The Fancy Food Show came to San Diego – and to the West Coast! – for the first time this winter and was, thus, rebranded the Winter Fancy Faire. It didn’t exactly roll off the tongue, however, the activations and “campus trail” events as well as tastings all weekend were super fun and a welcome addition to something that can start to feel more ordinary after many, many seasons.
The trade show will be back in California for the next couple of years – with the summers still held in NYC – so, I hope it continues to be a success.
Onwards! Here are the Top 5 Trends that I noticed at Winter Fancy Faire:
- Big Dairy is back, baby – the milk councils and cheese companies had the biggest booths, the biggest wheels, and the biggest pockets. Dairy – domestic and imported – is very much back in the picture.
- Confectionary with benefits – everyone still wants a fun treat wrapped in the promise of wellness. Think collagen gummies, but make them cute with Hello Kitty.
- Capturing umami – home and professional chefs alike are gravitating towards flavors like furikake (the Bessou popcorn seasoning was a sofi award nominee), mushroom butter (a sofi award winner), soy sauce powder etc.
- Gourmet frozen treats – these ran the gamut from all-natural freezies to Asian “sports” recovery popsicles and “portable” shave ice.. I’m into it.
- Probiotic drinks (yes,still) – for how much longer and why when there are already so many, I do not know..
Thanks for having me! As always, there is more over on my Instagram where I highlighted my top product discoveries etc. each day.
