Foodservice Aplenty for C-Stores at National Restaurant Association Show

There was an abundance of food on display at the National Restaurant Association Show that took place May 16-19 in Chicago. Click through for a quick sampling of offerings of particular interest to convenience stores:

Fall River, Massachusetts-based Blount’s Family Kitchen sells these 10-ounce refrigerated grab-and-go cups: Mac & Cheese, Creamy Tomato Soup, Broccoli Cheese Soup and Chicken Soup. They are shipped refrigerated and can be heated in a c-store’s microwave or brought home. They also sell 12-ounce comfort meals, which are microwaveable and ready in three minutes. Those items are Beef Stroganoff, Macaroni and Beef in Tomato Sauce, Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, and Marsala Penne and Chicken.

Banquet D’Or from Vandemoortele, Ghent, Belgium, has several freezer-to-oven products in its Bake’Up line: All Butter Mini Croissant, All Butter Mini Chocolate Roll, All Butter Croissant, All Butter Curved Croissant, All Butter Chocolate Roll and more. They are crafted in Europe from traditional recipes and pure ingredients—and have a clean label promise, the company said. The shipped frozen product can be up to 60% smaller compared with a pre-proofed pastry, meaning emissions due to transport are up to 60% lower and the box is up to 60% smaller.

Clara’s Kitchen, part of San Leandro, California-based Galant Food Co., sells clean-label, organic high-protein breakfast sandwiches, burritos and hand pies. Shelf life is one year frozen or 12 days refrigerated. Breakfast burrito offerings include Uncured Bacon, Chili Verde and Chorizo. Breakfast sandwiches include Turkey Sausage and Pesto Provolone. Hand pies include Beef and Cheddar and Chicken Pot Pie.

Amish Pretzel Co., Elkhart, Indiana, can create custom sizes and shapes for its products, which comes frozen. To prepare, add salt and butter—and bake for four minutes. The company said it shares the centuries-old Amish culture and baking expertise in its frozen pretzels. Pretzels are vegan friendly, and they have no dairy, egg, nut and soy. Soft pretzels come in 3.5, 5.5, 7.5 and 32 ounces. There also are soft pretzel bites.

Kaufhold’s Kurds, Ellsworth, Wisconsin, offers cheese curds that can be deep-fried or baked. Flavors include Original, Garlic, Sriracha, Dill Pickle, Jalapeno, Cajun and more.