Four solid years and here we are – the Summer Fancy Food
Show is easily my favorite event of the entire year, birthdays, new car days,
and No-Pants Thursday notwithstanding. We’ve been preparing, rejecting outfits,
schmoozing with the finest of friends, and receiving samples left and right
before the show to give you a sneak peek of what to expect from this year’s new
products.
PS- I'll give you the final update of Day 3 of my Cleanse tomorrow!
Here are the top five trends I anticipate seeing. In
checking out the sofi nominees, perusing the exhibitor list, and receiving
press releases,
it looks like the surge of healthy ingredients in foods has not
ebbed (although I’m still waiting for Cheetos to make a glorious return) but in
the interest of separating from the gluten-free and ‘light’ trends of the past,
now, fresh ingredients are taking a stand. We’ve been seeing tons of snacks and
drinks that have been including coconut and supergreens/fruits. Here’s a
breakdown at the top five trends I anticipate seeing throughout the year.
1.
Healthier/artisanal instant beverages
This is a particular favorite of mine as I
absolutely adore instant drinks. Companies like Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen are
crafting
gourmet instant coffee packets, a trend I’d love to see with other
microbrew coffee brands.
Agave nectar from True Agave is making its debut, and
also featured are a few variations of
instant coconut water, and coconut water ice treats to cool your beverages down.
2.
Versatile, curious teas
Savory teas and bi-temperature curious iced and
hot teas are making their debut at the show from Numi and more.
3.
Sundried tomatoes
What used to be an afterthought on Italian-esque
sandwiches is making a bold, flavorful comeback in condiment form. Pesto,
ketchup, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and more are being featured –
I’m still waiting on chocolate-covered tomatoes.
4.
Exotic spices and alcohol in ice cream and candies
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams featured a
meringue
and absinthe ice cream this spring, and now Three Twins is bringing their
cardamom ice cream to the show. Gelato Petrini is also showcasing their
pistachio cardamom chip gelato and pineapple prosecco sorbet. Above, Marich debuts their coconut-curry cashews and dark chocolate chipotle and caramel almonds. And cat packaging from Monty Bojangles.
5.
Goat’s milk and sheep’s milk in various desserts
and products
Greek yogurt has had its day in the sun, but how
about sheep yogurt? Bellwether Farms is bringing their
sheep’s milk yogurt to
the show, along with
goat cheese cheesecake and breakfast cheese from Belle
Chevre, goat cheese pearls from Artisan Biscuits, and Rogue Creamery’s Blue
Heaven blue cheese powder.
Here’s a small sample of the treats I’ve been receiving
lately—no doubt you will see many more as the show continues!
From this
selection, I think this is going to be one of the best shows yet. There are
some real knockout products here!
Cookies, candies, and confections abound- these seasonal cookies from Dr. Lucy's were excellent, and packed with pumpkin puree. As were the other seasonal varieties,
Merry Mint, Holiday Sugar, and Maple Crunch. I ate them in mere days!
Chuao is debuting their latest flavors at the show, too, in Orange-A-Go-Go and Pop Corn Pop. The latter really excited me, as it seeks to
provide not only the flavor of popcorn, but the sensation of popcorn popping. Meta, anyone? I think it's the best bar from Chuao yet, but you'll have to read my deeper analysis after the show!
Tonewood's exquisite
maple wafers are up for a sofi- sweet, melting maple flavors in gorgeous packaging.
Hella Bitters from Brooklyn- perfect for the Old Fashioneds I've been dying to make the Bedfellow.
Brownie Points sent this gigantic red velvet brownie over along with about fifty other delicious treats- from this alone, I'm really impressed. It's a
massive, gooey confection with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting, like a portable layer cake, and wasn't too sweet at all.
Queen City is back again, with more delicious schnecken! They're bringing tons of flavors with them this year, like pumpkin, chocolate, and mallow magic, too.
Kelapo Coconut Oil,
good for the skin, good for the food. And extra-good for the paleo banana pancakes I made this morning.
Last, but not least, butter and oat shortbread from Duchy's.
Also, this. See you at the Fancy Food Show, everyone!
I'll be Instagramming, photographing, recapping, and stuffing my face. Juice cleanse who?
Labels: condiment, dessert, news, snack
4.
Exotic spices and alcohol in ice cream and candies
