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Story by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Summer Fancy Food Show It’s July and time once again for the annual Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. LuxuryWeb Magazine covers this event in order to report to you on the latest gastronomic trends. This year was notable for the lack of any defining product or new delivery system with the exception of “Green” items. It seems that “Green” is ubiquitous and a good many producers have jumped on the politically correct environmental bandwagon and have gone green… or so they say. They have determined that their products are not only delicious and good for the consumer; they are now also good for the planet. More reliable are the organic producers who must meet the strict guidelines imposed by the government. As in years past, there was a large amount of olive oil and exotic oils such as avocado, walnut, truffle, etc. on display from every corner of the globe - also processed olives and capers and caper fruits, and lots of cheese and smoked meat and sausage varieties. This year large sections of the floor were devoted to all manner of producers showcasing their wares under their country’s banner such as Italy, France, Greece, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, Thailand, and there was a big Asian presence. I tend to watch for entrepreneurs that have brought traditional or family recipes to the market or have found a new way to package a known item, organic or otherwise. The Organic Smokehouse, with Michael Leviseur as Director & Head Smoker, is such a company. Michael has taken the traditional Welsh ‘draft method’ of smoking, using air-dried, naturally fallen oak, over an open fire. His hands-on process selects only the finest quality, organically raised Scottish salmon, farmed in low-stocking fast flowing currents, without artificial growth enhancers of any kind. The smoking is a slow and gentle process under Michael’s watchful eye, which brings out the natural flavor of the product. Smoked Salmon, Gravadlax (sic), Potted Smoked Salmon, Smoked Salmon Pate, and Fresh Salmon are the mainstay of his product line while Smoked Cheddar, Smoked Parmesan, Smoked Butter, Smoked Sea Salt and Smoked Olive Oil plus Hot Smoked Chicken complete the line. For information and to order visit www.organicsmokehouse.com Rozendal Farm’s Kurt Ammann impressed me as being a health food guru out of place in a gourmet environment, that is, until I tasted his organic herb infused
Another item that caught my eye was the Ginger People display. I love the taste of ginger and, also, the naturally healthful properties of the root. Ginger has been known to relieve nausea associated with morning sickness and chemotherapy, and reduce inflammation from illnesses such as arthritis, and here it was packaged as a tasty tidbit. The ginger candy is offered as chews, hard candy, crystallized ginger and ginger slices. For information and recipes visit www.gingerpeople.com As I was sauntering through the Asian area, I came across pleurotus eryngil - also known as King Oyster Mushroom. Never had I seen such a huge mushroom; Cheeses from all over the world were on display but I was taken with an aged Mimolette from the Normandy region of France produced by Isigny Sainte Mere. Famous for its terroir, this region produces lush grass naturally rich in mineral salts, beta carotenoids and trace elements, which the milk-producing herds daily dine on. Staying true to its handed down recipes Isigny Sainte Mere cheeses are still made in the time honored traditional manner, which earns them the tightly controlled Appellation d’ Origine Contrôlée (AOC). The Mimolette, similar in taste to a well-aged, dry cheddar, is matured for 12, 18 or 24 months, although the later was a bit too sharp for my taste. For information on this and other products visit www.isigny-ste-mere.com Soon be introduced in the U.S. market by Friddicelli di Marinella Romano - a Romano family company - are Prickly Pear products from the small village of The well known international food importer Conrad J. Lowell has just expanded his product line with Lowell European-Style Yogurt. At the Fancy Food Show, I met Mr. Lowell and had the opportunity of sampling his new yogurt product in all its diversity. I had long bemoaned what passes for yogurt in the U.S. having developed a passion for the Greek style yogurt served in the Mediterranean. Lowell yogurt is not Mediterranean style, but offers a third alternative that is far more rich and creamy tasting. An added bonus to the taste is that Lowell European Style Yogurt is a live-culture, pro-biotic food, that comes in a huge variety of real fruits that are sourced directly from Europe; peach, plum black currant, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, vanilla and cherry to name but a few. There is also Multi-Grain which makes an ideal breakfast on-the-go or a healthy addition to your children’s lunch box. For information visit www.lowelldairy.com
