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Summer Fancy Food Show Wrap-Up

Summer Fancy Food: Back to Its Glory, Full of Surprises

By A.J. Flick
Senior Editor
As one of my journalist colleagues said on the first day of the Summer Fancy Food Show, the best advice to a first-timer is to wear comfortable shoes and get as much done as you can in the morning, when the crowds are lighter because by noon, the crowds build and it’s shoulder-to-shoulder in the halls at the Javits Center. Yes, by all looks of it, the vestiges of the pandemic are over and the exhibitors and buyers are back in full strength, looking for the next food fad.

Morocco is the official partner country with the Specialty Food Association for this year’s show, but it was the Italians who did a superb job of reaching out to drive attention to their booths. On Sunday, Lioni Latticini invited friends to its booth for Una Spahettata Per Onorificare on the occasion of Guiseppe and Salvatore Di Lioni Latticini being inducted to the SFA Hall of Fame featuring Chef Riccardo Orfino, executive chef of the West Village restaurants Alice and Osteria 57.

I’ve never been to a “spaghetti” event, but I was pretty sure food was involved (haha). Boy, was it! Chef Orfino and his sous chef made delicious ravioli along with other Italian specialties including gluten-free pizza.

Over at the Carbone booth, the celebration was for the upcoming launch of its Spicy Vodka pasta sauce line. The sauce answers demand from consumers for the vaunted Spicy Rigatoni served at the West Village restaurant. Wow, it’s great! (I was offered a second helping and took it.) The sauce was designed so that it tastes great right out of the jar, but for foodies, they can add their own cream and butter to make it like the Spicy Ravioli from the restaurant.

There will be much more Italian food to come!

One of the best things I tasted on the first day was the new dark maple syrup from the good folks at Runamok. Again, this was in response to consumer demand. Scrumptious. I also tasted the new limited release Vermont Saffron Infused American Honey. Yes, who knew saffron could grow in Vermont? Wow, I never would have put the two together but I’m glad Runamok did.

Runamok is building on its mocktail/cocktail mixer line with Maple Tonic and Maple Grenadine. Unlike your parents’/grandparents’ grenadine, Runamok’s is made with Vermont maple syrup (of course), pomegranate and lime juices and no artificial ingredients. There’s also a new Sparkle Tonic that’s refreshing and fun.

I also got to taste the surprisingly delightful Pineapple Upside Down maple syrup, the result of Runamok’s popular consumers’ choice flavor. They weren’t sure about it either at first, but it’s delicious.

For those who love the taste of red wine but who can’t tolerate the tannins or want a no-alcohol version (big trend, as we know), startup Seraphim debuted its “wellness tonic” Seraphim social beverage made with botanical ingredients.

Nearby in the Rutgers Food Innovation Center was one of my surprise finds: Five Star Montauk and its first two products, Scotch Chipotle Glazing Butter and Mezcal Habanero Glazing Butter. Founder Jeff Kudrick served them on shrimp and wow, are they good! It’s so exciting to see new creations like these in the booming sauce and condiments market.

Kudrick also has a book coming out this fall. Keep reading Gourmet News to find out more! Hint: We may need a bigger boat.

One of the most popular stops (for media folks, that is) is Olivia’s Croutons‘ booth. Francie Caccavo proudly shared samples of the new Gluten Free Sea Salted croutons. I could eat a box just by itself! That’s what makes Olivia’s Croutons so good. They’re made in small batches from hand-sized loaves made by the company so the croutons have just the right crunch. The croutons are seasoned just enough to carry the flavor through.

I was happy to see a big crowd around The Gracious Gourmet booth. I exchanged greetings with Nancy, the owner/founder, and will circle back to talk to her when she’s not so busy.

While I was visiting Natalie’s Orchard Juice Company‘s booth, a couple walked up who said they were big fans and had some Natalie’s orange juice that morning at home.

“Once you’ve tasted Natalie’s, you won’t go back,” the man proclaimed.

New this year is Tangerine Pineapple with sweet basil, Orange Juice and Aloe. So delicious. And there’s a new Tomato Juice that’s great on its own but also would made a great Bloody Mary.

I heard about Uncle Waithley’s Vincy Brew, a non-alcoholic carbonated ginger beer with a Scotch Bonnet bite, so I stopped by and met award-winning mixologist and founder Karl Franz Williams. The brew is named after Williams’ grandfather and father, both named Waithley, but the recipe is all Williams’ creation, inspired by the flavors of the Caribbean. It’s gingery as expected but the Scotch Bonnet flavor makes it stand out as a ginger beer.

I found calm in the storm that is the Summer Fancy Food Show at the AyurSome Foods booth. Founder Divya introduced me to the products, all made (as the name implies) Ayervida tradition) including stress-me-not tea, calm-in-a-teacup, deconges tea, cup-it-cool tea, ccf (cumin, coriander, fennel) tea and the sofi Award-winning control sugar delete (don’t you love the names?) tea.

Divya told me that before she mixes each blend, she meditates, which I’m convinced helps infuse the teas with calm. It can’t hurt, for sure! I told her I might have to stop in more for some calm.

Here are some more surprises, booths that I visited spontaneously:

Chocolatea, a novel way to brew cacoa as you would tea. None of the blends are sweetened, though consumers may choose to add their own sweetener. The double dark chocolate dream is so good.

Mule Sauce hot sauce: No mules were harmed in the making of this vibrant hot sauce but yes, it does have a kick (get it?).

Savor Patisserie French macarons: They’re gluten free, made with almond powder and oh, so good. The actual product is the standard macaron size, but they were serving these teeny versions that were so cute (and delicious). I tasted the Salted Caramel. Tres bien.

