SunGold Slider wins gold at PMA Foodservice event

New Zealand-based Zespri International won first place at the Produce Marketing Association’s Foodservice Conference Strolling Lunch Competition for its SunGold kiwifruit.

The July 29 event in Monterey, Calif., featured dishes that attendees sampled and voted on their favorite, according to a news release.

Chef Domenica Catelli, owner of Sonoma County, Calif.-based Catelli’s Restaurant, created a SunGold pulled pork slider for Zespri. The Food Network chef prepared the sliders slow cooked in barbeque sauce, pickled and chopped raw into a slaw, according to the release.

Attendees chose the SunGold slider as the winner for its unique flavor and creativity, according to the release.

“When I received the Zespri SunGold kiwifruit opportunity, I was excited and a little bit nervous, since my experience is mainly with the green kiwi,” Catelli said in the release. “That quickly changed when I found out how versatile and delicious this fruit is, and that you can eat the skin of the SunGold.”