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Story by Barbara Penny Angelakis
Photography by Manos Angelakis
55th Summer Fancy Food Show
Once again we laced up our running – in this case walking – shoes and hit the Jacob Javitz Convention Center in full stride. We covered as much of the 55th N.A.S.F.T. Summer Fancy Food Show as humanly possible to report to our LuxuryWeb readers on the trends in gourmet specialty items and new or original products that we found.
Organic and Fair Trade products were everywhere, and we applaud the many exhibiters jumping on the Green bandwagon. For those of you unfamiliar with what these terms mean, generally, “Organic” means grown naturally without the use of chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, or antibiotics. Animals and insects - as in the case of Honey Bees - are allowed to free-range forage in natural environments that also have not been chemically managed. Additionally, no additives or preservatives are used in packaging in order to enhance the product’s shelf life. Fair Trade simply means that a fair price has been paid to the farmers, cooperatives, growers, and producers for their raw products. This encourages indigenous peoples to practice sustainable growing methods and biodiversity, in maintaining the health and productivity of the land they farm.
Showcased were also small entrepreneurs with unique artisanal products, many designed in their home kitchens, often with the aid of family and friends. We were able to sample these items, usually found only online or in local specialty or gourmet stores. It seems that what was old is new again, as many of these items are credited to family recipes that have been handed down by Mothers and Grandmothers.
This year there were less of the designer salt flakes that were so ubiquitous last year, replaced by tea; exotic, organic, herbalist blended, wellness, but most of all, beautifully packaged for gift giving in box or can. The Republic of Tea mood designated Traveler’s Tins holds six unbleached herb bags to carry with you, each with Tasting Notes and slogans listed on the tin like “get happy” “get maternal” “get smart” “get relaxed”, well you “get” the picture. www.republicoftea.com
 There were many original new tea products that we spied. Petit Tea from Vancouver, Canada, has come up with a unique tea delivery system they call Tea Sticks. Tea Sticks are semi-rigid, perforated, metal foil tubes that have been filled with premium whole leaf teas. They come in a variety of flavors and each stick carries just the right amount of tea for a perfect cup. Unlike bag or caddy, the Sticks remain firm allowing space for the tea leaves to uncurl and release flavors and antioxidants, while holding back bitter tannic acids. www.petittea.com
Another exciting product line was Sen Cha Green Tea Mints and Bars. Fair Trade certified made with Organic Green Tea, the mints come in original, pear and lemongrass flavors. A lovely and flavorful alternative to breath mints that merely mask odor; the all natural green tea mints inhibit the bacteria that causes bad breath with the added benefit of 25 mg’s of polyphenols per mint; the active compound that carries potent antioxidants. The bars have even more polyphenols, 225 mg’s per bar, and are made with organic ingredients that are Gluten & Dairy free. www.senchanaturals.com
 Sweet Leaf teas has a line of sweet tea beverages like Grandmother Mimi used to make. Just launched, are old-fashioned organic lemonade beverages made with 100% organic cane sugar in a limited edition Mason jar. The flavors are Original, Blueberry, Peach, and a unique Cherry Limeade. Sweet Leaf is also happy to provide cocktail recipes such as “Peach on the Beach” “Peach Mo-Sweet-O” “Lemonberry Martini” and “Southern Bellini”. This drink was the winner of the 2007 NASFT Silver “Sofi” Award for outstanding cold beverage. www.sweetleaftea.com
The elegant luxury tea company Mighty Leaf, has several intriguing products, one of which is AperiTea. AperiTea is a tea-infused mixer made of robust whole leaf teas blended with fruit juices and available in Chamomile Citrus Berry, Green Tea Tropical and Orange Jasmine Mango. These handsomely bottled brews are perfect for mixing with your favorite spirits, sparkling wine, or with sparkling water for a spa beverage. www.mightyleaf.com
 Stash Tea, a large well-known purveyor of teas and tea accessories offers Organic Agave Nectar Sticks, along with an Organic Tea line, packaged individually or in a handsome pandan gift basket. Pandan is a natural fiber from the Aloe family, native to Indonesia. Agave is a plant native to Mexico also from the Aloe family, whose juice makes a Vegan, Kosher and Halal-friendly honey substitute, with a zero Glycemic index suitable for diabetics. www.stashtea.com
