Month: February 2013

Foodies everywhere can now enjoy their favorite chili, with a new twist, but with the same tasty results now available at their neighborhood Smart & Final. Smart & Final, the Los Angeles-based “smaller, faster warehouse store”, has added another item to its freezer section from a local family business, Dolores Canning Co., Inc. Smart & Final, has sold Dolores’ original, award-winning all beef Chili Brick for more than three decades.  The new chicken version is available in the same 5-lb. tray consumers have come to enjoy with the original Beef Chili Brick. “Our Chicken Chili Brick is a great alternative for those who prefer chicken, and it maintains a healthy balance. The chicken chili has low sodium and low cholesterol,” said David Muñoz, Dolores Canning Co., Inc. vice-president. Available in retail and food service sizes at other outlets, the Dolores Chili Brick was first introduced to consumers in 1973. A reference to its unique shape, Dolores Chili Brick is enjoyed by chili lovers, whether prepared at home or enjoyed at restaurants such as Philippe the Original in Downtown LA where it is served daily by the cup or bowl. Founded in 1871, Smart & Final is a truly unique company, combining today's state-of-the-art technologies and management practices with the historical perspective of one of the West's pioneer companies. It prides itself in being the one-stop place for everyone’s cooking, entertaining and clean-up supplies. Dolores Canning Co. is a local institution, having operated out of Los Angeles for 60 years, famous for its Dolores Chili Brick. The Dolores processing and packaging facility just outside downtown ships its all-beef and chicken chili to retailers throughout the region and is currently expanding its retail distribution throughout the nation. The company is also a family affair — patriarch Basilio Muñoz started its processing plant in the 1950’s with matriarch, Dolores, as the face of the company. Major grocery chains such as Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway carry Dolores Chili Brick in their refrigerated sections. The list of grocery chains shelving Dolores Chili has consistently grown over the years to include Cardenas Markets, Superior Grocers, Vallarta Supermarkets and many more. Countless independents and national foodservice distributors, such as Sysco, also added Dolores Chili Brick to their inventory. The original beef chili is a traditional straight red chili with no beans.  The chicken chili is made from the same recipe, but with all-white meat chicken. Combined with the Muñoz family recipes and spices, both are fully cooked and sold frozen in the meat case or behind freezer doors at retailers. Both versions are sold “concentrate” style, with consumers adding water or beans to prepare it the way they want it. Many restaurants, catering trucks and non-profit groups have purchased Dolores Chili Brick at Smart & Final for years. “Our Chili has grown in popularity over the decades, and as we continue to expand our product line in retailers such as Smart & Final we receive more and more emails and messages about our client’s love for both the all-beef and chicken chili,” Muñoz said. For information on Dolores Chili, log onto www.dolorescanning.com, and for more information on Smart & Final and the store nearest you, log onto www.smartandfinal.com.