and support vibrant, sustainable local food economies.  

The awards are presented to winners in fourteen categories, such as beer, cider, cheese and honey.  The entries are evaluated in a blind tasting of more than 220 expert judges, including top chefs and food industry representatives. 

Those who score the highest in the blind tasting are then assessed on a wide variety of criteria, including use of local and nutritious ingredients and sustainable and environmentally sound practices. 

 

New York producers from seven regions across the state are finalists in the following ten categories:

 

CHARCUTERIE

Dickson’s Farmstand Meats, Head Cheese (New York City)

Hudson & Charles, Chicken Liver Pate (New York City)

 

CHOCOLATE

Fruition Chocolate, Marañón Canyon Dark Milk 68% & Hudson Valley Bourbon Dark Milk 61% (Mid-Hudson)

 

CIDER

Bad Seed Hard Cider, IPC (Mid-Hudson)

Eve’s Cidery, 2015 Darling Creek, Van Etten (Southern Tier)

Finger Lakes Cider House, Goodlife Barrel Rye (Finger Lakes)

Orchard Hill Cider Mill, Ten66 Pommeau (Mid-Hudson)

Slyboro Cider House, La Sainte Terre (Capital Region)

 

CONFECTIONS

Fruition Chocolate, Brown Butter Bourbon Caramels (Mid-Hudson)

 

FISH

Regalis Foods, Ikura Shoyu Zuke Caviar (New York City)

 

HONEY

Bee’s Needs, Marvelous May (Long Island)

 

OILS

Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods, Organic Sunflower Seed Oil (Finger Lakes)

 

PANTRY

Bronx Hot Sauce/Small Axe Peppers, Bronx Hot Sauce (New York City)

XILLI, Salsa Macha (New York City)

 

PICKLES

Food and Ferments, Sea King Sauerkraut (Central NY)

Holy Schmitt’s, Original Horseradish (Long Island)

 

SPIRITS

Breuckelen Distilling, 77 Whiskey: Local Rye and Corn (New York City)

Nahmias et Fils, Legs Diamond Rye Whiskey (Mid-Hudson)

The Hudson Standard, Catskill Masala Bitters (Mid-Hudson)

 

There are a total of 291 finalists from more than 30 states.  Find a complete list of the 2017 finalists http://www.goodfoodawards.org/2017-finalists/ at this link.

 

Since 2010 when the awards began, the competition has grown from 700 to 2,059 entries with representation from all 50 states.  

Last year, 13 New York producers were named winners in nine categories — charcuterie, chocolate, cider, coffee, honey, pantry, pickles, preserves and spirits.