Kind Bars Kicks Off #giveKINDatryNYC Campaign w/ Protein Bars

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Against the backdrop of one of the most luxurious views in the city, we had the opportunity to celebrate Kind Bars. Along with welcoming their new delicious protein bars, we helped kick off the #giveKINDatryNYC Campaign with TechStyle NYC. With the help of some amazing brands that promote wellness, we were ready to kick off this city-wide campaign. And what better place than the stunning penthouse apartments of One Vandam in downtown NYC to celebrate the kick-off.

The Kind Protein From Real Food bars delivers 12 grams of protein and is made from real food. Not only do they taste delicious, but they also deliver protein from premium, whole ingredients; so you don’t have to choose between health and taste. The gluten-free, kosher bars boast a creamy, crunchy texture that packs a lot of nutrition. They are a good source of protein and fiber, have zero trans fats, no genetically engineered ingredients, a low glycemic index, and are low in sodium.

The launch event featured several activations from Fabletics, Nini Bissap Beverages, Velvet Eyewear, Gotham Greens, SnappyBooth, and Summer Stage. We were more than happy to be treated to the great wellness brands that perfectly complimented the #giveKINDatryNYC campaign.

All the event’s participating brands are a must for anyone looking to have a better-balanced lifestyle, both physically and mentally. We think we’ve found ourselves a new favorite healthy and delicious beverage in Nini Bissap. After getting better acquainted with the new Kind protein bars, we ventured upstairs to the penthouse apartment’s spectacular rooftop deck to enjoy the city views. A beautiful sunset, spectacular views, and refreshing Deep Eddy Vodka cocktails were the perfect way to celebrate the #giveKINDatryNYC campaign.

We want to know, have you tried the new Kind Protein Bars? Are you interested in finding out more about the #giveKINDatryNYC Campaign?

EAT THIS! Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Egg Snacks For Anytime of the Day

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Snack time should be an easy concept but when you take into account we tend to eat things that are not good for us or overdo the number of snacks we consume in one sitting, it’s not so easy after all. If you’re looking for a way to enjoy a complete healthy snack any time of the day, look no further than Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Egg Snacks. This new snack range contains a nutritious Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked & Peeled egg, along with two other delicious items that you crave in a portable and convenient snack tray.

hard boiled egg snacks

The Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Egg Snacks include three favorite snack items in one convenient ready-to-eat trays with individual compartments. These single count packaged snacks are perfect for breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, afternoon, or evening. The protein-packed Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Egg Snacks satisfy your savory or sweet craving any time of day. Available in four snack varieties:

hard boiled egg snacks

  1. Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, and Hard-Cooked EB Egg: Perfect for breakfast or anytime you have that craving for a classic breakfast combination of bacon, egg, and cheese.
  2. Salame, Provolone Cheese, and Hard-Cooked EB Egg: Pretend you’re having an Italian picnic right at your desk with sliced Genoa salame and provolone cheese to accompany your EB hard-cooked egg.
  3. Olives, Feta Cheese, and Hard-Cooked EB Egg: This true Mediterranean delight of imported Kalamata-style olives, creamy feta, and a hard-cooked egg will have you daydreaming that you’re on a Greek island.
  4. Chocolate Covered Almonds, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, and Hard-Cooked EB Egg: Combine the flavors of rich chocolate-covered almonds with sharp white cheddar to compliment your EB hard-cooked egg, any time of day for that satisfying indulgence.

Whether you enjoy these for breakfast or as a mid-afternoon snack, these nutritious and delicious snacks will keep you going and give you the energy you need to get through your day.

National Sour Candy Day with Sour Punch Candy’s Embrace Your Punch Tour

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If you haven’t heard, today is National Sour Candy Day. A day to celebrate the candy that moves your tastebuds (and facial expressions) through a rollercoaster of flavors and reactions. A few weeks ago we (and several other sour candy fans) had the pleasure of enjoying some delicious Sour Punch Candy during their inaugural “Embrace Your Punch” Tour. This innovative tour allowed anyone who wanted the opportunity to enjoy free samples of their one-of-a-kind Sour Punch Twists designed specifically for the tour, themed activities and photos with the brand’s Pun-Chi character.

What better way to kick off the Summer season that with the experience of a unique pop up candy counter and try out new candy flavors. These special flavors will include Berry Lemonade, Grape-Pineapple, and Watermelon-Honeydew, along with five other fruit flavors.

