Cooking
Every year in January, the National Association of Specialty Food Trade puts on the Fancy Food Show and Confection Show in San Francisco. For those in the trade, it's exciting to see thousands of gourmet products in one place and it's one of the best ways to learn about what's new.
In the coming weeks Cooking with Amy will be sharing more and more from the 2004 Fancy Food Show. For today, a taste of what's to come with some of the top trends (listed in no particular order):
1. Unique pairings of herbs, spices and fruits showing up in all kinds of products, in particular I was struck by Lavender Pepper, Lemon and Cardamom and Balsamic Peach.
2. New beverages, syrups and juice products, especially with exotic flavors like Blood Orange and Pomegranate.
3. Ginger in EVERYTHING from cookies to chocolates and teas.
4. Cheeses infused with wines. Forget the shelf stable packages of Port Cheddar, now there are unusual combinations from Italy, France and the US like Monte Veronese with Valpolicella, Camembert and Calvados and Cheddar with Cabernet.
5. Salt. Yes salt. Exotic salts imported from all over the world. Though I have a hard time tasting the difference the textures do factor in to how you taste a dish. The best new use of salt in a product I tried was Fran's Chocolate Caramels. Chocolates filled with caramel that have a crispy salt crust that intensifies the chocolate flavor like you wouldn't believe.
6. Olive oils are still coming on strong. More and more brands from all over the world and from our own Napa Valley.
7. Low-carb, low-fat, kosher, fair trade and organic products. Of these I get most excited about the organic products, especially the dairy ones because the quality and taste is so terrific.
- Winter Fancy Food Show 2015 Trends: Turmeric, Beef Jerky & Fermented Foods
Attending the Winter Fancy Food Show (which is a trade show for the specialty food association) is a terrific opportunity to see what's new and happening in the world of speciality food. The biggest trends I noticed this time...
- Coconut & Chili--fancy Food Show Trends 2013
In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were lots of products with coconut and a more sophisticated use of chili. It was impossible to miss the virtual rivers of coconut water at the show. Interestingly,...
- Fancy Food Show Trends 2006
I'll have lots of posts in the coming weeks about products I saw at the Fancy Food Show, but here is a summary of the trends: Tea. The number of teas just seems to increase every year and this year the herb and essences used in tea got even more...
- Fancy Food Show Winter 2005
In January the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade holds it's winter trade show here in San Francisco. It's a terrific opportunity to try all kinds of products, meet those responsible for the food and see what is happening in the...
- Gourmet Products Show 2004 Highlights
The 2004 Gourmet Products Show opened today in San Francisco. This trade show launches thousands of new products and is a great opportunity to get a feel for trends, and see some new concepts for the kitchen. There is a lot to take in, three floors of...
Cooking
Fancy Food Show 2004 Top Trends
Every year in January, the National Association of Specialty Food Trade puts on the Fancy Food Show and Confection Show in San Francisco. For those in the trade, it's exciting to see thousands of gourmet products in one place and it's one of the best ways to learn about what's new.
In the coming weeks Cooking with Amy will be sharing more and more from the 2004 Fancy Food Show. For today, a taste of what's to come with some of the top trends (listed in no particular order):
1. Unique pairings of herbs, spices and fruits showing up in all kinds of products, in particular I was struck by Lavender Pepper, Lemon and Cardamom and Balsamic Peach.
2. New beverages, syrups and juice products, especially with exotic flavors like Blood Orange and Pomegranate.
3. Ginger in EVERYTHING from cookies to chocolates and teas.
4. Cheeses infused with wines. Forget the shelf stable packages of Port Cheddar, now there are unusual combinations from Italy, France and the US like Monte Veronese with Valpolicella, Camembert and Calvados and Cheddar with Cabernet.
5. Salt. Yes salt. Exotic salts imported from all over the world. Though I have a hard time tasting the difference the textures do factor in to how you taste a dish. The best new use of salt in a product I tried was Fran's Chocolate Caramels. Chocolates filled with caramel that have a crispy salt crust that intensifies the chocolate flavor like you wouldn't believe.
6. Olive oils are still coming on strong. More and more brands from all over the world and from our own Napa Valley.
7. Low-carb, low-fat, kosher, fair trade and organic products. Of these I get most excited about the organic products, especially the dairy ones because the quality and taste is so terrific.
- Winter Fancy Food Show 2015 Trends: Turmeric, Beef Jerky & Fermented Foods
Attending the Winter Fancy Food Show (which is a trade show for the specialty food association) is a terrific opportunity to see what's new and happening in the world of speciality food. The biggest trends I noticed this time...
- Coconut & Chili--fancy Food Show Trends 2013
In addition to "chia in everything" two other trends I saw at the Winter 2013 Fancy Food Show were lots of products with coconut and a more sophisticated use of chili. It was impossible to miss the virtual rivers of coconut water at the show. Interestingly,...
- Fancy Food Show Trends 2006
I'll have lots of posts in the coming weeks about products I saw at the Fancy Food Show, but here is a summary of the trends: Tea. The number of teas just seems to increase every year and this year the herb and essences used in tea got even more...
- Fancy Food Show Winter 2005
In January the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade holds it's winter trade show here in San Francisco. It's a terrific opportunity to try all kinds of products, meet those responsible for the food and see what is happening in the...
- Gourmet Products Show 2004 Highlights
The 2004 Gourmet Products Show opened today in San Francisco. This trade show launches thousands of new products and is a great opportunity to get a feel for trends, and see some new concepts for the kitchen. There is a lot to take in, three floors of...