Laura Endico-Verzello, Marketing Manager at Ace Endico sat down with TFS to talk about the many happenings at this year’s Ace Endico show at Yankee Stadium.
What led to the choice of Yankee Stadium as the venue for your show?
When selecting locations for our food show, we look to be different from the rest of the industry. We do not like the feel of a massive hall, we look for a location with character and personality. Our past location, was a beautiful club on the water, which we loved. As Ace Endico has grown over the years, it just became too small to handle the volume of customers and vendors. After much discussion, we chose a location of prestige, and greatness The “New” Yankee Stadium. What a venue… In our eyes we chose a venue to be proud of.
The Yankees have set the bar very high in terms of success. How does that affiliation help the Ace Endico brand?
The NY Yankee’s (Legends) Foodservice is one of Ace Endico’s premier customers, and personal friends to the “Ace Endico family.” Therefore, we have an amazing working relationship. Just as we go to work for “The NY Yankee’s (Legends), they went to “Bat” for Ace Endico to make our event a “Grand Slam!”
What were some of the highlights of this year’s show for attendees?
This year at our Show we had over 200 vendor booths offering special pricing, new and exciting food demonstrations, Legends Chefs with unique menu ideas, player appearances: Tino Martinez, David Cone and Bernie Williams, all seven of the World Series Trophies to be photographed with, Dug out and Monument Park Tours.
What role does your show play in terms of your relationships with your customers?
Our show is not an ordinary food show, it is more like a “Customer Appreciation Day!” We want to show our loyal customers just how grateful we are for all their business and support over the years!
What trends does Ace Endico see in terms of what’s on New York area menus?
Buratta Cheese is a huge trend on most menus. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is also defined by some sources as an outer shell of mozzarella filled with butter or a mixture of butter and sugar. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name “burrata” means “buttered” in Italian.
With your acquisition and expansion last year, you have become a force in the local pizza industry. What ideas did the show have for the local pizzeria operator?
The Ace Endico food show gave these newer customers in the pizzeria industry, a true sense of who Ace Endico is, and what an extensive product line we have. They now know, that Ace Endico is more than flour, tomatoes and cheese.
For the sales professional, what makes a career at Ace Endico special?
Unlimited earning potential. Tremendous support systems. A breadth of product lines that enable any rep to approach and sell any market segment. A caring family-run, Independent operation.
What lies ahead for Ace Endico in your goal to continue to provide the most value for your customers?
Ace Endico’s state-of-the-art, newly expanded facility enables us to give our customers value and quality. We have ample storage; dry, refrigerator and freezer space. Eleven temperature zones for optimum freshness. This new addition enables our Ace Endico purchasing department, to make smart buys and continue to source out new products from around the world.