We caught up with The Embrace Your Punch Tour Manager, Kylie Martin, at their Coney Island tour stop to get the deets on what sour candy fans can expect. Check out our interview with her below on our IGTV:

The event featured an elaborate Sour Punch themed-exhibit, with a uniquely built container as the centerpiece from which Sour Punch ambassadors distributed complimentary samples of the treats, along with other promotional items. Coney Island was the seventh stop on the stop on the tour for Sour Candy Punch, having previously been at the Gulf Shores in Alabama, Atlanta, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Washington, DC. It continued on to Boston and ended today in Chicago just in time for National Sour Candy Day.

The Embrace Your Punch Tour is all about self-love and embracing what makes YOU. The brand gave all in attendance the opportunity to share what makes them unique. The goal is appreciating and celebrating those characteristics that make us wonderfully different. Sour Punch Candy wants everyone to focus on choosing kindness and the profound things that make us unique.

We hope this wonderful tour continues on for years to come and of course beyond National Sour Candy Day. Hope you celebrated this sweet and sour day with a few twisted flavor treats. Visit www.sourpunch.com to shop for your favorite sour candy and see what future events Sour Punch might have coming up.

 

Bokksu, the Japanese Art of Omiyage: A Foodie’s Guide to Japanese Snacks

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Usually, when you want to indulge in the wonderful snack offerings from another country, you’d have to either travel to that country or know someone traveling from that country. We remember enjoying a plethora of delicious snacks when we were in Tokyo and we thought we’d have to do travel back to enjoy them again. That is until we were introduced to Bokksu Japanese snack box, the ultimate foodie’s guide to Japanese snacks. Bokksu celebrates the ancient and enduring Japanese custom of Omiyage, souvenirs brought back to family and friends…….. in delicious snack form.

Bokksu is a premium subscription-based snack box and à la carte menu of gourmet Japanese snacks. It is the only gourmet snack box sourced and curated directly from local snack makers in Japan, has grown rapidly since its founding in May 2016. The company, Founded by Danny Taing, has quadrupled subscribers in the first 4 months of 2018, finding enthusiasm for their curated mixes of artisanal and hard to find Japanese snacks with subscribers from the United States and the UK to Singapore, Brasil, Kyrgyzstan and even Japan.

Their July gourmet snack box (pictured), themed as Citrus Refresh, is packed with some of Japan’s most refreshing citrus snacks. What’s inside this box? It not only features in the usual orange and lemon flavors, it also boasts Yuzu, Hyuganatsu, and Shiquasa flavors as well. Here’s what the July Japanese snack box has to offer: Orange Stick Cake, Rich Orange Biscuits, Handmade Yuzu Candy, Lemon Rusk, Low Carb Lemon Cake, Hyuganatsu Jelly, Kabukiage Rice Cracker Shiquasa Salt, Ofu Smoked Crackers & Peanuts – Lemon Salt Flavor, Olive Oil Senbei Yuzu Pepper, and Satsumarche Yuzu Ryoku Tea.


Previous boxes have featured the following rare and sought-after Japanese snacks: limited edition Kit Kats such as Mandarin Orange,  exclusive collaborations like the heavenly Caramelized Apple Cobbler from world-renowned Japanese pastry shop ChikaLicious, white chocolate and raspberry cookies selected by Michelin-starred chef Chikara Sono, and matcha azuki beans that have been popular in Japan since the late 1800’s.

The upcoming August “Summer Festival” snack box, which sips on July 15th, will feature favorite festival-themed Japanese snacks like Goldfish Apple Yokan, Handmade Apple Candy, Chocolate Banana Langue de Chat, Tai Strawberry, Honey Castella cake and so much more. Bokksu Japanese snack box comes in two subscriptions boxes. The Tasting Bokksu ($19.00/month) consists of 8-10 Japanese snacks & a tea pairing; and the Classic Bokksu ($39.00/month) which boasts 20-25 Japanese snacks & a tea pairing. Both subscription boxes of these Japanese snacks can be purchased on www.bokksu.com.

Are you ready to try Bokksu, the ultimate foodie’s guide to Japanese snacks?

