Summer Fresh Blogger Event #BlogSF2013

To say I am enthusiastic about food is an understatement.  Whether it be something as grand as throwing a dinner party to something as small like creating bento lunches for my four year old daughter’s school lunches, presentation, nutrition, and flavour are always paramount.

There’s a little secret I have.  Yes, most of the time, I do make all of my own dips, salads, and sauces, but every now and then, I whip out my arsenal of flavour-packed Summer Fresh items!  It’s got the taste, quality, ingredients and everything that is expected when you make something yourself, only more convenient and faster to prepare.  I absolutely love Summer Fresh.  When I was vegetarian, I lived off their hummus and other dips!  It’s hard to believe how much the line of products has expanded to include so many other tasty creations!

Last week, I attended the Summer Fresh Foods Blogger Event.  I was given the opportunity to learn about the history of the company and get the behind-the-scenes experience and really get to know the company and the people behind the name.

In attendance were some fabulous food bloggers.  We received a very warm welcome at Summer Fresh.

The Food Bloggers

• Heather @ Tasty Gardener
• Marisa @ Tasty D
• Julie @ Sober Julie
• Melanie @ MBA Mama Musings
• Clara @ The Food Sisterhood
• Monica @ The Food Sisterhood
• Vicky @ Mom Who Runs
• Louisa @ Living Lou
• Danielle @ Ginger Rose
• Zannat @ Food 4 Happiness
• Sarah @ My Mostly Healthy Life
• Christine @ Life On Manitoulin (me)
• Cindy @ Hun What’s For Dinner
• Jennifer @ One Heart One Family
• Nadia @ Life Over Easy
• Kathleen @ Could It Be Celiac
• Deb @ The Fridge Whisperer

As with all social media events, it’s always great to see friends and catch up in person (Jenn, Julie, and Melanie).  I was happy to see familiar faces from Food Bloggers of Canada (Zannat and Heather), meet new friends (Danielle, Sarah, Kathleen), meet online friends IRL (Cindy). So thankful to Summer Fresh for bringing together such a great group of people.

With friends, Julie and Melanie

Summer Fresh History

We got to meet and chat with President of Summer Fresh, Susan Niczowski.  Her story of how Summer Fresh came to fruition was a very inspiring one.  From a dream and the vision to make specialty gourmet salads available in the deli section at supermarkets, Summer Fresh evolved into something even greater.  Fresh, flavourful, healthy gourmet dips, salads, sauces (and now even dessert in the form of their amazing mmmousse!), Summer Fresh has become a household name.

While interested in the history of the company, I was most impressed by the safety standards the company stands by.  Not only did we hear about the facts, but we were also given the opportunity to tour the facility and see for ourselves.

Summer Fresh Quick Facts:

• 63,000 SQFT Facility

• CFIA Inspected

• HACCP Recognized

• Just-in-Time Fresh Production

• 100+ Employees

• Located in Vaughn, Ontario, Canada

• Servicing Canada & the USA

 Chef Neil, preparing mouthwatering appetizers for us to sample

Summer Fresh Impressions

After leaving the event, I felt confident in the products I use in my own home.  I have loved Summer Fresh products ever since I was a teenager. In my late teens and early 2os, I lived off of hummus and pita! When I was a vegetarian and  in college, there weren’t too many vegetarian options available. I was thankful for Summer Fresh.

Quality

The ingredients used are fresh and tasty. Everything is inspected for the best end product.

Safety

Special attention to every detail is ensured. Their 63,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing facility is both federally inspected and HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) recognized which ensures problems are prevented in advance as opposed to rectified after the fact. Their operation is also kosher and organically certified and is equipped with the most modern environmental control systems and manufacturing equipment available in today’s food manufacturing industry including metal detectors, rare earth magnets and ultraviolet light technology. Summer Fresh also has a fully equipped microbiologist operated in-house laboratory. This means with their strong quality control program and technical team, the highest quality freshness, consistency and nutrition are always guaranteed.

Flavour

With their team of experts and their chefs, and creating tantalizing recipes from around the world, Summer Fresh the a leader in the prepared salads, dips and sauces department. For me, it’s difficult to name one favourite Summer Fresh product, as they all tantalize the taste buds. I’m quite partial to the Artichoke & Asiago Dip, and my four year old daughter absolutely loves the Seven Grain Salad.

I was impressed to discover that Summer Fresh has Lactose-Free, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Kosher products. For people with food allergies, this is great news!

Summer Fresh Food Tasting

What’s a food event without a tasting?

 Not only was everything stunning, but delicious does not even begin to describe the appetizers!

The Butter Chicken Pizzettes Chef Neil made were delicious!

I was surprised to see that Summer Fresh has desserts!  I  had never seen these before!

It was a great way to spend the day.  I took with me lots of valuable lessons and info, as well as an even greater excitement for the food I serve my loved ones.

If the day wasn’t already fabulous, Summer Fresh sent us off with this:

I may or may not have been a veritable tweeting machine during #BlogSF2013! Couldn’t help it! There was so much great info I wanted to impart with my followers!

Thank you to Summer Fresh Salads for including us in your event.  It was an incredible experience.  The best part is this…

Summer Fresh Seven Grain Salad is Little One Approved!

Yes, my four year old is eating the Seven Grain Salad out of the container…with a spoonula!

Readers, friends, and family, I’m pretty sure this is the one and only time you’ll see me in a hair net. I can’t say I rock that look!  Stay tuned for some exciting news in the upcoming weeks! Attendees of the Summer Fresh #BlogSF2013 Event will be creating our own APPYS. We sampled Chef Neil’s appetizers, and now we are each going to come up with our own! Details to come!