This past week, I was lucky enough to attend the Specialty Food Association’s massive Summer Fancy Food Show on its 61st annual show at New York City’s Javits Center, and I’m pleased to report that it did not disappoint one bit. With over 2,600 companies exhibiting and over 22,000 industry members in attendance, this 357,000 square foot collection of the world’s most influential retailers, bakers, cheese makers, meat producers, and more was alive with the spirit of celebrating specialty foods and beverages of all kinds.
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— Farmhouse Kitchens (@FrmhousKitchens) June 30, 2015After the three day rush to meet as many people and eat as much delicious food as humanly possible, I’m sure I barely covered half of this colossal show. This year included tasty offerings from 50 different countries, as well as buyers from top names in specialty retailing, restaurants and foodservice including Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, FreshDirect, Kroger, Starbucks, Central Market, Dean & DeLuca, and Costco.
This year’s Summer Fancy Food Show also hosted the sofi™ Awards Showcase for Outstanding Specialty Foods, featuring a heartwarming keynote address by Ted Allen, host of Food Network’s Chopped. Touching on the explosion of food trends and the globalization of flavors, Allen offered the excited crowd the insights he’s learned in his many year’s of working and traveling with the Food Network. Celebrity Chef and Chopped Judge Alex Guarnaschelli was also in attendance to present the sofi™ Awards in 32 unique categories among the 125 Finalists.
For a full list of winners from all the categories at the sofi™ Awards, check out our full coverage of the winners here.
Perhaps the highlight of the show for me, however, were all the amazing people at this year’s show. The Summer Fancy Food Show was truly an excellent venue to meet up with old friends and make new friends as well. This was a show where you could see cheese makers shaking hands with candy makers, bakers laughing with salumists, and fierce competitors sharing a drink.
I could go on and on about all the amazing people I met and all the mouth-watering food I had a chance to try, but instead I will say you must see this show for yourself. Both the show, and the always inspiring New York City that hosts it are absolutely not to be missed. I can hardly wait to see you all again at January’s Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco.