Cocktail Photography: Alcoholic Ice Pops

FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops: Alcoholic Ice Pops to Enjoy This Summer

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Pretty soon we will once again experience blistering hot summer days and as members of the over 21 crowd, we’re sure you will be looking for ways to cool yourself down. While you can pop into a cool bar or hot rooftop venue to treat yourself to a delicious cool cocktail, it’s not something you’d want to do all the time. The best part about going out to drink is spending time with friends – no one wants to drink alone. Fortunately, there is a way to stay cool and enjoy a delicious cocktail if you’re by yourself during those hot summer days – FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops. They’re the best and most fun way to enjoy a frozen cocktail.

FrutaPOP is a small-batch, hand-crafted ice pop company, specializing in a variety of the frozen treats – natural fruit and juice ice pops, coffee ice pops, and alcohol-infused ice pops. Founded by Tracy Memoli and Laurance Rassin, FrutaPOP is reinventing the ice pop, a product that hasn’t seen any innovations or changes in the last 50 years. Today we’re concentrating on the yummy adult treat, the FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops. The gourmet, ready-to-eat boozy ice pops, aka “Poptails”, (ice pop + cocktails) contains 5% alcohol by volume (ABV) and are guaranteed to make your summer POP!

The best thing about FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops, aside from its delicious flavor, is the fact that all of the FrutaPOP is the first company of it’s kind to contain healthy, natural ingredients without any added sugars. If you’ve noticed all ice pops packaged in plastic pouches currently available in the market contain high fructose corn syrups, added sugars, and dyes., FrutaPOP does not.

Already available in 10 flavor varieties: Piña Colada, Watermelon Lemonade, Watermelon Margarita, Red Sangria, White Sangria, Pear & Apple Cider Sangria, Guava Cosmo, Sparkling Mango Mimosa, Sparkling Lychee Prosecco, and Moscow Mule, FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops just added three new boozy flavors to their summer line up with the launch of Watermelon Margarita, Guava Cosmo, and Coconut Rosé Boozy Ice Pops.

FrutaPOP Boozy Ice Pops are available in 12, 24 & 48 packs for purchase online at www.frutapop.com, and they can ship nationwide to your home or office.

Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream: No Bowls or Spoons Needed

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On a hot and humid day like today, nothing beats snacking on some delicious cold ice cream. The problem is, hot days means ice cream melts quickly. This leaves you with melted ice cream either running down your hands and arms leaving a sticky mess, or a bowl of ice cream soup, as you try to eat it quickly. Thankfully there’s a way to enjoy delicious premium ice cream without the melting scoops, or the need for bowls and spoons – Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream.

Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream is rich and creamy slow-churned, bite-sized ice cream wrapped in mochi, a sweetened rice dough. This bite-sized frozen delight is the perfect, soft, chewy, creamy treat to indulge in on a hot day. The regular Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream is currently available in 19 multipack flavors (including the new Triple Chocolate Mochi Ice Cream flavor – pictured below); 28 single serve flavors, including new flavors – Blood Orange and Red Velvet, and seasonal flavors – Pumpkin and Peppermint Candy. Bubbies Hawaii also recently introduced 4 new vegan ice cream flavors – Vegan Cherry, Vegan Mint, Vegan Vanilla, and Vegan Mango.

The Triple Chocolate Mochi recently won a Sofi Awards 2018 New Product Award in the ice cream, gelato, and frozen treat category. When you try the smooth, sweet, chocolate ice cream with premium chocolate chips encased in chocolate mochi dough, you’ll see why. Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream is Gluten Free, Kosher, Non-GMO, and rBST-free (cows have not been treated with the synthetic rBST hormone). Most of the Mochi Ice Cream flavors are 100 calories or less, and all are made from the highest quality ingredients. Trust us when we say, one bite of this creamiest, most decadent sweet treats and you will be hooked. Are you ready to eat ice cream with your fingers?

Bubbies Hawaii Mochi Ice Cream is available nationwide Whole Foods Market, Albertsons, Balducci’s, Morton Williams, Brooklyn Fare, Fairway Market, or you can buy it online at www.buy.bubbiesicecream.com.

Health & Nutrition: The New Hummus Shake from The Hummus & Pita Co.

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Once in a while, there’s a new item launch that completely blows us away. While we have enjoyed many a delicious beverage, nothing has caught us by surprise as much as the new Hummus Shake from The Hummus & Pita Co. In all honesty, while we love chickpeas, we’re actually not fans of Hummus (it’s a strange predilection). So when we attended a tasting of The Hummus & Pita Co.’s new Hummus Shake, which launches on National Hummus Day, we did so with some trepidation. After one sip, all our apprehension was gone. To say we were pleasantly surprised by how delicious and amazing the thick, creamy drinkable dessert is an understatement.

