Cronut Creator to Host sofi Awards at Summer Fancy Food Show

Dominique Ansel, an internationally acclaimed pastry chef and creator of the Cronut, a croissant-donut hybrid, will host the 42nd sofi Awards at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York.

Ansel, owner of Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York, was voted one of Business Insider’s Most Innovative People Under 40 in 2013 and has been a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2013 and 2014. He previously was executive pastry chef at Restaurant Daniel and was part of the team that won a three-star Michelin rating and garnered a four-star New York Times review. 

A native of France, his first cookbook, “Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes,” will be released this October.

The sofi Awards are the top honor in the $88 billion specialty food industry. They recognize creativity, innovation and excellence in 32 categories, including chocolate, cheese and baked goods. Ansel will serve as keynote speaker and present the awards at a red-carpet ceremony on June 30.

The awards take place at the Summer Fancy Food Show, the largest marketplace for specialty foods and beverages in North America. Owned and produced by the Specialty Food Association, the show runs June 29 to July 1 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

“Chef Ansel brings craft, care and joy to the wonderful food he creates,” said Ann Daw, president of Specialty Food Association. “Those are the same qualities that our sofi Award honorees bring to their innovative products.”

A devoted supporter of anti-hunger initiatives, Ansel will donate his speaking fee from the Specialty Food Association to City Harvest, the Fancy Food Show’s anti-hunger charity for 25 years. The chef is a member of City Harvest’s Food Council.

“Using my passion for food to help fight hunger, what better win-win situation is there than this? I am honored to be part of the sofi Awards and celebrate creativity in food while supporting City Harvest’s efforts to provide meals to those in need,” said Ansel.

“City Harvest appreciates its 25-year relationship with the Specialty Food Association and we are proud to partner again on this significant food rescue opportunity,” said Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest. “We have rescued more than 1.75 million pounds of food from the Fancy Food Show and delivered it to hungry New Yorkers, and we are grateful for the support of Chef Ansel who will generously donate his speaking fee to support our work.”