Walls of cheese at the Fancy Food ShowCheese from Wisconsin’s Saxon Homestead, sustainable seafood from Wild Planet, the latest flavors from Scharfenberg Chocolate and fastidiously made naturally-aged old-world style salumi from Olympic Provisions – all this was on just the first of many aisles we walked at the Fancy Food Show. Early in July more than 2000 vendors gathered in New York to showcase irresistible food temptations for the specialty food trade.

The vast Javits Center on the west side of Manhattan was packed with suppliers offering an exciting but overwhelming range of food products.  A couple hours a day is all we could handle.  Aimed at retailers large and small, as well as restaurants and caterers, the show is a chance for the trade to see what’s new, track trends, and make connections.

A significant portion of the space is given over to international sources.  The booths are grouped by country in the front of the exhibit space.  It’s like strolling across the globe moving from country to country in just a few steps. Each section has the flavor and style of its host:  Italy with the aroma of cheese and coffee – staffed by men in slim-cut black suits; France offering the bounty of that food-centric culture; Morocco with fragrant spices and couscous, as well as Brazil, China, India and 34 other countries.

Regions of the United States occupy another section on the exhibit floor.  New York State covered two aisles mostly with hand-crafted products from trendy Brooklyn, but some from farms upstate too.  Other states including Massachusetts, Kansas, Virginia and Vermont also had their own sections.

Walking the show is daunting, but a few trends emerge.  Chocolate is big. Our unofficial count puts chocolate among the most offered products. It’s all delicious and creatively presented, some imported, but mostly made in the USA.  Established vendors like Scharfenberger are offering new flavor combinations like milk or dark with chocolate nibs (sea salt is big, too), while newer companies like Chocomize from Long Island City with roots in Holland are trying to break in with creative packaging, outlandish fillings and aggressive salesmanship.

Cheese and cured meats are two other popular, frequently seen categories. In both the international and domestic sections, walls of cheese drew me in to learn more.  The cured meats are right alongside: hams, salamis, chorizo, and merguez, to name a few.  Some are proudly handmade in small batches (like the Klessig family at Saxon Homestead or Olympic Provisions in Washington) others are  the products of large companies or cooperatives.

Tasting is the best (and most fun) way to learn about the products. I’ve never had so much chocolate, cheese, salumi, tea, and snacks in one afternoon. Each product has its own story, with unique flavors, individual heritage and distinctive marketing.  This is, after all, an effort by wholesalers to sell and retailers to buy.

Other well represented categories include tea, olives, flavored popcorn, cookies, jams and preserves, pickles and salt. Trends include increasing options for gluten-free, organic, artisanal producers, convenience and a tilt toward healthy– whatever that means.

Mustapha with his wares.

Mustapha with his wares.

The show is a good chance to meet people behind the products – some are hard-working farmers or chefs and others are charismatic salesmen.  Mustapha Haddouch convincingly claimed credit for introducing the now popular Harissa hot sauce to the US. The recipe is based on this Moroccan native’s family tradition, with Agadir peppers and preserved lemons. Mustapha also imports capers and caper berries, olive oil, colorful preserved lemons and Argan oil. A natural and ebullient salesman, he was eager to teach us about Harissa and have us taste all his products.

Some other notable products include: Lafaza Madagascar Vanilla powder, Mange Fresh Fruit Vinegars from

Flavored Vinaigers

Flavored Vinaigers

Vermont, Rick’s Picks pickles and San Saba River Pecan products both from Texas, Empire Mayonnaise from Brooklyn for small batch high quality flavored mayonnaise, and Doux South Drunken Tomato pickles.

Our tour of the show ended with the new brands’ aisle.  Here new products are touted, often by people new to the food biz. Some will make it and some won’t, but I loved to see what new ideas were bubbling up.  Barefoot & Chocolate, based here in Norwalk, offers high quality chocolate spreads both dark and milk with almond or hazelnuts.  Natalie Keng of the Georgia based Chinese Southern Bell greeted us with, “Ni Hao, Y’all,” and introduced her Asian sauces made down south. Perhaps the most original produce we saw was Switchel, an organic cider-based beverage with fruit flavors and a tangy zing of vinegar – based on a drink popular in colonial America. It was so new that they were just bottling their first batch.

I hope I’ll have a chance to share more of our exciting finds from the show. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for new products on the shelves. You may be surprised by new flavors and find a new favorite.