Mar-Lees Seafood (booth 1015) and Amazing Food Manufacturers (booth 2056) beat out more than 90 entries to win today's International Boston Seafood Show 2008 New Products Competition.
The awards were presented at the Culinary Demonstration Theater on the show floor.
Mar-Lees' Nantucket Supreme Miso Crusted Salmon with Wheat Noodles and Vegetables took home the best retail product award, while AFMâ??s Chef Papillote Mediterranean Salmon won the best foodservice award.
Both products are en papillote entrees featuring the Chef Papillote package, a brown-paper cooking bag similar to a microwave popcorn bag. The food cooks inside the bag, allowing natural juices to intermingle, retaining moisture while providing a high flavor profile. The food lets off steam, saturating the inside of the bag with vapor. Meals are ready to eat in 7 minutes.
Sales representatives Denise Bastos and Andrea Zurkan accepted the award on behalf of Mar-Lees .
"We started out wanting to do something different, innovative and healthy. Not only because it's a trend but because it's what we believe," said Bastos of the en papillote meal. "It's fantastic," she said of the award.
The companies worked closely with the new style of ready-to-eat meal, Bastos said it felt like, "because they won, we won. And because we won, they won." Chef Eric Carre and research chef Rob Shaw accepted AMF'saward .
"It's very emotional," Carre said of the win. "Iâ??m blown away."
Judges Dick Jones of HEB, Mike Chalmers of The Cheesecake Factory and Ken Duff of AMP Metro in Canada taste-tested the 10 finalists' products onsite.
The finalists were rated on overall eating experience, packaging, convenience, marketability, nutrition and originality.
