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WILL WORK FOR FOOD
We gained a few pounds eating our way through NYC’s Jacob Javits Center at this week’s 55th Summer Fancy Food Show and it was worth it.
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Always our favorite trade show to attend, the Fancy Food Show is definitely worth the gluttony we indulge in to uncover the latest upscale culinary trends.
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Herbal Sweets:
No, a California dispensary didn't set up shop on the trade show floor. These sweet leaf treats are legal for everyone. While we'll always love Willy Wonka-style chocolate-dipped gooey caramels and artfully twisted licorice whips, the upscale confectionary world is taking a decidedly refined approach to candy, with more subtle natural flavors dominating traditional ingredients like fruit and nuts. We relished the sophisticated taste of French artisanal chocolatier Bovetti's chocolats apéritif; perfect for dinner parties, these chocolate-covered seeds (mustard, coriander, and fennel) and leaves (anise and rosemary) are intended to be eaten before a meal - we think they'd best be savored with a glass or two of red wine - or even used in cooking. Similarly, Les Anis de Flavigny showed off their flagship old-fashioned anise candies, as well as newer variations drawn from the floral world, including rose, violet, and orange blossom. They may seem like the type of thing your grandmother would have in the abyss of her purse amid a jumble of lipsticks and tissues, but we found their antique charm to be strangely appealing. We'd probably buy them for the beautifully illustrated keepsake tin alone.
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Sensible Drinks:
Taking a firm stance against its more mainstream soda sector, the oft persecuted beverage industry demonstrated an admirable commitment to health. While carbonated juice isn't exactly a new idea, slim-canned The Switch pit itself directly against enemy artificial refreshments, urging consumers to "make the switch" to its single-serving all-natural offerings. Fruit 66 should be welcomed by parents of small children adverse to the food pyramid - one can equals one serving of fruit. Recognizing the widespread diet soda addiction, Zevia offered an alternative to liquid aspartame with its stevia-sweetened soda. For more mature palates, we particularly loved Sence, an antioxidant-rich French rose nectar that offers a fragrant note to anything from lemonade to vodka. And for those who can't indulge in cocktails, Golden Star White Jasmine Sparkling Tea seemed like a perfect nonalcoholic accompaniment to fine dining, as it is intended to be served in champagne flutes. We'll be buying it for all pregnant friends.
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Americana:
Stars-and-stripes prints and Route 66 road trips aren't the only ways the patriotism trend, which we've been seeing grow since November's election, is manifesting itself. Alongside the usual plethora of European imports, we noticed significantly more traditionally American foodstuffs at the Fancy Food Show than in past years, and we'll certainly be pledging allegiance. Entire sections were devoted to American cheese (we don't mean Kraft Singles); in fact, some of the best treats we sampled were at the booths of the Vermont Butter & Cheese Company and the Grafton Village Cheese Company. There was even a stand devoted entirely to products flavored with our nation's favorite breakfast meat: J & D's booth enticed us with both bacon salt and bacon mayonnaise. And peanut butter restaurateurs Peanut Butter & Co. made us want to start brown baggin' it with two new flavors, the honey-blended Bee's Knees and the pancake perfect Mighty Maple. This Americana trend was so pronounced, we were almost surprised there wasn't some kind of newfangled Twinkie working the floor.
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