Hopping across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, and a few of the products produced by our neighbors to the north, we find Naturoney, a pure honey brought to market in an easy to use up-side-down dispensing container. The honey comes in several different flavors, such as Blueberry, Buckwheat, Golden Rod and Organic from Canada, Organic bee pollen and Organic from Brazil. President Redmond Hayes of Naturoney, cleared up our confusion about Organic honey. We thought all honey was an organic product naturally derived from the free ranging honeybee. Not so said Mr. Hayes, Organic honey must come from bees pollinating in fields uncontaminated by man within a designated radius, and free of pesticides and herbicides and any other form of farming. There are stringent guidelines regulating the designation and the proof is in the taste. For information visit www.naturoney.com While in the Canada section, we happened across Sprucewood Handmade We end our review with Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, the silkiest, smoothest, richest tasting of the hand-made mozzarella cheeses. It is believed that Norman kings brought Buffalos to southern Italy around 1,000 A.D. Originally prized for their strength as work animals, they were later coveted for their milk. Mozzarella di Bufala is made exclusively from buffalo milk from buffalo farms located in the traditional production zone of certain provinces in southern Italy and the DOP designation guarantees the authenticity of the product. Information can be found at www.mozzarelladop.it
© August 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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Natural Red Wine Vinegar (matured for 2 to 5 years in oak barrels). This is not just soured-wine vinegar but a true gourmet product, flavorful, and good for you! Kurt’s vinegars may be the first crossover to be at home in both the Health Food and the Gourmet segments of the food marketplace. Rozendal Farm is known for producing organic sulfur-free wines since 1994; biodynamic wines were introduced in 2001 and in 1988 Kurt began producing vinegar calling on his expertise as a wine-maker. His line of home-grown organic Lavender, Mixed Herb, Tynbos, and Essentia red wine vinegars are carefully constructed to deliver the healing properties of the herbs along with the pH balancing alkalinity naturally found in organic vinegar. The vinegars can be taken prophylactically on a daily basis to neutralize excessive acid and insure a balanced pH level in the body, or used in salads, marinades, hot dressing on meats, etc. 
Mamma Lombardi of Mamma Lombardi’s All Natural Sauces is a real person. She first produced her tomato sauce for a small trattoria in her native Avellino, Italy and when her family immigrated to America and opened Mamma Lombardi’s Ristorante in 1976 in Holbook, New York, her sauce instantly became a magnet for people hungry for that homemade taste. With so many requests for her sauce, the company has begun to market 6 varieties in stores and online; Marinara, Arrabiata, Filetto di Pomodoro, Puttanesca, Tomato, and Vodka. They are also planning to open their fifth restaurant. Mamma Lombardi and her family are a true example of living the American dream with a combination of natural talent and hard work and their gratitude payback is a 10% donation to local charities on the profits from their sauce sales. For information and recipes visit 
perhaps a 5 inch long pure white body, perhaps two inches thick and topped by a tan cap. Of course, I was intrigued and stopped to taste a slice from the pan that contained a cooked sample. It not only looks different, it tastes different. This was indeed a discovery; a different mushroom which can be eaten raw or cooked. Unfortunately, even through the product was on display at several Korean and Malaysian booths, namely Cho-Sung Agricultural Products, Woo Sung America Corp., Doo-Sung Cheon and Champ Fungi Sdn Bhd, I was not able to navigate their web sites because they are not written in English and I suggest you check for this product at an Asian market, if one exists in your area.
Roccapalumba on the island of Sicily. Prickly Pears are fruit from the cactus family originally brought to Sicily from Mexico. The sweet, juicy fruit is called Fici d’India, because when Christopher Columbus discovered this strange spiny fruit in the Americas he thought he was in India… ergo Indian Figs. While the skin is foreboding, the fruit is very delicate. In order to share the bounty from their farm, the Romano family developed a fragrant jam and a uniquely flavored liquor, for export. The jam is perfect with a sharp Italian cheese or grilled pork or lamb and the liquor makes a wonderful Sicilian Bellini mixed with Prosecco (Italian Sparkling Wine) or as a topping on vanilla ice cream. It can also be drunk cold as a digestive. Look for these two Prickly Pear products in the months to come.
Since designer pasta made its entry into the marketplace some 15 years ago, there is a presence at the Fancy Food Show. Possibly because I had spent some time in the Langhe – Piedmont Region of Italy - at an 
Another product from the Mediterranean - Turkey this time - is dessert delicacies, namely Nema Halal Quality gourmet sweets. For hundreds of years the imperial kitchens in the Sultans’ Palaces were recognized as the best culinary schools in the Ottoman Empire and Baklava was the crowning achievement in the turban of delectable sweets. Although Baklava is made in many middle-eastern countries, Nema makes the real deal and ships their tasty treats worldwide. For information visit 
Cookie Co. producers of both savory cheddar, and sweet dessert, shortbread cookies. These cute little cookies are packaged in funky Chinese takeout boxes with colorful labels designating the different flavors of Original, Spicy Thai, Rosemary, Mild Curry or Dark Chocolate, Maple, Vanilla, Apricot, Lemon Zest and Raspberry. The cheddar cookies are great as cocktail accompaniments while the dessert cookies are a nice alternative to the usual chocolate chip after lunch or dinner treats. For information visit