The Hummus & Pita Co. is known for bringing healthy, homemade Mediterranean cuisine all made-from-scratch on in-store using only the freshest ingredients. The addition of their new Hummus Shake continues that healthy practice.

The Hummus Shake is vegan, FREE of dairy and gluten, and packed with good-for-you ingredients that are high in protein, fiber, and vitamins, but low in calories. This guilt-free dessert starts with just FIVE all-natural, simple ingredients (chickpeas, tahini, banana, dates, and almond milk) that are perfectly blended for a sweet treat that tastes decadent and indulgent, all the while regulating blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, and providing anti-inflammatory and heart-healthy effects.

The Hummus Shake is available in five flavors: original, chocolate, strawberry, pistachio, and butter pecan. Just in time for National Hummus Day, The Hummus & Pita Co. will be offering free samples of this innovative, guilt-free drinkable dessert at all Hummus & Pita Co. locations on Sunday, May 13. To keep celebrations going all week long, The Hummus & Pita Co. will be offering a buy one Hummus Shake, get one free promotion from the May 13th launch date through Sunday, May 20.

A 12 oz cup of the innovative Hummus Shake will be available for $5.00 at all Hummus & Pita Co. locations nationwide, both currently in operation and those slated to open in the coming months. The brand has partnered with Taylor Machines to develop a batch recipe and machine dispenser to ensure the Hummus Shake is replicated perfectly each and every time.

U.S. Pastry Competition Pastry Chef of the Year 2018

Paris Gourmet Presents the 29th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition

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Who is ready for dessert? Are you ready to feast your eyes on some of the most spectacular desserts from the 29th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition? Held during the 2018 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York and hosted by Paris Gourmet, several of the nation’s leading pastry chefs competed for the prestigious honor of being called Pastry Chef of the Year.

While some of these will look for like artwork, they are in fact entirely edible desserts. Over a dozen finalists showcased their showpieces inspired by “The Great Race” at the Javits Center.  The leading pastry chefs were selected to participate were tasked with creating a showpiece derived from any form of recognized racing, such as car racing, swimming, horse racing, running, cycling and boating. They had three hours to set-up their exhibit and were each permitted one assistant.

The Pastry chefs showcased their talents by creating “petit gateau buffet” (mini cake/dessert display) and a plated dessert, exhibited along highly technical chocolate sculpted showpieces using Cacao Noel brand chocolate. The top eye-catching winning desserts included:

Stephen Sullivan – Winner & U.S. Pastry Competition Pastry Chef of the Year 2018

U.S. Pastry Competition Pastry Chef of the Year 2018
Steven Tran – 2nd Place Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

2nd Place Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

Courtney Cormier – 3rd Place Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

3rd Place Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

Alexandra Inkley – Honorable Mention Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

Honorable Mention Winner of the 29th U.S. Pastry Competition

 “It is amazing to see the incredible chocolate sculpted showpieces from these extremely talented chefs. Board members of the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique, one of the oldest and most prestigious chef associations in the world, presided over the judging procedures with over $16,000 of the award money presented,” said Tom Loughran, Vice President for the Event.

U.S. Pastry Competition

The pastry competition also had a Junior Division, the winning desserts included:

Michael Metcalf – Junior Division Grand Prize Winner

Junior Division Grand Prize Winner Michael Metcalf

Sizhen Ivy Chen – Junior Division 2nd Place Winner

Junior Division 2nd Place Winner

Michael Fersner – Junior Division 3rd Place Winner

Junior Division 3rd Place Winner Michael Fersner

“The U.S. Pastry Competition, now in its 29th year, is America’s most prestigious pastry event and we are excited to welcome the competitors and judges to the leading restaurant and foodservice event in the heart of New York City,” stated Dominique Noel, Vice President of Paris Gourmet, the competition sponsor. “We look forward to a dazzling array of entries from the best and most creative pastry chefs.”

Other notable mentions we had to highlight include desserts by:

Xolisile Medina

Timothy Maguire

Julie Velasquez

Sequoya Anderson

The breathtaking competition was co-sponsored by Cacao Noel Chocolate, Pastry 1 (pastry ingredients), Beurremont Butter, Gourmand, and Maison de Choix. For more information, visit www.parisgourmet.com.