Food and travel connect at Fancy Food Show
Imagine Willy Wonka stepping into his Chocolate Factory, suitcase or carry on bag in hand. I recently had my Willy Wonka moment as I sipped and sampled my way through 1,300 exhibitors presenting 80,00 food and beverages for me to taste in San Francisco, January 15-17, 2012 at the Fancy Food Show. Presented by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) the winter show offered numerous opportunities for trendspotting food and wine journalists and bloggers to share their favorite food finds. As usual, I was looking for the food connection with travel.
Foods that capture the traveler’s imagination
Travel back to Victorian times or travel on safari by elephant with Queen City Cookies owner Peggy Shannon. Peggy’s creative imagination, passion for baking and love of travel has led her to the kitchens of Cincinnati, Ohio’s Queen City Cookies where she and her cookie artists turn out shortbread cookies using one of Peggy’s 500+ cookie molds. The cookies feature equestrian packs for horse lovers, elephant shaped cookies for children and custom made cookies of all shapes, colors and sizes.
Upscale campers and those of us who like eating s’mores in the comfort of our home will want to try Bissinger’s s’more caramels. These chocolate-covered delights are layered with graham cracker, vanilla caramel, marshmallow, milk chocolate and smoky sea salt. If only setting up the tent for camping was this easy.
Food to pack on your travel adventures
Who says necessity is the mother of invention better than Kate Schade? I caught up with Kate, the owner of Kate’s Real Food, to learn about the Tram Bar, her signature peanut butter, milk chocolate power bar that Kate created to carry her through a day of skiing at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Kate’s home made Tram Bar not only sustained her in the Tram line and on the ski slopes of Jackson Hole, they created a business opportunity for her. She continues to grow the Real Food product line one bar at a time and says they are her “go to” food in her backpack, in the car or traveling by plane.
I brought home several flavors to try, but my 16-year-old son swooped on them after returning from water polo practice. Needless to say, he thought they tasted great. Move over PowerBar. Looks like you’ve got some competition headed your way.
Closer to my northern California home, Jonathan Sebastiani has recently introduced Krave Jerky. The Sonoma wine country native says his jerky goes from “backpack to briefcase” and is a must-have for travelers on the go. The all natural jerky comes in eight flavors, including exotic flavors such as garlic chili and chili lime.
More than bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky
If you thought Louisville, Kentucky (the Napa Valley of the Bluegrass) was only home to bourbon and the Kentucky Derby horse race, I have a surprise in store for you. Matt Jamie of Bourbon Barrel Foods makes a Bluegrass Soy Sauce that is micro-brewed in small batches using Kentucky grown soybeans, red winter wheat and Kentucky spring water. The soy sauce is then aged in re-purposed bourbon barrels. The Louisville-based company offers tours so swing on by.
Food Trends
According to the editors at Foodspring, here are their picks for the top 20 most influential food events of 2011.
USDA Introduces Choose My Plate
Last Supper
at elBulli
Airports & Cruise Lines Go Gourmet
The Chew Debuts
Girl Scouts Get a Locavore Badge
The Enigmatic
Ruth Bourdain
Dining Deals Feed Coupon Fans
Cheesemaking Arrives in Japan
Food Day Debuts
Colleges Swap Grub for Gourmet
Specialty Food Pioneer Passes
The Waiter of the Future is Here
Coffee’s Healthy Competition
Pop-ups Grab Permanent Fans
Halal Food Gets Attention
Farmers Markets Surge in Popularity
Bacon Gets the
Raw Treatment
Retailers Embrace Food Trucks
A Peanut Butter Pie Stirs a Movement
Waste-Free
Grocery Shopping
If You Go:
San Francisco Fancy Food Show, January 20-22, 2013
George Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA
Social media enthusiasts may follow NASFT on Twitter and Foodspring on Twitter. You may also follow Nancy D. Brown on Twitter for the latest travel news. Article, YouTube video and photos courtesy of Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown.
Related Posts:
San Francisco 2012 Fancy Food Show Entrepreneurs
Fancy Food Show Trends 2011
San Francisco Fancy Food Show 2010