In the Incubation Village, I was compelled to stop by the Hidden Foods Co., whose motto is “Hiding Healthy in Great Taste.” Mom and founder Kendra was making cute little pancakes from her mix, which you can make just by adding water. They’re so good, your kids won’t know they’re eating VEGETABLES for breakfast! (Parents will love them, too.)

The family who owns and runs Enzo’s of Arthur Avenue in the Bronx has also come out with its line of sauces for those who want to recreate the restaurant’s popular dishes at home. Made from all-natural ingredients, there are three flavors: Marinara, Vodka Sauce and Tomato Sauce. I loved the Marinara!

For more coverage of the Summer Fancy Food Show, keep reading Gourmet News.

Summer Fancy Food Show: Day 3

The third day of the SFA Summer Fancy Food Show saw less foot traffic than Day 2, but many exhibitors were excited about the contacts they made the previous day. Somehow, I thought it was going to be a slower-paced day for me, but I still didn’t get to visit some booths I’d wanted to see.

Nancy Wekselbaum, aka The Gracious Gourmet, and I keep crossing paths! I interviewed her by phone last year for an article on Hatch chiles. Then at the Winter Fancy Food show, which she was attending but not exhibiting, she happened to sit at the table I was at between booth visits.

This time, I was invited to a scrumptious five-course seafood dinner and olive oil tasting sponsored by Onsuri and who should be seated next to me but Nancy! The next day, I stopped by her booth and finally got to taste a variety of her products. I love pesto, so there was no arm-twisting to get me to try her Roasted Tomato Pesto and Lemon Artichoke Pesto – I could eat a whole jar of those. The Strawberry Black Pepper Jam was outrageously good. She’s got a new Hatch product that’s delicious, too, White Balsamic Hatch Chile Jelly.

I was impressed with Yoele’s new chips, made with the ancient West African grain fonio. The gluten-free chips have the texture of tortilla chips, but not as crumbly. When I got home, I made nachos with them – yum! Fonio is a tiny grain and grown using regenerative farming. Yoele is planning to have more fonio products on the market.

Sweet Logic showed off its Mug Muffins and cake and brownie mixes. They’re keto friendly and just right for those of us who just need a quick, sweet snack. I’m told the Ultimate Carrot Mug Cake mix tastes just like carrot cake. I brought a packet home to test that theory (haven’t made it yet).

I met John Arnold and his family, who create small batch craft nut butter in Vermont as Mixed Up Nut Butter. I can’t say enough good things about the Mud Season nut butter, crunchy cacao nib and coffee with late-season maple sugar and vanilla bean. I also liked Maple Creemee with Vermont maple, cashew, pecan and vanilla bean. I learned that creemee is a rich, soft-serve ice cream, famous throughout Vermont. They had a large poster pairing nut butters with wines – these are my kind of people.

While we’re talking sweets, I got to chat with Eileen Gannon, founder and CEO of Sunday Night Foods. All of the premium dessert sauces were delicious and Eileen says they’re much more versatile than adorning ice cream. If you add powdered sugar, they can make frosting and with vodka and cream, chocolate martinis.

David Little promised me a chocolate food fight at this booth for Immunity Goodness, which didn’t happen, though he gave me handfuls of infused chocolates to take home with me. (I should have taken more Immunity Chocolates – Belgian Milk Salted Caramel Apple Chocolate bites with Vitamin C, zinc, elderberry extract and tetrahydrocurcumin from turmeric – with me because apparently, I brought a cold home.)

We’ll have a roundup of the Summer Fancy Food Show in the August issue of Gourmet News. Subscribe now so you don’t miss anything!

SFA Honors Gourmet News as Lifelong Member

2022 marks the first in-person Summer Fancy Food Show since the pandemic as well as the association’s 70th anniversary. SFA honored four lifelong members, including Gourmet News, in its award ceremony June 12.

“Founded in 1952, the SFA (formerly known as the National Association for Specialty Food Trade, represents members involved in the specialty food trade, according to the association.

Gourmet News Publisher Kimberly Oser accepted the honor after the first day of the Summer Fancy Food Show.

Other lifelong members honored were Chipurnoi Inc., Liberty Richter and Roland Foods, LLC.

The 100 sofi Award winners were announced in May, though the top two honors, Product of the Year and New Product of the Year were announced last night.

Sterling Caviar‘s Royal Grade White Sturgeon Caviar was named Product of the Year and Tait Farm Foods‘ The Original Shrub – Lime Mint was declared New Product of the Year.

Leadership Awards were given to Kathrine Gregory of The Entrepreneur Incubator Space LLC won the Business Leadership Award, Joe Hanni of PS Seasoning won the Citizenship Award and Tom Simmons of the Supplant Company won the Vision Award.

Since the Summer show wasn’t held last year, 2021 Hall of Fame inductees were honored: Becky Renfro Borbolla of Renfro Foods, Inc.; Sandra Jackson Ford of Ford’s Foods, Inc.; Lorenza Pasetti of Volpi Foods; Donato Cinelli of Universal Marketing SRI; Lou Foah of Foah International LLC, and Greg Hinson of O Olive Oil & Vinegar.

2022 Hall of Fame inductees honored were Marygrace Sexton of Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company; Pierluigi Sini of Forever Cheese; Ted Dennard of Savannah Be Company, Inc.; Caryl Levine and Ken Lee of Lotus Foods; and Dariuish Soofer and Jamshid Soofer of Sadaf Foods.

Lifetime Award winners for 2021 honored were Trish Pohanka of WaterBox LLC and Sotiris Kitrilakis of Big Picture Foods.

Lifetime Award winners for 2022 honored were G. Michael Grazier of Busseto Foods and Rex Howell-Smith of Central Market – Texas.

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