TGR Premier Issue Advertisers

When we launched TGR 25 years ago, dozens of companies came on board and supported us. Many of those companies are thriving and successful today while sadly, others have disappeared. We'd like to pay tribute to 22 of those who started out with us a quarter century ago, many of whom are still with us today.

BIA CORDON BLEU, INC.
BIA Cordon Bleu, Inc. showed three simple ramekins in its first advertisement. The fine porcelain company presently has an inventory that runs from the kitchen to the table and includes more than just simple whiteware. The tabletop, giftware, and gourmet kitchenware manufacturer has a design for every taste.

BOGDON CANDY CO. INC.
Bogdon showcased its Original Reception Sticks, which are still going strong today. The thin, hard candy sticks dipped in the finest of dark chocolates in four flavors -- mint, lemon, orange, and cinnamon -- are still the core of the line today, which also includes Mint Double Dips. Bogdon remains a family-owned business, with over three generations of Bogdons involved in making fine confections in the same delicious way as Walter Bogdon did more than 50 years ago over an open fire in only 100-pound batches at a time.

BON APPETIT MAGAZINE
Bon Appetit Magazine is now owned by Conde Nast, which also published Gourmet Magazine. Julia Child smiles to retailers in its 1979 advertisement that calls on retailers to stock the magazine, its cookbooks, and its social planners.

JOHN BOOS & CO.
John Boos & Co. is another company whose history and longevity makes us appear to be new kids on the block. The oldest company in Effingham, Ill., it has been in business continuously since 1887. Conrad Boos, Sr. founded the business in 1887 and named it for his son John. Today, John Boos & Co.'s Cucina products, butcher blocks, and cutting boards are being used by celebrity chefs throughout the United States -- Charlie Trotter, Ming Tsai, Paul Kahan, Susan Spicer at Bayona Restaurant in New Orleans, and Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feninger at Border Grill in Santa Monica, Calif.

CHEMEX
The Chemex Coffee Maker was invented over 60 years ago by German chemist and member of the Bauhaus art movement, Dr. Peter Schlumbohm. The Chemex coffeemaker may be found today on display in the Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It has been honored as one of the 100 Best Industrial Designs of Modern Times by the Illinois Institute of Technology.

DIAMOND MACHINING TECHNOLOGY INC.
A relative newcomer in 1979, Diamond Machining Technology Inc. promoted its unique DMT whetstone surface to an apparently receptive crowd. DMT was founded in 1976 by Elizabeth and David Powell who developed and produced diamond saw blades used for cutting blocks of granite at an old mill in Hudson, Mass. Faced with the need to diversify, an unlikely discovery helped shape the course of the
company. From a round, four-inch, discarded center punch-out of a diamond grinding wheel grew the potential for a new tool. This diamond-surfaced perforated plastic punch-out was transformed from waste material to a sharpening tool that could sharpen any material, including the toughest composites without mechanical assistance. After reshaping it to a rectangular stone and the development of manufacturing and plating technologies, the company was on course to becoming the recognized leader and industry standard in diamond honing hand tools.

FARBERWARE
Farberware was promoting its Convection Turbo-oven in 1979 -- an electric countertop oven that could roast an 18-pound turkey in less time than conventional ovens. Farberware may be traced back to 1900 when S.W. Farber, a tinsmith, set up shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side. In 1930, he introduced the first Farberware percolator. In 1937, he introduced the "Coffee Robot," a device that kept coffee warm for hours after brewing. Following it in 1938 was the "Broiler Robot" that included a device to indicate when the product was ready to use. In 1954, he introduced a stainless steel electric fry pan with an aluminum-clad bottom and a removable probe that gave consumers the ability to immerse the appliance in water for easy cleaning. The "Open Hearth" smokeless debuted in 1962 and was innovative because the heating element was below the food, rather than above, as it was in traditional broilers of the time.

FIRST COLONY COFFEE & TEA CO., INC.
First Colony Coffee & Tea Co., Inc. marketed their Susan's Tea brand in our first issue. Originally founded as the James G. Gill Co. in Norfolk, Va., First Colony Coffee & Tea Co. has been roasting and blending coffees and teas since 1902. First Colony expanded during the specialty coffee industry's growth spurt of the 1970's, leading the industry in quality standardization and flavoring of coffees. In 1995, First Colony and partner Federacion de Cooperativas de Calicultores de Antioquia, Colombia's largest coffee-producing cooperative, adopted an environmentally responsible agenda for the company. First Colony leads the industry in third party-certified organic coffee offerings and has embraced the efficacy of Shade Grown coffee. First Colony contributes to several agencies and efforts that develop infrastructure in coffee-growing regions and bring better health and education opportunities to coffee workers.

FOX RUN CRAFTSMEN
Fox Run Craftsmen started over 30 years ago as a cookie cutter manufacturer and has grown to include more than 4,000 different items in its product line. Along with distributing Salter Kitchen Scales and Typhoon products, the company now has a sibling, Ironwood Gourmet.

FRANMARA, INC.
Franmara, Inc. was nearly a decade old when it first advertised its impressive array of corkscrews with us. Established in 1970, the company has held true to its
bar and wine service core, serving both as a manufacturer and a master distributor of corkscrews, barware, and wine accessories. Franmara has also maintained its gourmet/specialty distribution, sharing its lines with foodservice distributors, advertising specialty dealers, wineries, wine distributors, wine and liquor stores, gourmet shops, and mail order catalog houses.

