It was not only a great day for the Irish on March 17, but there was good reason for others to proudly raise a glass as well.
The “Best New Foodservice” Seafood Excellence award winner for 2019 is Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Bites from East Coast Seafood.As folks outside the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) were parading and making merry in honor of the foremost patron saint of Ireland and the triumphant ousting of British troops from the colonial city in 1776 by General George Washington’s Continental Army, inside the spacious hall hosting Seafood Expo North America (SENA) the East Coast Seafood team was celebrating a big victory of its own. The Topsfield, Massachusetts-headquartered company’s Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Bites was honored with the “Best New Foodservice” Seafood Excellence Award following a hotly contested battle among creative culinary rivals.
Featuring premium and sustainably caught North American lobster meat, the recently launched frozen appetizer is produced without preservatives or artificial flavors. It boasts a creamy mixture of macaroni and a three-cheese blend (Parmesan, asiago and mozzarella) enrobed in a savory, crunchy golden-brown coating. The high profit margin menu item may be served with or without a dipping sauce.
Liz Pilzga (left), group vice president of seafood events for Diversified Communications, congratulates members of the East Coast Seafood team on their victory.In business since 1981, East Coast Seafood ranks among the largest suppliers of North American live lobster and scallops and offers a wide assortment of frozen fare. It is part of Lynn, Massachusetts-headquartered American Holdco’s ECSG group, which includes Seatrade International scallop and finfish processing operations in Lakeville and New Bedford, Massachusetts; Maine Fair Trade Lobster of Gouldsboro, Maine; Garbo Lobster of Connecticut, Maine and Nova Scotia; and Paturel International Co., which operates live lobster and lobster processing facilities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada.
Luck of the Scottish
The other big winner in the Seafood Excellence Awards competition was St. James Smokehouse of the Royal Burgh of Annan, Scotland and Miami, Florida. It received the “Best New Retail” prize for Saint Pure Salmon. The vertically sliced, bite-sized product is made with ASC-certified sushi-grade salmon. Cured with sea salt and brown sugar, it is smoked with Florida orange and grapefruit wood and distributed in 10-ounce (114-gram) packs.
Brendan Maher (second from left) founder and president of St. James Smokehouse, holds the Seafood Excellence “Best New Retail” prize for the company’s Saint Pure Salmon award winner. Joining him in the celebration are (left to right): Daniel Hildredth, chairman of Diversified Communications, the show organizer; Mary Larkin, president of Diversified Communications’ US operating division; and an unidentified member of the St. James Smokehouse team.It was not the first time in the winner’s circle for the company, which has won numerous food product prizes around the globe, including the “Best Chilled or Frozen Food” award at Gulfood in Dubai and a bevy of Scotland Food & Drink accolades. Previously at SENA, back when the exhibition was still known as the International Boston Seafood Show, the company garnered top retail honors for St. James Scotch Reserve Salmon infused with Hendrick’s Scottish Gin & Tonic.
Established in 2003, family-owned and operated St. James Smokehouse utilizes only natural raw materials and forbids the use of fake flavors and preservatives. It packs products in both Scotland and the USA, having opened a state-of-the-art smoking facility in Miami during late 2015.
“I saw a massive opportunity for us in North America quite early on,” said company founder Brendan Maher. “There’s a huge demand for smoked salmon there and a perception that anything ‘Scottish’ is superior, but what you had was US domestic smokers buying it in from Chile, smoking it and sticking it in a bag with a bit of tartan on it. The quality just wasn’t there, so I decided to start knocking on doors. There was a gaping hole in the US market for a genuine Scottish product.”
About the Awards
Seafood Excellence Awards recognize product leaders in the North American market, said Liz Pilzga, group vice president of seafood events for Diversified Communications, organizer of the annual competition and trade show, as she prepared to announce the 2019 winners. The new products are judged based on several criteria, including uniqueness and appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.
Winners were selected on March 17 from a group of finalists during a live judging held at the BCEC premises by a panel of seafood buyers and industry experts from retail and foodservice sectors. Finalists were previously chosen through a screening of 59 entries.
Judges included Ben Newlin, senior culinary operations specialist at the Cheesecake Factory; Mark Hogan, director of center of the plate for SGC Foodservice; and Josanna Busby, category manager of seafood and frozen meats at Food Lion, LLC.
Co-located with Seafood Processing North America, Seafood Expo North America has almost four decades of history and is the largest trade event of its kind in the USA. Starting out in 1982 with just 42 exhibitors primarily from the New England states and Atlantic Canada plying their wares at the former Boston Armory, today goods and services are showcased from more than 1,300 exhibiting companies at the sprawling BCEC venue. The three-day extravaganza attracts over 22,000 seafood professionals from more than 110 countries.
Next year’s dates for the show are March 15-17, meaning visitors donning shamrocks and derby hats will again have an opportunity to participate in Saint Patrick’s Day festivities and perhaps even discover the meaning of “Erin Go Bragh” between lubricating pints of dark Guinness stout or green beer of various degrees of comfort.
Fish lovers who choose not to indulge in a traditional corned beef and cabbage meal may opt for Irish Boxty with Smoked Trout or Irish Butter-Poached Scallops with Leeks and Sweet Garden Peas. Then again, others may want to retain the Dublin Lawyer with Rice crustacean sensation made with lobster, shrimp or langostino. Now, that’s healthy eating! – Reported by John Saulnier
