Las Vegas, NV (January 21, 2025) pi00a and its Frozen Miso Eggplant Pizza triumphed at the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Face-Off Pitch Competition on January 20th at the 49th Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas. Al Mancini, a mainstay of the Las Vegas culinary scene, hosted the event and a panel of expert judges picked pi00a to take home the Grand Prize worth more than $20,000.
Fom more than 50 entries, four finalists were selected to pitch their new-to-market products to the judges and the specialty food and culinary professionals in the audience.
"Congratulations to Melody Stein on her Grand Prize win – well deserved!” said Bill Lynch, president of SFA. “All the Fancy Face-Off finalists were incredible. Each shared the kinds of inspired stories, products, and visions for the future that make the specialty food industry so dynamic, reminding us why our industry is where food innovation and trends begin. Thank you to all the SFA members who applied, to our judges, the finalists, and to Melody for an unforgettable pitch at the Winter Fancy Food Show.”
"This is an amazing feeling to be recognized for our product. Thank you for everything SFA!” said Stein.
In addition to hearing live pitches, judges sampled each product and assigned scores for innovation, ingredient quality, market potential, pitch, and taste. The judging panel included:
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Al Mancini, Neon Feast
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Casey Gaston, Whole Foods Market
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Brandon Ng, Houlihan Lokey
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James Ren, Thrive Market
Stein received a promotional prize package from the Specialty Food Association that included $10,000 in cash to help build their business; 2026 Winter FancyFaire* Package including 10x10 booth and furnishings; RangeMe Pro one-year subscription; Thrive Market one-year membership and credit; Startup CPG content feature; one-hour business consulting session with Jack Acree; Natural Products Consulting Seminar & Networking Event; annual Learning Pass from Emerge CPG; product photography package from Pola Marketing; and promotion from SFA via dedicated press release and social media.
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About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association (SFA) was founded in 1952 and is the not-for-profit trade association of the $207-billion specialty food industry. Representing more than 4,000 businesses worldwide, SFA champions industry participation and success for a diverse community of makers, buyers, importers, distributors, and service providers by developing resources, information, education, and events that celebrate innovation and inclusivity. SFA owns and operates the Summer Fancy Food Show, Winter FancyFaire*, and the sofi™ Awards, which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. SFA also produces the e-newsletter Specialty Food SmartBrief, the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions and Show reports, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report, and Today's Specialty Food Consumer research. Find out more at Specialtyfood.com, and connect with SFA on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and X.