This Des Moines chocolate dessert sauce just won the Oscar of the specialty foods world
There are Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tonys for acting and music. In the food world, there are James Beard Foundation Awards, Wine Spectator Awards and Michelin stars, among others.
And in the specialty foods business, producers aim for a Sofi Award, an honor considered to be the equivalent of the Oscars of the industry.
Sunday Night Foods, the Des Moines-based premium chocolate dessert sauces company, won the gold award in the dessert toppings category as part of the Specialty Food Association's 2024 Sofi Awards.
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A look at the history of Sunday Night Foods
Eileen Gannon founded Sunday Night Foods in 2021 when she turned her love of baking and award-winning recipes into a business after working as a communications senior vice president at Workiva.
Her hobby? Baking, a skill she learned from her mother and honed as she won more than 600 food contests since she began competing in 1988. That number includes Iowa State Fair and national food competitions.
Gannon continues her winning ways.
What to know about the Sunday Night Foods chocolate sauces
Her sauces come in chocolate, sea salt chocolate, dark chocolate and vegan chocolate, all described as brownie rich with subtle hints of vanilla and sea salt. The Sunday Night Sea Salt Chocolate Premium Dessert Sauce won the gold Sofi award.
Specialty food experts, buyers and media sampled competing products and judged them based on taste — including flavor, appearance, texture and aroma — ingredient quality and innovation. All tastings were anonymous and held at the Rutgers Food Innovation Center.
Where to find Sunday Night Foods
Now Gannon’s Sunday Night line of dessert toppings is found in more than 100 Hy-Vee grocery stores, 140 Fareway stores, as well as smaller markets such as Fresh Thyme, Gateway Market, and even Kitchen Collage in the East Village. Memorial Day weekend marks the brand’s appearance at the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market, where they plan to be in person for five Saturdays this summer.
Sunday Night won two other Sofi Awards — the New Product Award in 2022 and 2023 — as well as being named a NEXTY Finalist in February by the Natural Products Expo West.
Next up, Gannon and the Sunday Night crew head to New York City and the Summer Fancy Food Show at the Javits Center in June.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. You can reach out to her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Sunday Night Foods won a Gold Award from the Specialty Food Association