By Donna Hodge
For its 13th annual “A Taste of Black History” celebration, Jewel-Osco recently hosted a private reception at Chicago’s South Shore Cultural Center, where guests sampled a variety of soul-stirring dishes prepared by Melon Express Catering using Jewel’s more than 20 African-American vendor products.
Emceed by NBC5 Chicago entertainment reporter LeeAnn Trotter and WVON 1690-AM radio show host Matt McGill, Jewel-Osco awarded a total of $20,000 in grants to four community organizations:
• Martin Temple A.M.E. Zion Church Hunger Relief Award for its Spoonful of Hope Soup Kitchen;
• the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church Hunger Relief Award for its Community Table Food Pantry;
• GreenNet Chicago for the Environmental Stewardship Award; and
• Girls in the Game for the Nutrition Education Award.
Angelica’s Bakery received the 2012 “Vendor of the Year Award” for its outstanding work in brand development and marketing.
“Our African-American vendors are important members of the Jewel-Osco family, and they are vital to our success,” said president Brian Huff. “We want to thank them for helping us meet the diverse needs of our customers every day, and we hope consumers recognize that by purchasing African-American vendor products they are supporting these wonderful entrepreneurs.”
Here is a list of Jewel’s African-American vendors and products to try:
Ambassador Organics – Organic coffee, tea, cocoa and olive oil, founded by Ambassador Carol Moseley-Braun. www.ambasssadororganics.com
Andy’s Seasoning – Dry blends of seasoned breading and seasoning salt. www.andysseasoning.com
Angelica’s Bakery – A family owned and operated bakery, most famous for its caramel cakes. www.angelicascakes.com
Ashanti Bridge Foods – Condiments of fine spices and tasty sauces. www.ashantifoods.com
Baldwin Richardson Foods – Baldwin Ice Cream and Mrs. Richardson’s dessert sauces. www.br-brands.com
Best Chef – Best Chef Buffalo Style Wing Sauce and Louisiana Style Hot Sauce. www.harvestdelight.com/bestchef
Best Fruits & Nuts – Healthy snacks composed of nut, fruit and trail mixes.
Captain Curt’s Famous Boss Sauce – A variety of bold barbecue sauce flavors. ” www.captaincurtsbbqchicago.com
The Comfort Cake Company – Southern style, made from scratch pound cakes. ” www.comfortcake.com
Delta Café – Snack line consists of a variety of pork rind flavors including BBQ, Habanera, Mesquite, Nacho and original flavors. www.thedeltacafe.com
Glory Foods – Glory offers 85 products including seasoned canned greens, bagged fresh vegetables and the Sensibly Seasoned low sodium product line and a line of hot sauces. www.gloryfoods.com
Grandma Maud’s – Southern-styled beans, seasons and classic desserts. www.grandmamauds.com
Lock’s Bar-B-Q Sauce – A tangy and flavorful barbecue sauce for all your grilling needs. www.locksbarbqsauce.com
Ma’s Best Gourmet Rolls – Golden brown and fluffy gourmet dinner rolls.
Magnolia Tea – A variety of healthy and all natural bottled beverages of exotic fruit nectars and spiced teas. www.magnoliaspice.com
Margie’s Brands – All natural, no sugar added tropical fruit spreads, syrups and marinades. www.margiesbrands.com
Michele Foods – A full line of honey crème, butter pecan and maple crème syrups. www.michelefoods.com
Mix Match Gourmet Popcorn – Pre-packaged cheese and caramel combination pack. www.mixmatchgourmetpopcorn.com
Mumbo Sauce – Select Brands LLC – Sweet and tangy preservative free sauces. www.mumbobbqsauce.com
New Orleans Bill – Creole potato salad, which includes a blend of special spices and Creole flavors. www.orleansbill.com
Real Men Cook Sweet Potato Pound Cake – A gourmet sweet potato cake. www.realmencook.com/store
Reggio’s – Chicago style pizza. The only frozen pizza manufactured in Chicago. ” www.reggios.com
Sam’s Gourmet Lasagna – A selection of gourmet lasagnas. www.samsgourmetlasagna.com
SaVia Aloe Water – A variety of fruit flavored aloe vera beverages. www.saviausa.com
Southern Chef – A variety of food spices, seasonings, snacks, prepared foods and frozen foods.
Special Taste – Coatings for seafood and chicken; meatloaf seasoning; vegetable seasoning and flavorings for butter.
109th Street Foods Sullivan’s BBQ Sauce – Original BBQ sauce.
Following Black History Month, the store will continue to raise awareness of its African-American vendor products with special offers throughout the entire year. For more information, visit their website at www.jewelosco.com .
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