The Specialty Food Association has revealed the 2016 class of the Specialty Food Hall of Fame, honoring 47 leaders who have been instrumental in building and shaping the $109 billion specialty food industry into the thriving business it is today.
Inductees include Gene Biggi, Beaverton Foods Inc.; Ariane Daguin, D’Artagnan Inc.; Tom and Mary Ellen Power, Cheese Shop of Williamsburg; Robert Rothschild, Robert Rothschild Farm; and Winston Stona, Busha Browne’s. Those honored were nominated and selected by association members and the Hall of Fame committee.
Established in 2015, the Hall of Fame’s mission is to “honor individuals whose accomplishments, impact, contributions, innovations and successes within the specialty food industry deserve praise and recognition.” The inaugural class included 115 people.
“Creativity and innovation are the cornerstone of the specialty food industry. The Hall of Fame honors manufacturers, importers, retailers and culinary leaders who established and inspired the specialty food industry in the l950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and who continue to impact how America eats,” says Ron Tanner, VP of philanthropy, government and industry relations for the association.
The inductees will be honored Jan. 18 at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco as part of a special event that also includes the association’s Leadership Awards. The keynote speaker is Paul Saginaw, co-owner and founder of Zingerman’s Community of Businesses, who has helped build the company into a $50 million-plus enterprise by pursuing a social as well as a business agenda.
