Another amazing show, another great summer event filled with old friends, new ones, tons of food, and plenty of new and exciting products to showcase before I get my cholesterol checked. We have come back with one of the craziest bounties yet, and are extremely excited to show you what's in store.
We started our day out bright and early, leaving Connecticut on the train to New York. We were lucky enough to catch a little of the NY Pride excitement, too!
The first day was significantly less eventful than it's been in previous years, likely due partially to the lack of sleep we'd had at the murder-y motel the evening before. At least we got to have Pepe's summer tomato and sausage pie...
And a sweet lobster tail for dessert!
It could have also been because the first floor, typically the largest, was very quiet. Comprised mainly of international and some larger US sections, it just lacked the energy and excitement of the floor below. Still, we found some great products and spent some time at my personal favorite, Mexico's cocktail booth with Junior Merino.
Here, we tried a knockout of a sweet corn, elderflower, hibiscus, pineapple, tequila, and lemongrass cocktail. Absolutely insane!
Pallini's famous limoncello was next, along with a raspberry and a peach liqueur.
After getting our drink on, we admired some of the classic big shot products of the show, like huge legs of proscuitto from Fermin and 5J.
Always a great snack!
This year had some of the prettiest packaging I've seen yet. From these brightly colored bottles and cans of olive oil from Italy, to some jewel-like bottles of balsamic vinegar inspired by perfume, the designs were sharp and pristine.
Cans that fly off the shelf!
Balsamic no. 20...for the lady and discerning gentleman.
Overall, our first day definitely swayed more toward the savory than the sweet side. We sampled more artisanal meats than our stomachs could handle, and checked out the latest from all of the cheese producers, too.
It seemed like the organization was tighter, but definitely led to a bit of monotony. There's only so many square miles of cheese a person can eat in a day before she needs a break!
The Ginger People had a sauce fountain with their zippy ginger chili sauce for all to dip in. I was more amazed that I was able to sample the sauce without getting any on my shirt.
Still, we had a great first day and met some wonderful new people with incredible products- stay tuned when we give you a peek of our second day, the two after-parties we checked out after the show, and finally, the top 15 sweet and savory products of 2013!
Great!
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