Frozen Savory 2010

sofi Gold Winner 2010
Outstanding Frozen Savory

The winner of Hancock Gourmet Lobster Company’s Gold Award for Frozen Savory is not a sofi™ newcomer. The Cundy’s Harbor, Maine-based company’s Port Clyde Lobster Mac & Cheese won Outstanding Pasta, Rice or Grain honors in 2008, and is back now on the Gold list with a new 40-ounce (2.5-pound) casserole size that serves up to six.

Combining Maine lobster chunks and shell pasta with a creamy Marscarpone-Cheddar cheese sauce that’s topped with panko bread crumbs, herbed butter, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese, creates what The New York Times described as a “cashmere-quality comfort food.” Owner and Founder Cal Hancock says her grandmother’s golden rule has been the secret behind all of the company’s recipes: “Never hide the taste of the lobster.” Hancock has a daily reminder of that tenet as her operation is based in the oldest commercial lobster and fishing village in Maine. “I wake up every morning at 4 or 5 a.m. and I can hear the lobster boats as they go out for the day,” Hancock notes.

Because of the amount of lobster and the quality of ingredients used in the company’s products, they tend to be more expensive than other items in the frozen savory category, but Hancock will not compromise with an inferior result. Although cheese can often cover the flavor of certain lobster dishes, she says, “We make sure people not only see the big chunks of lobster in our Mac & Cheese, but that they can taste them.” The result is a rich and creamy three-cheese specialty lobster and pasta dish that’s ready in 40 minutes. —Dennis Marrero

More About the Product

This product combines sweet chunks of Maine lobster with shell pasta in a creamy mascarpone-cheddar cheese sauce, topped with Panko breadcrumbs, herbed butter, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese. The result is an all-natural, heat-and-serve, handcrafted delicacy that The New York Times calls “cashmere-quality comfort food.”

Suggested retail price: $35-$65/40 ounces.

Website: hancockgourmetlobster.com

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