Fancy Foods Show Requires Fancy Footwork to Feast on Even a Fraction of Fare but Egads! The Effort is Worth It

The Fancy Food Show was back in town last month at the Jacob Javits Center, its attendees particularly thrilled to be there in the exuberant air conditioning of the expo behemoth.

That said, none of the enthusiasm ebbed even as the following Monday’s temperature abated. This year’s specialty food extravaganza was as well attended as ever, and those who either do not qualify to attend or don’t even know about it always wax rhapsodic about those who get to go.

It is, however, not for the faint of heart— nor faint of stomach. There are literally acres of food exhibitors from ever corner of the globe, from every gustatorial perspective, every dietary adaptation, and every culinary echelon. So you may think it sounds like a foodie Mecca, but it can be overwhelming. You’re welcome, in advance, because I did the footwork (and suffered the digestive havoc) for you, after three days worth of the widest spectrum imaginable of sampling.

Year to year, there are some show staples: hot sauce, chocolate, pickles, cheese and coffee are inevitable, prolific, and ubiquitous. Some of the show is broken down into country-specific regions, and sometimes those countries seem to have but one basic specialty item. For example, if there is much besides dates from Egypt, it wasn’t apparent. Italy is always rife with pasta brands, new and old, and Korea has endless varieties of kimchi. But even the old staples are, for the most part, at the top of their game, and there is certainly something for everyone.

Expansive as it is, even three full days of attendance does not allow a single individual to come even close to coming close to experiencing the full array of products available. It is a blissful moment when an exhibitor offers pre-packed samples that can be taken for later; even the biggest appetites have limits. Below is what titillated mine to the greatest degree, which is just a smattering of the edible wonders that were shown at this year’s expo.

My favorite thing about the show might be the coffee, and my favorite producer was an Italian company called Caffé Passalacqua, which is named after how the water passes through the grounds to produce what might be the world’s most exquisite beverage. Based out of Naples, the hand-packed, freshly ground beans create an inky, smooth espresso with a pleasant bitterness and a luxurious crema. There are myriad fine espressos from Italy, but this one was notable.

The Dal Fry from Cumin Club, distributed from Chicago, which offers shelf-stable, ready-to-eat, “restaurant quality” Indian foods was another exceptional find. A vegetarian, plant-based meal made without preservatives ticks a lot of boxes already, and this one’s taste lives up to its convenience. Made from just nine, recognizable, whole-food ingredients, its a creamy, steamy, comforting meal with a kick of spice and a profound depth of flavor. Hearty but not heavy, it could be eaten alone or used as a cooking base.

On the condiment side of things, Fleur D’Olive caught my eye initially simply for its stunning bottle, radiating a jewel-pink liquid that turned out be a delicious vinegar, good enough to sip alone as a drinking vinegar or sprinkle for finishing. It’s creator, Sonia Giguiere, is a newcomer to the show from Canada, and would appear to have hit the ground running.

Jane Foodie’s “Fresh from Scratch” Guiness Beef Stew won a Gold Sofi Award in her category, and for good reason. A native New Yorker from Yonkers, her stew tasted just like my mom’s pot roast, which, as a favorite meal of mine when I was a child, I used to call “stringy meat” for how the tender flesh collapsed into the rich gravy. Hers performs a similar feat, with big chunks of onion and carrot (as an adult, these are now my favorite parts), the Guiness adding a sweet richness to the luscious sauce.

Protein from a completely different source and flavor profile came from SMUL, a South African company which integrates “health, taste and convenience” into a wide array of products. The most amazing one I tried was their vanilla protein powder, the perfume of which evokes the indulgence of a thick vanilla milkshake , but has a lighter sensation on the palate. And certainly a more beneficial nutritional impact, with zero sugar and twenty grams of pure plant-based protein per serving.

Trust me, I’ve gagged myself through gaggle of chemically, medicinal, gritty and/or cloyingly sweet protein drinks, and this one was pure pleasure, even aside from its stellar nutritional profile.

Another healthful and tasty beverage was Dosa by Dosa’s Banana Tumeric Lassi. Different from the benefits of the SMUL, this sweet treat has the antioxidant benefits of turmeric as well as probiotics from the cultured yogurt base. Plus, it’s fruity and refreshing, and tasted like vacation (mental health benefits are not to be dismissed!).

Perhaps my favorite bite of the show was grilled, rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms lightly seasoned with the umami-bomb “Magical Powder” from Sugimoto. Discovered by Zen monks in Japan and harvested from Japanese Sweet Oaks, these plump funghi dusted with their own powder compounded their flavor beyond the sum of their parts. I’ve never done psychedelic mushrooms, but with natural ones this insanely delicious I almost felt like I was hallucinating.

In a similar vein, Monterey Farms vacuum-packed artichokes are better than fresh, their meaty hearts even meatier than freshly steamed, and a moment on the grill with a dusting of salt just threw muscling through those prickly leaves out the window.

On a more indulgent note, festive Carousel Cakes had such an enticing display I wanted one of each. Their velvets are the velvetiest, and not relegated only to red. Their cheesecake trumps Juniors so hard they shouldn’t even share a name. They are even Oprah-approved, and relatively local, based out of Nanuet with two cupcakes outposts in Jersey.

The most obvious trends were the continuance of dark chocolate over other varieties, gluten-free adaptation, and hot and spicy everything, from pickles to sauce, candy to cocktails, the heat is on outside AND on the menu. And while most or all of these products can be found online, the point of the show is to find brick-and-mortar retailers, so keep an eye out at your nearest Gristedes, Westside Market, Gourmet Garage and Whole Foods.

Maybe you didn’t make the show itself, but its outcome will end up in full force at these similarly well air-conditioned stores.