Kay’s Naturals premier product, Protein Chips, have been awarded first place in the cracker division of Taste of Expo at the recent Natural Foods Expo East in Washington, D.C. held October 12-14.
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   All of this activity started only a year and a half ago for Ann. A lawyer, she never considered managing a food business until she married Massoud Kazemzadeh. Soon after, she agreed to take over the company started in 1997 by Massoud's late wife, Linda. The snack foods were Linda's idea. "She wrote the business plan and brought the people together," Massoud says. As a diabetic, she was always looking for products that were healthy." Massoud, who holds a doctorate in food science, designed products for her. As an extrusion expert for Buhler Manufacturing in Minneapolis, he had spent years helping major food companies create high-value snack foods.
   When Massoud left Buhler five years ago, the company "was kind enough" to give him pilot plant equipment in exchange for consulting work. He built his own clientele of cereal product manufacturers and designed his own patented processes and products, including flavorful, organic chips for his wife's company, Kay's Naturals (Kay is a nickname for Kazemzadeh).
   Unfortunately, "she became extremely sick. The board tried to continue, but it is not the kind of thing you can do on the side," Massoud says. When Linda died, the company went dormant until Ann took over as CEO in late 1999. She quickly and aggressively sought national markets for the gourmet-tasting snacks that are balanced in protein and carbohydrates.
   "I came from Texas with a background in law - no food background - but I decided someone had to devote full time to it and see if we could make it happen," Ann says. "The fact that Massoud and his first wife did the groundwork diminished the risk.