Soul Solutions Wins Prestigious 2020 sofi™ Award
Soul Patty® Named Best New Creative Vegan Product
San Clemente, CA — Soul Solutions, a leader in Gluten Free, Vegan and sustainable meat substitute food products company based in San Clemente, Calif., has earned a prestigious sofi™ Awards from the Specialty Food Association (SFA). According to SFA, sofi™ Awards honorees “are selected through a blind tasting process and are true innovators in their categories.” SFA has been awarding sofi™ Awards for 47 years.
Soul Solutions is owned by restaurant industry veteran John Merlino, and features innovative, customizable and sustainable products, fit for vegans, vegetarian and gluten intolerance, provided for the foodservice and retail industry.
“At Soul Solutions we pride ourselves on simple, chef-driven solutions that make life easier for operators, offering the ability to customize the products into various applications,” said Merlino, whose resume includes stints as Corporate Chef of Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Director of R&D for Vicorp Restaurants Inc., owner/operator of Merlino’s on 17th and Director of R&D and executive chef of Claim Jumper Restaurants. “The Soul Patty® is our original dry mix, which is comprised of sustainable grains, natural starches and vegetable protein. It allows the user to create a multitude of products from one mix such as veggie patties, fritters, fillings and breakfast style hash. Our product is a clean label and shelf stable with no preservatives or anti caking agents.”
Soul Solutions also provides a line of vegan, gluten free plant-based sausages. Made with non-GMO pea protein granules, developed by a classically trained Chef, these plant-based sausages all closely mimic the texture of meat with all the ethnic flavors. The Soul Italiano sausage® is a flavorful blend of fennel seed, garlic, onion, chilies, herbs and spices. When cooked it crumbles just like its meat counterpart, and is perfect as a topping on flatbreads, pizzas and salads.
“Our Soul Chorizo® is vegan, gluten free and soy free and is one of the best you will find on the market today,” said Merlino. “It cooks up tender but firm in bite, expertly seasoned with Ancho, chipotle, garlic, tomato and a blend of chili and spice that will satisfy even the most dedicated meat eater. If Breakfast is what you are about, the Soul Americano® breakfast sausage is slightly sweet, with notes of pepper and sage, perfect for that Sausage sandwich, burrito or hash.”
Restaurant owners and chefs alike have been praising the Soul Solutions products as well.
“At Hopdoddy we utilize the Soul Patty products to wow our guests,” said Matthew Schweitzer, Senior Director of Culinary Operations at Hopdoddy Burger Bar, Inc. “With its versatility we offer two very different flavor profiles.”
Russell Skall, Corporate Chef and Director of Culinary at Paul Martins American Grill, has seen significant sales increases following the introduction of the Soul Patty.
“We are offering the Soul Patty® on the menu as a Multi-Grain Mushroom Burger that is vegan/vegetarian option on one sandwich menu,” said Skall. “We switched from our vegetarian only mushroom burger to using the Soul Patty® mix combined with a mixture of mushrooms, fresh green onions, cilantro, carrots & roasted garlic. During our tests phase the guests that tried the new vegan patty were very pleased and called out the multi-texture of the patty vs. a soft mushroom patty and the flavor. Since rolling out in 11 locations sales have increased once the guests have tried it and then come back in a second time to have the item again.”
For more information on Soul Solutions and its full line of products, visit http://thesoulpatty.com or click here to schedule a demo. A complete list of winners of the 2020 sofi™ Awards can be found at www.specialtyfood.com.