Grandma’s Gourmets, based in Albert Lea, received the Good Food Award 2019 for its Strawberry + Balsamic + Black Pepper Jam.

According to a press release, the Good Food Awards celebrate tasty, authentic and responsibly produced foods. Awards go to outstanding American food producers and the farmers who provide their ingredients. The winners were announced at the annual awards ceremony and marketplace Jan. 11 in San Francisco.

Good Food Award recipients push their industries toward craftsmanship and sustainability while enhancing their agricultural landscape and building strong communities, the release states. A maximum of 15 awards are given in each category. The Strawberry + Balsamic + Black Pepper Jam was honored as a Good Food Award winner in the preserve category.

The Strawberry + Balsamic + Black Pepper Jam is described as a chameleon of flavors; it changes depending on what you serve it with, the release states. Owner Kim Olson developed the product by combining a “classic” strawberry and balsamic pairing and “jazzing” it up with a bit of lemon for brightness, black pepper for a hint of spice and basil for an herbal note.

“I think that this jam may be the best jam I have ever developed,” Olson said.

She recommends pairing the jam with different cheeses to pull out different flavors: herbal cheese for herbal, black pepper cheese for black pepper and lemon cheese for lemon, but there are more possibilities, she said.