The Jelly Queens, a Texas artisan food company that makes gourmet jams, jellies, spices, sauces and more, is proud to announce that it has won the coveted 2014 Good Food Award in the preserves category for its Blood Orange Lavender Marmalade. The award was presented to The Jelly Queens by renowned chef Alice Waters, a pioneer of farm-to-table cuisine, during an awards gala in San Francisco last week.
The Good Food Awards, now in its fourth year, recognizes the best from America’s growing movement of talented and socially conscious food entrepreneurs. The 2014 winners were selected from 1,450 entries from all 50 states in a blind tasting by 225 expert judges. Those that rose to the top on taste were then subject to a rigorous vetting process to verify they met the award’s sustainability and social responsibility criteria.
The Jelly Queens, headquartered in Dallas with a commercial kitchen in Austin, was born out of a love for sustainable food, delicious flavors and words of encouragement. When company founder Donna Collins competed in season two of MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, one of the judges advised her during the audition process that no matter what happened in the competition, she needed to get her food into production because it was some of the best he had ever tasted. Collins took his advice, and in 2012, she and her partners launched The Jelly Queens. The company’s growing product line is now sold in more than 50 specialty shops across the U.S. (from New York to Hollywood) and online at thejellyqueens.com. The queens also have a food-themed TV show in production.
The Jelly Queens specialize in organic jams, jellies and sauces, handmade in small batches using locally grown Texas produce, each infused with beer, wine or champagne. Last year, they added a line of spices to the mix. The company’s mission is “to make every moment delicious.”
“Who’s in a bad mood when they’re eating jelly?” asks Donna Collins, founder of The Jelly Queens, who says that it’s not just about the jelly. “It’s about using the land with integrity, using the best ingredients and creating good food with love.”
The Jelly Queens award-winning Blood Orange Lavender Marmalade has been part of the company’s product line since it launched at the Dallas Market Center in January 2012. The winning flavor was inspired by a trip to a lavender farm in California, where Collins discovered lavender-infused honey.
“I loved the lavender-infused honey so much that I kept experimenting with things to make with it,” said Collins. “When I tasted an organic blood orange for the first time, I knew that this is what I have to put with the lavender-infused honey!”
Listening to her finely tuned palate has paid off. Not only is The Jelly Queens Blood Orange Lavender Marmalade an award-winner, but despite increasing production each winter, the seasonal favorite continues to sell out.
“When word got out shortly before the holidays that our Blood Orange Lavender Marmalade was a Good Food Award finalist, we had a rush of gift orders,” said Collins. “We’re currently sold out and waiting for our next crop of organic blood oranges to arrive. We’ll be cooking and filling pre-orders as fast as we can when they arrive in February!”
Seedling Projects, a California public-benefit corporation, organizes the Good Food Awards in collaboration with a broad community of food producers, chefs, food writers and passionate food-lovers. Sarah Weiner, co-founder and executive director of Seedling Projects, credits the Good Food Awards finalists and winners with “leading a cultural shift away from business as usual.”
“They bring the dedication and integrity of true craftsmen to all they do. Their ever stronger presence around the country proves that it can be done – there is a different way to feed our communities,” said Weiner.
The 2014 Good Food Awards winners were announced January 16, 2014, at a gala in San Francisco, where winners were recognized in ten categories: cheese, charcuterie, preserves, chocolate, coffee, confections, pickles, oils, beer and spirits. Dr. Zeke Emmanuel, co-founder of the Farmers Market at the White House and adviser to President Obama on health care, was master of ceremonies. Culinary luminaries Alice Waters, Ruth Reichl and Nell Newman honored the 2014 winners onstage. To see a full list of the 2014 Good Food Award winners, click here.
To learn more or buy products from The Jelly Queens, go to www.thejellyqueens.com.