Who: Ron Tanner
, Vice President, Communications, Education, Government & Industry Relations, National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT)
Website: www.specialtyfood.com
Twitter: @rontanner1
You may not recognize this Guest Foodie by name, but you may have read in many of our Bites that products were sofi award winners. (Sofi stands for “specialty outstanding food innovation.”) Well, Ron Tanner is one of the folks who run the organization that gives those awards – the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT).
We became friends more than a decade ago when I commenced leading various educational sessions during the NASFT shows. You may have heard about that show referred to as the “Fancy Food Show.” Well, that’s Ron!
– bonnie
“I have the best job in the world because I help people in the specialty food business fulfill their dreams. People in the specialty food industry are passionate — and fun. It is an honor to work for our 2,900 members (700 in California), and I have been doing that for 25 years.”
Which specific food product or gadget would you never give up? Why? I probably should abstain but I cannot give up chips. I adore the saltiness. And the crunchier, the better. Potato chips are the standard, and I love dill pickle chips, Chesapeake Bay chips, salt and pepper chips. Ones produced in the U.S. are tasty, and there are also extraordinary potato chips from the U.K. Lately, I’ve been switching to hummus chips, lentil chips and kale chips. Variety, still with crunch and salt.
What do you like to serve when you entertain? I almost always serve prosecco or cava as an aperitif and accompany it with a simple platter of olives, almonds, capers, feta and blue cheeses, and charcuterie. Recently, I’ve been adding pickled fruits — figs, cherries, apricots.
Describe your “last meal?” I would choose to have my last meal at Chez Georges in Paris, my favoritest restaurant on the planet. Radishes with sea salt and butter would be on the table, and I would start with sardines and celeriac salad. The entrée would be scallops, any way that they were prepared in this stunning French bistro. Steak frites would be a good alternative if the chef did not make it to the fish market. And a bottle of Hermitage wine from the Rhône would enhance the food.
What food is your secret guilty pleasure? I have two. I adore sausages, especially chorizo, andouille, even Italian hot sausage. With the growth of the artisan charcuterie movement, there are more and more on the market. I particularly like sausages made from lamb, duck and seafood. When we do the Outstanding Meat, Paté or Seafood category during the NASFT’s sofi judging, I am in sausage heaven.
The other one is super secret: my mother’s special dip, which is called “Grandma Gross’ Dip.” It is made with three or four secret ingredients, two of which may be Heinz ketchup and sour cream. I grew up with it and it always was on the table when I visited my parents in Pittsburgh. It was always part of family celebrations growing up, mostly served with corn chips and cut-up veggies, and also served for Saturday and Sunday lunches, often with grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. Today, it is served with cut-up veggies and Fritos Scoops.
What is your go-to, neighborhood restaurant? I live in Park Slope, Brooklyn. There are so many restaurants that it’s a challenge to pick just one. My current favorite is Broken English on the corner of Bergen and Smith streets. It serves hearty, yet creative, northern Italian cuisine. On a recent visit, my girlfriend had pasta topped with paté. Unbelievable. And just one block away is Bar Tabac. I splurged there on my birthday and had wienerschnitzel, which might be my third guilty pleasure. Good in Brooklyn, but much better in Düsseldorf.
What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? Pistachio butter, pistachio cream and pistachio pesto. We have several NASFT members who import these products from Sicily, mostly organic. I just spread them on some hearty bread from a local bakery, but there are many other creative uses.
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