It took five judges and five hours to determine the best new kosher products of 2009 in advance of this fall's Kosherfest in New Jersey.

A line of microwaveable Asian noodles -- Luck Chen -- took the Best in Show at the 21st Annual Kosherfest New Products Competition.

In addition to Best in Show, the Manhattan-based Luck Chen also won for Best New Pasta, Rice Bean or Soup product. The line of "heat and serve" Asian noodles is available in five flavors, including Sesame Teriyaki, Spicy Szechwan, Soy Ginger, Spicy Kung Pao and Sweet & Sour.

The judges included: Yakov Yarmove, business development manager, ethnic marketing and specialty foods, SUPERVALU (Eden Prairie, Minn.); Joe Plueger, director of grocery, DPI-Specialty Foods, Midwest (Arlington Heights, Ill.); Marty Stein, account manager, Tree of Life Inc. (St. Augustine, Fla.); Jacob Rusanov, lifestyle category manager, Wakefern Food Corporation/ShopRite (Elizabeth, N.J.); and Jeff Nathan, chef/proprietor, Abigael's On Broadway (New York, N.Y.), cookbook author and cooking show host.

The two-day Kosherfest trade show will follow at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, Oct. 27-28, 2009, with more than 300 exhibitors from around the world, where the New Products Competition winners will receive their engraved awards.

"We were delighted to host the Kosherfest 2009 New Products Competition," said Bill Springer, group vice president, Diversified Business Communications. "There were so many great entries to the competition this year, and I think the show will reflect the scope, breadth, quality and uniqueness of this year's exhibitors."

The new kosher food product entries were judged on the basis of such criteria as their newness, quality, taste, salability and retail price point. The winners are:
• Best in Show -- Luck Chen Asian Noodles in five flavors (New York City, N.Y.)
• Best Baked Good, Bread, Grain or Cereal -- Sarah's Tent Potato Borekas (Deal, N.J.)
• Best Beverage -- True Toniq DBA Brain Toniq, Brain Toniq (Longmont, Colo.)
• Best Cheese or Dairy -- Get Healthy America Lasagna Florentine (Plainview, N.Y.)
• Best Dessert, Candy, Cookie or Cracker -- Illinois Nut & Candy Smooth & Crunchy Peanut Butter Bark (Skokie, Ill.)
• Best Food Service Product -- Custom Candy Concepts, Inc. Picture Cookies (Ellijay, Ga.)
• Best Packaging/Design -- True Toniq DBA Brain Toniq, 4-pack Brain Toniq (Longmont, Colo.)
• Best Kosher Organic -- Quality Frozen Foods Organic Batter Blaster (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
• Best Snack Food -- Osem USA, Inc. Bamba Peanut Snack w/ Hazelnut Cream Filling (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.)
• Best Fine Food from Israel -- Blue & White Foods LLC Falafel w/ Tehina Filling (Long Island City, N.Y.)
• Best Giftware/Novelty -- Kosherkeepers® by Plastic Packaging Corp. Kosherkeepers® Food Storage Containers (W. Springfield, Mass.)
• Best Jam, Preserve or Spread -- Oxygen Imports Mixed Berry Blast (Rahway, N.J.)
• Best Meat, Poultry or Seafood -- Kosher Valley Chicken Breast Cutlets (Plainville, N.Y.)
• Best Wine, Beer or Spirit -- The Natural Group/Kedem Elvi Sintonia Sangria (Bayonne, N.J.)
• Best Savory Condiment, Spice, Sauce, Oil, Vinegar or Dressing -- Streit's Matzos Asian Mel's Gourmet Sauce Line (New York City, N.Y.)
• Best Passover Product -- Zelda's Sweet Shoppe Zelda's Orange Chiffon Cake (Chicago, Ill.)
• Best Health & Wellness -- Green Rabbit, LLC MIMICCREME Coffee Creamer (Albany, N.Y.)
• Best Pasta, Rice, Bean or Soup -- Luck Chen Asian Noodles (five flavors) (New York City, N.Y.)

Kosherfest 2009 hopes to attract more than 6,000 professional attendees and more than 300 exhibitors from all over the world. For more information, visit www.kosherfest.com.