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Fancy Food Show


Chocolot

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I am going to San Francisco next weekend for the Fancy Food show. I've never been to the show before and wondered what to look for and/or expect. I know there will be a lot of walking and eating :biggrin: Has anyone been or is anyone going to this one?

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

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pace yourself. that's the best advice i can give. if you take a taste of everything that's put in front of you, you'll be sick 3 hours in, and you might miss a great chocolate, or something you'd regret not trying. so specialize. if i'm not looking for mustard, i don't try mustards, unless there's one that's so unusual it demands to be tried.

comfortable shoes. duh. but really comfortable ones, even if they aren't stylish. everyone will be looking at your badge. NO ONE will be looking at your shoes.

seems to me there was a thread last year...will see if i can find and link.

i'll be there.

edited to add link---same show (mostly) just different venue. advice given will apply to sf.

fancy food show javits center

Edited by chezcherie (log)

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."

www.chezcherie.com

Author of The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook ,The I Love Trader Joe's Party Cookbook and The I Love Trader Joe's Around the World Cookbook

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I've attended the one in New York City for the past two years. It's fabulous. The first year I went for 1 day, and was disappointed that I had not gone for a second. Last year I went two days, and still had not seen all the vendors. This year, I will be going all three days.

Although the free eats are always an incentive to attend a function such as this, the opportunity to compare the quality of several vendors who provide the same type of products makes your future purchasing much easier.

I had tasted the best lemon curd I have ever had, even better than the one I make. It was perfectly lemon-y, with a backnote of butter which I still have not been able to duplicate.

I already made my hotel reservations, so I don't have to worry about commuting.

Theresa :biggrin:

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

- Abraham Lincoln

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're coming from Vancouver, Canada for the show... with, truth be told, no plan. On our mission list is simply to network and get a grasp of the show.

Knowing that, some of your comments are making me nervous...

I got the comfortable shows at least.

BBQ Brian

Brian Misko

House of Q - Competition BBQ

www.houseofq.com

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It all depends what your purpose is. Mine is very clear - find new products to stock in my store and connect with existing vendors to get their show deals. So for me I need to have a clear strategy to navigate the 1,700 vendors or I won't have enough time.

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This sounds like a great opportunity and I just wish I could ever get to one of those shows.

My first thought is to buy a pair of those gel pads and put them into your shoes. No doubt the floors will be concrete or hardwood at least and very hard on the feet and legs.

Have a terrific time, all. :rolleyes:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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Well, Darienne,

The one in New York City is held at the Javitz Center, where most of the floors are carpeted, and there are plenty of benches for people to sit on when they tire.

That's not to say that the gel insoles are a bad idea. They are a wardrobe requirement anytime anyone visits New York in general, as there is so much to do within walking distance of anywhere.

I will be taking my two part-time assistants with me this year. With 1700 vendors, we can cover more ground if we split up and take them on all at the same time.

Theresa :biggrin:

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

- Abraham Lincoln

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I go every year to see what's new and trendy, to get inspiration, to see the latest packaging, to meet with some of my suppliers, etc. Comfy shoes, a sweater over a t-shirt, a comfortable bag to carry all the paper (and treats), bottle of water, nuts to combat the sugar crash, and super important......a baggie with a paper napkin in it to spit out the yucky stuff as you're walking away. I know that sounds terrible but trust me, you'll be glad you did.

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It seems like the mid-sized distributors are the ones who passed this year (Ritrovo, Keller). The big and small are mostly present. It seems the two hot items are aloe water and wine/chocolate pairings - neither being particularly new nor exciting. A rather boring year so far. A few new cheeses but I got to them late in the day when I was too tired to appreciate them.

my best deals seem to be happening unofficially with attendees who are present but not sitting booths.

Edited by gfron1 (log)
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I just finished and boy am I tired. i always forget how tiring it is to walk the floor. There are a couple of new products that I'll report on when I get home, but the big news is the business deals. Peters Imports acquired Chelsea Market Baskets on Friday, and there are other acquisitions happening as the small companies fight to exist and the large companies fight to survive - both requiring different strategies. I finally found Keller, who couldn't justify the show expense so she partnered with CMB which is how I found out about the acquisition. And much to my surprise, no great deals, just the typical ones - 10%, free shipping, etc.

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Meh. Nothing knocked my socks off. Did the entire show--both halls-- in one (long) day, and only went back this morning to place a few orders. Hit the Ferry bldg and headed over to the East Bay (ironically enough, to check out a couple specialty food markets). There were only a couple vendors I expected to seenthat weren't there. I didn't notice many, if any, empty booths. Tea and water, tea and water.. That's what I saw most of!

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."

www.chezcherie.com

Author of The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook ,The I Love Trader Joe's Party Cookbook and The I Love Trader Joe's Around the World Cookbook

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Got home last night--had a great time. We were able to do the North hall in about 6 hours. South hall took about the same. Didn't see a lot of new products, but got to meet Ina Garten. She has a line of Barefoot Contessa lemon curd and cake mixes. There might have been more products, but those stuck in my brain. She also won a Sofi award for best new product for the lemon curd. Saw a lot of tea, water and chocolate. I never thought I would get sick of chocolate, but it finally happened. The most exciting part for me was to personally meet Drew Shotts and Norman Love. I had a brief conversation with each of them. I asked Drew about the G pectin. He said that he doesn't like the blend that Chef Rubber did for him and that he is having someone else make it for him. Norman Love told me that Guittard is setting up a classroom in LA and he is going to be teaching a class there sometime this year. Norman seems to be very humble. When I told him that I thought his chocolates were beautiful as well as having a fantastic flavor, he told me that he has good people working for him. He also told me that he likes Guittard chocolate and that you don't need to pay extremely high prices to get a good chocolate. Another highlight was meeting our own Rob and Tyler. It is always fun to meet someone from the forum. I won't bore you with all the details, but if you are interested, I have posted photos and descriptions on my blog. ruthcooks.blogspot.com

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

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I'm cramped over right now from too much sampling (really, seriously...bad, bad pain). Was the waffle mix the malt mix that I saw?

I'll be sorting through my notes in the next day or two, but I had three highlights: 1) The business stuff (previously noted) which is concerning to me. Mergers mean less variety and higher prices. 2) Cool toys (I said cool, not necessary) Pacojet demo, food smoker demo and did anyone else see that ultra cool mini-shishkabob cooker! That was the coolest toy ever. and 3) the Korean drinking vinegar which I'll be doing a full write-up on at my blog. I twisted their arm to get a bottle. Another cool booth for me was the Japanese salt booth which they sent me away with one of each of their varieties (20ish) so I'll be writing those up as well.

Great fun seeing old and new friends (I'm not sure which Ruth would be considered), always a bit sad seeing Paul Prudhomme looking frail in his cart, and always fun being blown off by the big guys because I'm not a soul-less mega store.

More to come later.

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Was it just me or (with the exception of the American Cheese Society) was the North Hall much better than the South Hall in terms of exhibitor quality and creativity?

I would have to agree. I thought it was because we started on the North hall and this was my first show. When we got to the South hall, I thought it was because I was tired and the novelty had worn off. On the second day, we started in the South and it was better than the day before, but it is more "big business" in the South. I liked the smaller companies that seemed to be in the North. I have to admit, I didn't stop at any booth that wasn't candy or packaging or just plain caught my eye. I had to be focused so I could get through everything. The second day I tried to see what I had missed, but didn't get to everything. Rob, I totally missed the Japanese salt--knew I didn't see everything:-)

Ruth Kendrick

Chocolot
Artisan Chocolates and Toffees
www.chocolot.com

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