 Wholesome Sweeteners from Sugar Land Texas, have gone one step further. Their sweeteners are made only from the Blue Agave plant, which is familiar to Tequila aficionados as the juice from which the potent brew is fermented. Here we have a full line of Fair Trade Organic, Kosher, Gluten-free, low Glycemic sweeteners, in liquid or granule form that can be used to flavor hot or cold foods and beverages or as a sugar substitute in cooking. There is a slight, not unpleasant, caramel aftertaste, similar to pure Maple Syrup. www.wholesomesweeteners.com
Extra Virgin Flavored Olive Oils have taken a marketing ideas from wines in packaging originality and creativity, and like wines, require subtle taste buds for savoring distinctive differences in products. There were many flavored oils to experiment with in addition to olive oil, such as Almond, Walnut, Pumpkin Seed, Sesame, various savory spice-infused oils, plus exotics like Truffle and Porcini flavored olive oil. Flavored vinegars continue to be a very popular item, and pastas while not as big as in previous years, were large at the show with Maestri Pastai, and their extra long size, exotic shapes, flavors and colors from the Campania region of Italy. www.maestripastai.it
 Chile was a major player this year, with Chef Pilar Rodriguez imported especially for the occasion to delineate and prepare dishes highlighting her innovative culinary techniques. Instead of starting with the food preparation and then selecting wines that pair well, Chef Rodriguez chooses and cooks foods that compliment her selection of wines… Chilean of course. Her skill in combining her classic French training with her intimate knowledge of native Chilean flavors has gained her the coveted Chef of the Year award by Placeres, Chile’s pre-eminent food magazine.
Exhibitors, such as Etnia www.etnia.cl showcased their Merkén condiment made by two Mapuche (Indian) families from Purén in southernmost Chile. Merkén is made out of dried and smoked red chilies, salt, ground cumin and coriander seeds and other spices into a smoky, slightly hot, but extremely flavorful seasoning. Olive oil with Merquén is also available. Tacama™ is another producer of Merquén spice and flavored olive oil. sales@neo-oils.com
Geomar Seafood www.geomar.cl is a company founded by young Chilean entrepreneurs with a mission to bring the best of the sea “mar” to the mainland “Geo”. Their canned king crab, sea conch, razor clams and shell, are captured in 40-foot deep Pacific Ocean fishing zones certified as a non-industrial fishing or seashell farming area. The seafood is processed in a water treatment plant with a strictly controlled state-of-the-art waste disposal system, certified by the European C.E. standards commission. I tentatively tasted the samples thinking they would be bland and lacking in texture as many canned foods are. I could not have been more surprised; the clams were textured and flavorful right out of the tin. I then tried the conch and the crab and again was amazed. Visions of salads, pastas and paellas danced before me and I could not wait to try the seafood at home in a number of ways. It may not be quite as satisfying as sitting overlooking the sea in Viña del Mar with the days catch on your plate, but is definitely a close second.
Tamaya Gourmet also had a hot new specialty item; premium hand selected, bottled without preservatives or artificial ingredients, whole fruit Carica. Carica is an exquisite fruit that grows only in the semi-desert of the Limari Valley in northern Chile. It is renowned for its yellow color, slightly crunchy texture, aromatic smell, and taste; a combination of mango, pineapple, apricot, pear, and peach. It can be used cold as a desert (try dipping pieces in chocolate fondue or serve with ice cream), in cocktails, cooked into a sauce, or skewered together with peppers and onions for seafood or meat brochette. It is a highly versatile unique product and recipes are available from www.tamayagourmet.cl
Zócalo Gourmet Importers featured a raw honey from Chilean Gourmet made by bees that collect the nectar from the Ulmo tree, native to the southern Araucania region. This tree blooms in late summer and early fall and produces a creamy, delicately perfumed honey. Winner of the best raw honey at the San Francisco 2007 Fancy Food Show, it has no preservatives or additives. Zócalo also imports Origen Premium Vinegars. Origen makes a Mint/Cabernet Sauvignon wine vinegar, with a mild top and astringent base, perfect for dressing salads and dishes that need a sophisticated counter balance. www.zocalogourmet.com
We have written extensively about Chilean wines both in LuxuryWeb Magazine and The OenophileBlog and so will not review them here.
The Fancy Food Show review will be continued in the September issue. With the upcoming celebratory season in mind, LuxuryWeb will highlight party and gift giving ideas in subsequent issues of the magazine.
© August 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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