As I write this column on September 3, we are in the middle of what I have found to be a very odd weather pattern. I know the month of September is considered to be part of the fall season, but here in Maryland, it’s usually still very hot and muggy at the beginning of the month. This morning, I awoke to 55 degree temps (and I’d gone to sleep with the windows open – brrrr!). It will be interesting to see how our autumn weather plays out.
We just got word that the Children’s Cancer Foundation, Inc. (CCF) has announced its 2025 CCF research awardees. Receiving research awards of $50,000 each are Alice Browne, Ph.D., of National Cancer Institute; Alan D. Friedman, M.D., of Johns Hopkins Hospital; Sabina Kaczanowski, Ph.D., of National Cander Institute; Patience Odeniyide, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins Hospital; and Jun S. Wei, Ph.D., of National Cancer Institute. Ryan Corbett, Ph.D., of Children’s Hospital has received a research award of $75,000 as the Giant Food 2025 Next Gen awardee. The Next Gen award was created to provide a promising young pediatric cancer researcher funds to advance their research and their professional goals. Giant Food supports this award annually through its Pediatric Cancer Fundraising Campaign.
Recipients of the CCF Research Awards are selected through a comprehensive review by an independent panel of prominent pediatric cancer researchers. The reviewers are affiliated with institutions outside the funding region and have no direct association with funded researchers.
“We are inspired by the groundbreaking work the local pediatric cancer community produces. CCF recognizes how vital it is to develop better treatments and cures for our children,” says Tasha Museles, CCF president. The funded projects seek to identify more effective, less toxic treatments for several types of pediatric cancer, including rhabdomyosarcoma and high-grade gliomas.
Additionally, CCF funds local programs and services that make a profound impact on the quality of life for local children and adolescent cancer patients. The recipients of the 2025 Program Awards (non-research) are: receiving $10,000 program awards are: The Children’s Inn at NIH for a respite weekend; Kennedy Krieger Institute for the Hospital Education Liaison Program (HELP); and Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai for an adolescent psychosocial support group. Receiving $5,000 program awards are: Children’s National Hospital for a massage therapy program; Claire Marie Foundation for skin cancer awareness efforts; and Horizon Day Camp for a child to attend camp for the summer.
I’ve written before about the amazing and important work being supported by CCF and its sponsors, in particular Giant Food. The 41st Annual Gala is being held at Martin’s Crosswinds in Greenbelt, MD on November 1. The 2025 Honorary Awardees are: Fighter Award – Strategic Factory; Hero Award – Jeffrey Toretsky, M.D.; and Stewardship Award – the McMillan family.
You can support CCF and help them continue to fight childhood cancer through sponsoring or purchasing tickets to the Annual Gala at childrenscancerfoundation.org/events/gala/. I hope to see many of you there!
C-store operator Sheetz marked a milestone at the end of August with the opening of its 800th store. The Mid-Atlantic based retailer cut the ribbon on a new store in Raleigh, NC on August 28 as it has its sights set on reaching 1,000 stores by 2028.
Sheetz has experienced significant growth since it opened its 700th store in Columbus, OH in September 2023. Since then, it has expanded its footprint in that state in greater Cincinnati, Franklin and Springboro as well as in Toledo.
The company identifies itself as a “major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience store chain,” and last year broke ground on the construction of a new $169 million, state-of-the-art food preparation and distribution center in Findley, OH to support its growth in the area.
Congratulations!
I read an interesting press release last week from the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which had hosted 10 students from the Drexel Food Lab/Certificate in Food Entrepreneurship and Innovation programs as Junior Trendspotters as the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show earlier this summer.
SFA compiled the list of these Gen Z food scholars’ top observations from the show into a special report. The students noted five top trends at the show.
They found that pistachios are the new “it” nuts and they were everywhere, showing up in snacks, spreads, cereals and even savory dishes like pesto pasta. One Junior Trendspotter noted a Malaysian pistachio cereal snack made by Enescorp International the combined crunchy cereal and creamy pistachio. And, for the second year in a row, Trendspotters called out the popular Dubai pistachio chocolate. Pistachios’ vibrant green hue is truly striking and pistachio is now moving far beyond the classic ice cream flavor to become a versatile ingredient across categories. Maybe it will usurp the ubiquitous almond as consumers’ new nut of choice.
Yuzu continues to dominate the flavor landscape by adding a tangy new twist to everyday food items. Trendspotters tried yuzu pizza and yuzu ramen broth as well as yuzu marmalade and noted the flavor combination of both sweet and savory applications.
Protein packed products were impossible to miss throughout the show. Highlights the Trendspotters pointed to included Rummo USA Inc.’s protein pasta with a satisfying al dente texture. There was also difficult-to-miss hype around the David Protein Bar. Named after the famed Michelangelo sculpture, the bar delivers a whopping 28 grams of protein for only 150 calories and 0 grams of sugar.
Sustainability was in the spotlight at the show, and it extended beyond ingredients this year. Trendspotters said they saw upcycled foods, sustainable packaging, and innovation around climate-sensitive crop alternatives. For instance, Baobab Foods sources its baobab powder from rural African communities where the crops create economic opportunities. Patagonia Provisions emphasizes non-GMO sourcing and regenerative organic farming practices in their products. Other notable innovations were around plant-based alternatives, cocoa-free chocolate, and low-water coffee substitutes – all cutting environmental impact but preserving flavor.
The last trend the Drexel students noted was pretty-in-pink packaging. Walking up and down the show’s aisles, the Trendspotters said it was impossible to miss the bold packaging in booth after booth. Pretty Tasty’s silky chrome packaging was alluring. Many products featured bright colors and eye-catching designs which represented smart marketing aimed at younger generations who typically value visual identity, community, and self-expression.
The Drexel Food Lab is a faculty-mentored interdisciplinary food product design and culinary innovation research lab solving real-world problems in sustainability, health promotion and access. It is housed in the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The lab conducts research and programming that helps understand consumers, develop new food products, and introduce new products to market. They work to develop new food products and menu items with entrepreneurs, industry, non-profit and government partners. Students who graduate from the program work across disciplines and are poised to improve the food system. Students in the lab also enroll in the Certificate of Food Entrepreneurship (undergraduate) or Certificate of Food Innovation (post graduate) to develop the skills they need to bring their own ideas to market.
Sounds like a very interesting program! You can learn more here.
