Grandma Maud’s honored with Chicago Tribune’s Good Eating Award

October 21, 2005

Good food can make a difference.  The Chicago Tribune named Grandma Maud’s Down Home Cookin’ founder Paul D. Fregia a winner of the 2005 Good Eating Awards.  The award is a salute to people who are making a difference in the Chicago food and beverage world.  In selecting Grandma Maud’s, the newspaper highlighted the company’s unique line of comfort food items and Fregia’s dedication to providing opportunities for young people to advance.

Grandma Maud’s line of Southern-style products allows even novice cooks to bring authentic down-home taste to the table with ease.  Recipes for bean dishes, mixes for sweet potato and pumpkin pies and the versatile Premium Southern Seasoning are available nationwide in more than 1,500 stores.  Thousands of school children enjoy Grandma Maud’s nutritious breakfast cookies and dessert cookies in Chicago Public School lunchrooms. The new line of frozen side dishes like garlic collard greens and etouffée extend the company’s reach even further.

Yet, Grandma Maud’s is still about families and communities.  For eleven years, Fregia's company has kept the memory of his maternal grandmother Maud alive through scholarships for high school culinary arts students and mentor programs for young people.  The company also provides meals to food drives and many relief efforts.

“Give something back, and recognize early that you won’t do it on your own,” Fregia advises other entrepreneurs.