HARPER & ROW
Harper & Row promoted authors Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey, Diana Kennedy, Barbara Gibbons, Jim Lee, and Paula Wolfert in our first issue. Today, the company known as HarperCollins Publishers has its headquarters in New York, and became a subsidiary of News Corporation in 1987. HarperCollins was founded in New York City in 1817 by brothers James and John Harper. The worldwide book group, which was formed following News Corporation's acquisition of the British publisher William Collins in January 1990, has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia/New Zealand, and India. Today, HarperCollins is a broad-based publisher with strengths in literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious, and spiritual books.

HOAN, A.K.A. HOUSEWARES OF ALL NATIONS
Hoan boasted the salad spinner, stovetop espresso maker, and a host of other gourmet innovations in its first advertisement with us. Today, the company is known as Lifetime Hoan. In 2002, the company entered the deluxe end of the cutlery market with the introduction of three lines of Cuisinart branded cutlery. They also market a line of KitchenAid brand tools and gadgets, as well as two series of KitchenAid metal bakeware and a full line of silicone bakeware in the full array of KitchenAid colors.

ROBERT KRUPS, NORTH AMERICA
Robert Krups, North America, or simply KRUPS, advertised its Coffee Time 8-cup coffee/tea maker with "Stop n' Serve" features and more. The state-of-the-art coffeemaker first introduced in 1961 was followed by many more innovations, including espresso machines. KRUPS still serves up its branded coffeemakers in the U.S. and is now under the Groupe SEB umbrella.

LINGLE BROS. COFFEE, INC.
California-based Lingle Bros. Coffee, Inc. began roasting coffee in 1920. In their 1979 advertisement, the company encouraged retailers to call them collect and featured Jerry Van Horn as spokesman. Lingle Bros. hasn't grown just their own coffee business -- Ted R. Lingle, who worked as vice-president of marketing for Lingle Bros. Coffee, Inc. from 1970–1990, was awarded the National Medal of Merit by the Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia in 1998, and is currently a Trustee of the CQI and the executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America.

NORDICWARE
NordicWare, best known for creating the original Bundt Pan, was marketing a Micro-Go-Round in 1979, the first portable automatic food rotator for microwave ovens. Founded in 1946, NordicWare has been providing long-lasting, quality kitchenware products and services for over 50 years. Today, there are over 45 million Bundt pans in homes across America.

NORPRO
Founded in 1973 by Gunnar Lie, Norpro began operation with a vision to design, manufacture, and supply quality kitchenware backed by a commitment to exceed customer expectations. Gunnar Lie, CEO and president, has kept those goals the same from day one and Norpro has since grown into a leading supplier of quality kitchenware, both domestically and worldwide.

RECO INTERNATIONAL CORP.
Heio W. Reich founded Reco International in 1967 and established the company as a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-quality limited-edition collectibles of various themes, subjects, and media. Reich, a native of Berlin, Germany, earned many awards and kudos for developing and importing elegant works from some of Europe's leading factories and art studios.
Reco obtained the exclusive representation of Römertopf Clay Bakers and accessories from Bay Keramik in August 1974 and has represented Römertopf in the United States ever since without interruption, and was consequently granted the exclusive representation of North America and Central and South America. Römertopf is available through catalogs and at retail outlets and specialty stores throughout the country.

ROWOCO
Rowoco, based in Mamaroneck, N.Y., showed off the litany of imported housewares it offered in 1979, including pasta makers, Sabatier knives, and espresso machines. A part of Wilton Industries since 1991, the company is partnered with three other distinctive consumer products companies whose strategic focus is product innovation and quality. The four divisions are Wilton Enterprises, Copco, Rowoco, and The Weston Gallery. Rowoco still offers one of the industry's largest selections of fine kitchen gadgets and bakeware. Wilton is located in the western suburbs of the Chicagoland area.

SPANEK ENTERPRISES
Brothers Denis and George Spanek, Jr. received a patent in 1976 on a vertical roaster and set out to demonstrate this product to chefs, food experts, cooking editors, at trade shows, and department stores, but the initial reaction was laughter or ridicule. One person at a time, the critics became converts and this timesaving method of roasting that provided incredible flavor took hold. Since 1979, over 10 million Spanek roasters have been sold, and its success has spawned a variety of similar products. Spanek Enterprises continues to sell its vertical roasters and seasonings today.

THORN KENWOOD INC.
Kenwood Chef was the big name on the back cover of our premier issue. The food preparation machine from Thorn Kenwood Inc. was cutting edge at the time featuring as it did a dough hook and a great promotional program for retailers (a 54-percent margin, plus an additional 10-percent promotional allowance). Kenwood is now under the DeLonghi umbrella.

TWININGS TEA CO.
Twinings Tea Co. has been at the forefront of the tea trade for 10 generations, influencing tea-drinking habits and helping to shape the industry. The company that first spotted the potential of tea 300 years ago continues to develop that potential today. Its first advertisement with us with exclusive importer R.R.Cooper Co., Ltd. stressed the importance of educating customers about the varieties of tea available. Pretty innovative thinking for the 1970 American consumer.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS
Zwilling J.A. Henckels has been making knives for hundreds of years and took the time to get that message across to retailers 25 years ago. If you've ever wondered what the symbol that represents ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS AG is all about -- it dates back to June 1731 under the Gemini sign. It was then that Johann Peter Henckels, a knife-maker based in Solingen, registered the "Twin" symbol now recognized throughout the world as his trademark with the Cutlers' Guild of Solingen. It is thus one of the oldest trademarks in the world.