Naomi Mobed is the person behind the award-winning speciality food startup Le Bon Magot. As the business proudly states “Le Bon Magot is the culmination of one family’s culinary journey.”
Le Bon Magot (mă-gō′) or “the hidden treasure” is a woman-owned business, producing caponata, chutney, conserve, marmalata, preserves, tapenade and dressing, all inspired by the owner’s family heritage and international experience. All Le Bon Magot products are crafted from Heritage Recipes using High-Quality Seasonal Produce, Custom-Blended Aromatics combined with Natural Preserving Techniques. Expect to taste fresh, locally sourced produce and sweet, sun-dried fruit blended with the best quality oils, vinegars and spices sourced through specialist traders and ateliers from around the world.
Naomi Mobed was born in Karachi; raised in Tehran; lived in Hong Kong; educated in Princeton, Boston and London; worked in New York, Paris, then Dubai, then Muscat, then Johannesburg and all points in-between. She states “For as long as I can remember, food has given me a sense of belonging wherever I was in the world. It was, at once, familiar and new; both, a reminder of my history and a call to adventure. My family traveled on its stomachs and wherever life’s journey took us, we embraced local customs, quickly adopting and fusing them to our own culinary traditions. Through these voyages, food bound us and enabled us to communicate with the world – to show both our differences and similarities – to help us assimilate, make friends and settle into the ever-changing landscape.“
On the idea of Le Bon Magot Naomi writes “From the ritual of sharing meals with friends and family emerges Le Bon Magot™ or “the hidden treasure.” Le Bon Magot™ is the culmination of my family’s culinary journey as we work to produce chutneys, dressings, jams, preserves, snacks, spice mixes and specialty teas (among a few other things we hold dear) inspired by our heritage and experiences in Africa, Middle East and South Asia.”
Here is a podcast with Naomi from a few weeks ago.
Le Bon Magot®, Exciting New Specialty Food Brand Wins 5 sofi™ Awards
3,000 Products Competed for Top Specialty Food Association Award
Le Bon Magot®, artisan food producer from the Greater New York City area, has won the specialty food industry’s highest honor, the sofi™, for 4 products in 3 categories with one product winning the best new product:
• Gold Winner: Tomato & White Sultana Chutney with Ginger & Garam Masala
Category: Condiment
• Gold Winner: Spiced Raisin Marmalata with Ras Al Hanout & Smoked Cinnamon
Category: Jam, Preserve
• New Product Winner: Spiced Raisin Marmalata with Ras Al Hanout & Smoked Cinnamon
Category: Jam, Preserve
• Bronze Winner: Product: Lemon-Sultana Marmalata with Caraway & Saffron
Category: Jam, Preserve
• Bronze Winner: Brinjal Caponata – Purple Aubergine with Cumin & Curry Leaves
Category: Pickle, Preserved Vegetable
A sofi™ is the top honor in the $127 billion specialty food industry. “sofi” stands for Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation and represents the best of the best from members of the Specialty Food Association.
Le Bon Magot products were among 154 Winners selected by a national panel of 62 specialty food experts from 3,000 entries across 39 categories. Every entry is carefully assessed by passionate and knowledgeable food professionals including chefs, culinary experts, academics, food writers, and category buyers. Products are judged on taste, ingredient quality, and innovation.
“We are truly honored and humbled to be chosen among our industry peers,” says Naomi Mobed, Le Bon Magot Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Le Bon Magot brings together a love of family, food, language and travel intrinsic to the multicultural way in which I was raised. The sofiTM recognizes our commitment to ensure that inspired ingredients sourced locally, spiced internationally and treated simply deliver flavors that transport to far flung locations all from the safety of your pantry.”
On the market since 2015, Le Bon Magot condiments and culinary ingredients have been recognized by food service professionals and retailers for their distinctive flavors, unique spice blends and painstaking attention paid to every aspect of the product – taste, texture and colour.
“A sofi™ means a product, and the people behind it, have arrived,” says Phil Kafarakis, president, Specialty Food Association. “This year’s winners represent a devotion to excellence and innovation in specialty food that continues to fuel our industry, excite consumers and expand retail offerings around the world.”
Le Bon Magot will be exhibiting from June 25-27 at booth no. 6012 in the 2017 Summer Fancy Food Show, Javits Center, New York City, NY.