October 26, 2005
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Leading speciality bread supplier, La Fornaia, has been chosen as Bakery Food Manufacturer of the Year at the prestigious Baking Industry Awards, presented at London's Grosvenor House on 19th September.
"This award is a fantastic recognition of the work put in by everybody at La Fornaia," says Sales and Commercial Director Ken Glennon. "It recognises the commitment to quality and innovation on which our business is built. It is also a great achievement to be the only company to win this award twice"
"La Fornaia revolutionised the market for bread in Britain," he says. "We were the first company to manufacturer and sell Ciabatta to the retail trade in the UK market and since then we've introduced a whole range of high quality Mediterranean, French, English and American style products".
"We are not resting on our laurels," he says. "We launched 42 new products this year and we are keeping up the emphasis on new product development which is driving forward our company's growth, currently at 26% year on year."
Recent innovations include a new range of products specifically designed for operators in the foodservice and catering sectors, as well as a range of topped chilled breads.
As well as being named Bakery Food Manufacturer of the Year, La Fornaia was runner up in the Bakery Supplier of the Year award. "All our staff know that the customer comes first and this award recognises our role as a trusted and reliable supplier and partner for all our customers," says Ken Glennon. "We offer a complete service to our customers, with the emphasis all the time on making their businesses successful."
"La Fornaia is a company that leads the industry with great ideas, great products and great service," says Ken Glennon. "These awards are a great recognition for everybody at La Fornaia. We're all very proud of our winning team."
Ends
October 21, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Horny Bull
Well, we can't exactly suggest that there is medical proof that tequila, orange juice, lemonade, and grenadine works as an aphrodisiac, but for all we know, perhaps this frozen blend has a Viagra-like effect on bovine drinkers. In all seriousness, this drink is very refreshing and is the perfect cool down drink!
October 15, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Rhode Island Ice Coffee
If this is the way Rhode Islander's start their day then BW crew is ready to take a sabbatical there! This is an awesome cold coffee drink that makes for a satisfying desert drink.
October 13, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Red Russian
We were a little skeptical at first to try this drink.. I mean really, how many colors do Russians have to be before you stumble across a mix that vodka should play no part in? Well, maybe that will happen on a pink russian or possibly a green one, but the Red Russian is very tasty and makes for a great suggested alternative to the standard fare of "Russian" (meaning vodka) drinks!
October 12, 2005
Wineries of Napa Valley, located at 1285 Napa Town Center, will offer weekly wine and food pairings with local chefs and winemakers in October. From 4:30pm - 6:30pm on Fridays in
October, customers can meet and chat with a Winemaker & winery owner along with a Napa restaurant Chef, while tasting the featured paired food and wines. Cost for each event is $10.00.
Popular local Blues musician Eddie Ceballos will provide entertainment.
On
October 14th, Winemaker Jeff Smith from Dusinberre Cellars will be pouring tastes of his wines, paired with savory appetizers presented by Chef Ramiro Nolazco from Ristorante Allegria.
On
October 21st, Winemaker Geoff Gorsuch of
Goosecross Cellars will be presenting Goosecross wines along with hors d'oeuvres prepared and presented by guest restaurant Piccolino's.
On
October 28th, Proprietor Vic Bourassa of Bourassa Vineyards will pour his wines to pair with appetizers from featured restaurant Posticino.
All of these restaurants are walking distance from
Wineries of Napa Valley, so to cap off each evening, attendees can bring a bottle of a featured wine from Wineries of Napa Valley to the featured restaurant to enjoy with a meal, and will not be charged the traditional "corkage fee". And of course, the Winemakers will be pleased to sign any bottles attendees purchase to carry out or ship home.
Wineries of Napa Valley is a multi-winery tasting room which opened two years ago to allow Napa residents and visitors an opportunity to taste hard-to-find wines from select local family-owned wineries. Currently, the wineries poured in the room include:
Goosecross Cellars, Bourassa Vineyards,Burgess Cellars, Dusinberre Cellars, Girard Winery and Illona Howell Mountain Winery. These wines will also be available for tasting on event nights, for a nominal additional fee.
Reservations are not required for the events, but information can be obtained by calling the tasting room at 707-253-9450, or on their website at
www.napavintages.com
October 10, 2005
This month,
Goosecross Cellars announces the release of its
vintage 2002 Syrah.
Goosecross Syrah is often described as "Rhône-style", as it is reminiscent of the great wines of the Rhône valley in southern France. "The French Rhône region made Syrah famous", explains winemaker Geoff Gorsuch, "And, we've carried on that tradition of excellence. I know that our Syrah has always been a popular wine among our customers, and if I do say so myself, I believe the 2002 is the best vintage of Syrah we've ever made."
Like those great "Old World" Syrahs of France, the Goosecross 2002 Syrah boasts ripe fruit flavor and exceptional character with rich, dark notes. This wine's fruit-forward profile of wild berry, strawberry jam and dark plum finishes with spicy peppers and ample tannins.
Visit Goosecross online at
www.goosecross.com to find out more about this wine, or to pair this wine with grilled meats and other hearty foods in the
Goosecross online searchable recipe database.
October 8, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Hot Buttered Cider
As the seasons change so do the drink requests. This hot drink is a classic that if prepared correctly will not only earn your customer's praise but will likely result in more orders. The delicious aroma this drink puts out triggers a powerful response in the area of the brain widely believed to control impulse purchases, Vegas weddings, and the occasional road trip. This region of the brain, whose Latin name we are too lazy to look up, can be easily influenced by decadence, promises of decadence, or even postcards of decadence.
This drink takes a little extra effort but sells itself quickly on a cold evening!
October 7, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Nutcracker
We're not sure about love at first sight, but we are certain about love at first taste. Rather than provide you a typical review I thought I would just include a partial transcript as one of our female samplers apparently fell in love, if not all out lust, with an inanimate cocktail. Here, then, are her transcribed comments as she sampled.
"Oh.... My... Gosh....."
"mmmmmmmm......."
"So you like it?" I ask. She ignores me, no longer even aware of my presence. She appears to be trying to communicate with the cocktail on some primal level as she is, and I am not making this up, making some kind of purring noise as she samples. I reiterate my question, nudging her to get her attention, her response is to continue to ignore me and order another.
That good? Yeah, it is. But be warned, once you sample this awesome blend you may never go back to Black Russians again!
October 6, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Frozen Black Irish
We love the word "ambrosia", we really do, and we sling it around amongst a ton of adjectives to describe various drink recipes. Problem is, we don't really know what it means but we know we like the way it sounds. After sampling this drink we have created a definition of the word so that we, along with other word challenged folks, can use it with confidence.
Ambrosia: "A delicious concoction that combines caffeine, desert, and liquor in a single glass."
While we don't expect immediate compliance from Webster's we can assure you that a Frozen Black Irish is very much like our description. Smooth and sweet, this makes an ideal after dinner drink!
October 4, 2005
Bartending-World.com BIASED review: Navy Grog
Lethal. Explosive. Dangerous. These are all adjectives that could be used to describe this volatile mix. Don't get us wrong, we love the stuff, at least we think we do as far as we can remember of the evening we last sampled this concoction. This drink falls squarely into the "I dare you" category and is popular wherever rum liquidation sales, college fraternities, and over the counter hangover remedies can be found.