A Day At The Fancy Food Show

A friend of mine, L.Y., has passionately been talking about the Fancy Food Show in NYC. “You will love it!”, she told me. And that’s all the encouragement I needed to sign up for attendance at this year’s event at Jacob Javitz Center - going on now.

WOW! Three floors filled with thousands of vendors and food purveyors from all over the world, bringing their latest and greatest products. Can a foodie ask for any more?!

Meats, cheeses, wines, pastas, olives, olive oils, cookies, crackers, candy and nuts …. Mmm… Mmm… Good! I loved leisurely walking and tasting anything and everything that struck my fancy. There was so much food to taste. At any given time, my mouth was savoring yet another flavorful delight. This was pure heaven.

I loved the Italian aged cheeses on display. A brand named Nuraxi from Sardinia, had the most delectable goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses. I am still savoring the creamy textures and amazing depth of flavors in those.

Oh! And you must try a wonderful cured meats brand named Fra’mani. I loved their flavored infused dry salamis as well as their buttery soft cooked ones. OMG! So good! I was told that Balduccis carries their products.

There were hundred of varieties of olives. Pickled, stuffed, original - you name it. Valesco Foods from New Jersey carries tons of varieties of these from the entire Mediterranean region. Their selection was high quality and phenomenal.

I loved the finishing salts by a company named Falksalt. They had such a remarkable variety of flavor infusions. I am dying to get my hands onto one of each and start experimenting with dishes. They were kind enough to given me one box for a try. Its called Citron (Citrus flavor) and is great to finish seafood dishes.

A company named Wild Thymes makes amazing sauces and chutneys. I cant wait to buy their Thai Dipping Sauce that went so well with cream cheese and crackers.

My absolute most favorite products in the entire show were from a company called Sabatino Tartufi. They are based out of New Haven and carry the most amazing, finger-licking good truffle based products. I LOVED their Tangerine Cream and their Truffle Honey. They will be so perfect on a cheese board, or on a slice of toast and simply fabulous just by themselves. You must check out their website - you are sure to want to buy one of everything they sell.

A special shout-out to our very own Connecticut vendors who were proudly showcasing their products. Lets support our local brands: TEA.RRIFIC Ice Cream out of Norwalk (really good stuff), Oats Granola out of Westport, In A Jar Foods out of Darien, Saucy Coffee out of Greens Farms (Martels in Fairfield uses their sauce in the dessert menu) and Storye Bread Company out of Glastonbury (who are also finalists in the Sofi Awards to be held tonight). My dear friend Renee from White Oak Farm & Table showcased her wide range of products. I am absolutely in love with her Blueberry and Basil preserve. But yesterday she introduced me to her latest product: Strawberry and Lemon preserve. Its absolutely addictive and simply divine!

I also came across an interesting product: Quinoa milk! So perfect for those allergic to dairy and soy based products. The taste was pretty decent - considering it’s source. The brand was Suzie’s and Good Groceries Company carries it.

To my delight, there were some great chef demos scheduled at the show. I watched Chef Hemant Mathur, of Michelin Starred Indian restaurant named Tulsi in NYC. He demonstrated a delicious and simple recipe for Goan Shrimp. Chef Jose Andres was due for a demonstration yesterday as well. I was giddy in anticipation, all day! I decided to get there 45 minutes ahead of time to snag a good seat. The demo theater was packed for his arrival. At the last minute we were told that he was stuck at D.C airport. Bummer! Too good to be true, I guess.