Chef Laurie McNamara is Chicagoland’s very own scone queen. She worked as the pastry chef at Scone City, a bakery-café co-owned by Tim Canning in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago that operated from 2015 to 2019.
Over the past few months, as I went through the process of developing SF&WB's annual "Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies" list, I felt a renewed sense of admiration for the inherent power of merging true nutrition with indulgence.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased levels of unemployment and lost wages. As a result, food banks and related supporting services have seen unprecedented levels of need.
Revenue from the U.S. grain-based snack and bakery industry accounts for over $100 billion in annual retail sales, and a significant portion of that total comes from the top 50 companies, ranked according to annual revenue.
There is nothing like a pandemic to test a company's limitations. While food producers received official designation as "essential" businesses as the COVID-19 pandemic descended on the American food industry, continuing operations during the pandemic did not equate to business as usual.
As Rich Products Corp. celebrates its 75th anniversary, we look back at its history of innovation—and catch up with the company’s progress during the pandemic.
History marks select years with unilateral distinction. Consider 1945 and the conclusion World War II, closing a door on a turbulent time in our global history, and opening a new door to an exciting new time in America, marked by significant growth and prosperity over the ensuing decade.
Now in its sixth year, the “Best New Healthy School Snacks” contest, hosted by SF&WB, strives to shine a spotlight on snack and bakery products that represent great healthy snack choices for kids of all ages.
These days, you can have your cake and eat it, too. Today's sweet bakery treats like cakes, pies, cheesecakes, and cookies often combine the best of multiple worlds, bridging apparent gaps between indulgence, better-for-you and specialized dietary choices, clean label, sound functionality, and globally minded sustainability.
During the interview for our September issue cover story profile on fast-growing entrepreneurial brand Ka-Pop! Snacks, a company founded and led by Dustin Finkel, he talked about the need to keep the joy in better-for-you snacking.