Ohio-based Sofo Foods will be hosting their annual Signature Showcase at the Downtown Toledo SeaGate Convention Center on Sunday, April 29, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The high-profile food trade show is attracting national attention with several events throughout the day. This showcase for food industry professionals has been successful in the past, offering large restaurateurs and small-chain owners alike a way to gain inspiration and a competitive edge.
National and international brands will showcase the latest in equipment, online ordering and tastings—the best the industry has to offer. This year, there will be even more:
- U.S. Pizza Team’s qualifier event will take place at 1 p.m. at the show and will be broadcast on ESPN3. The U.S. Pizza Team was founded in 2000 with the goal of bringing competition and excitement to the pizza industry. Since its formation, the U.S. Pizza Team has participated in an international event every year, most frequently at the World Pizza Championship in Parma, Italy. Ranging from culinary masters to dough-tossing phenoms, the Pizza Team renews the passion of those in the industry year after year.
- The Innovation Stage will showcase four premiere headliners: five-time World Pizza Champion Brittany Saxton (of Six Hundred Downtown in Bellefontaine, OH), Steffano Zengar (of Lena’s Kitchen in Blissfield, MI), world-renowned Chef Pasquale Cozzolino (author of the book, The Pizza Diet) and Michael Shepherd, founder of PerfectingPizza.com (a pizzeria consulting company).
- At 4:30 p.m., on the Innovation Stage at the show, Sofo will honor their 25-year and 50-year customers. Several of them are also being inducted into PMQ’s Pizza Hall of Fame. The Pizza Hall of Fame celebrates the oldest and most successful pizzerias across the United States. Sponsored by PMQ Pizza Magazine, the Pizza Hall of Fame aims to identify and preserve the evolving history and traditions of America’s pizza culture. Its membership consists of pizzerias, typically in business for 50 years or longer, that are recognized as industry landmarks and institutions in their towns and cities.
Over 2,000 attendees and 200 vendors, including A&M Cheese Company, Kraft Foods, T. Marzetti, Bellissimo Foods, MaMa LaRosa Foods, Burke Meats, Campbell, Ken’s Dressing, La Perferida, Hirzel Canning, Pepsico/Frito-lay, Hormel, Tyson Foods, Heinz/Escalon, and other exclusive brands are expected to participate. According to Chris Sofo, Marketing Specialist at Sofo Foods, “We rented out the entire Renaissance Hotel for this show and could not be happier with the hospitality shown by the hotel’s management and staff.” To find out more about the show, or if you are an industry professional and would like to register, please visit https://sofofoods.com/showcase-menu.
