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Winter Fancy Food Day 2: Chefs and Cheese

By A.J. Flick
Senior Editor

The second day of the Specialty Food Association’s 2023 Winter Fancy Food Show was my day of meeting chefs and eating a lot of cheese.

The prsonal highlight was meeting Chef Stephanie Izard, who was the first woman named “Top Chef” (season 4) and one of my favorite Top Chef chefs. She also is from Arizona, as I am, so I was rooting for the “home chef.” Chef Izard has a new line of sauces, spices and add-ons developed out of her esteemed Chicago (and now LA) restaurant, This Little Goat. When I walked up to her booth, she was stirring a pan of halved Brussel sprouts, bathed in her Asian sauce. They looked good, but I’m not a Brussel sprouts fan. A friend of mine, Robert, loves them and so wants me to love them when he roasts them and slathers butter on them, but I just don’t like Brussel sprouts.

Until now. I have to break the news to Robert that I do love Brussel sprouts now, Chef Izard’s Brussel sprouts! She adds her new Everything Crunch puffed rice toppers on them for the contrast in textures that she’s famous for. I’ll have to make them for Robert now and show him how good Brussel sprouts can really taste!

I also was looking forward to meeting Chef Michael Tashman, who was a fabulous line of flavored butters. I was especially impressed with the Truffle Butter flavor, such a balance of truffle and high-quality butter. Chef Tashman is new to the CPG world, but he has plan to present more “chef forward” products to the specialty food market. He called it “chef to table.” (He didn’t coin the term, but likes calling it that.)

As for cheese, I stopped by a wine and cheese party thrown by the nice folks at Beehive Cheese. I tasted some of their cheeses last summer in Portland at the American Cheese Society Conference. Here, they presented a whole table of artisanal cheese at a Las Vegas wine bar, Garagiste. Beehive Cheese is a family business, not only the family who started it, but each Beehive team member I talked to spoke about how great it is to work there and how they are all treated life family. You’ll be hearing much more about Beehive in Gourmet News!

My second stop of the night was at the top of the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort, in the Foundation Room, UK in Las Vegas, held to celebrate cheese from the United Kingdom. Yes, there was everything from Stilton to a truffle cheddar (which was gone by the time I got there!). So I ended up having Utah cheese for appetizers and British cheese for the main course. I’m not complaining!

Earlier in the day, I stopped by to visit our friends at The French Farm. They’re excited to introduce an award-winning line of artisanal from Francis Miot from the southwest of France. Not only that, but The French Farm has added to its own Epicurian line of products, jars of tasty spring and summer veggies such as Zucchini & Ramp Spread, and some aiolis. Yum!

I also spent some quality time learning more at Le Gruyere, the fine cheese from Switzerland. And you’ll learn more, too, in our upcoming Spring Cheese Guide.

I had more time yesterday to do some wandering, I sampled chicken jerky from Brave Good Kind; Simply Animals, a better-for-you lightly frosted animal crackers; lemon and ginger Snaps from Stauffer’s, Pink Sauce from Dave’s Gourmet (you’ll be hearing more about that) and delicious dumplings from Chef Kim’s.

I had fun decorating (and eating) a little gingerbread man at the Signature Brands booth. I got a tour of the new Jelly Belly products – at long last, the Butter Beer jelly beans have landed! And, there’s another Harry Potter product on the horizon that fans will love (but I can’t say what it is yet!) Jelly Belly is expanding its reach into the greeting card market with a tasty new Easter greeting card, too. You’ll read more about it in the March issue of Gourmet News in our Winter Fancy Food Show roundup.

One more day to go – can we make it? Yes, we will!

Winter Fancy Food Show Day 1

By A.J. Flick
Senior Editor

The official delegation of the European Union to the United States kicked off the U.S. launch of its ambitious, two-year plan to acquaint the world of the bounty of European products.

Michael Curtis, deputy ambassador/deputy chief of mission, and Silke Boger, first counselor of the Agriculture Trade and Agriculture Section at the D.C.-based delegation stressed that the goal is not to promote certain products over others, but to share the quality and policy behind European products.

They acknowledge the big task ahead of catching American consumers’ attention, since the U.S. market is so diverse.

We can expect to see more from the EU as the plan rolls out.

Scotland wasn’t happy with the United Kingdom’s vocal exit from the European Union, voting to remain in the EU when Great Brotain wanted to leave. But Scotland was well represented at the Winter Fancy Food Show with a couldn’t-miss-it-if-you-tried tartan-filled booth near the entrance to the show floor.

This year marks the remarkable 125th anniversary of the company’s popular version of Scottish shortbread. The company has come out with some new tins and – just a minute, there’s much more, but I’m not allowed to write about them now! You’ll have to pick up the March issue of Gourmet News to find out what the company has in store for its milestone year.

“Regenerative farming” came up several times today, in my talks with exhibitors. I heard one succinct definition of regenerative farming from Michael D. Ham, co-founder and president of Wild Orchard Tea. I mean, I grasped the concept previously, but he put it so well:

“Sustainability is equal to net zero,” Ham said, “which is keeping everything the way it is.

However, he noted, in terms of climate change, the effects are spiraling downward, so maintaining status quo doesn’t do anything to affect that.

“Regenerative farming,” he said, “is net positive, making everything better. What we need to do is make things better.”

Net positive farming practices, he said, results in better, healthier food products, which equates to net positive health.

As Ham noted, tea is a plant that has been grown for 5,000-plus years. But that doesn’t mean it has to be produced the way it was 5,000 years ago. Caryl Levine & Ken Lee of Lotus Foods couldn’t agree more, except with them, it’s rice, which also has been cultivated for 5,000-plus years.

Levine and Lee were signing copies of their new book, “Rice Is Life: Recipes and Stories Celebrating the World’s Most Essential Grain.” Levine and Lee are passionate about sharing their openly shared process of producing rice that is not only better for the planet, but creates a better-the-body rice.

The biggest change is not keeping the rice fields soaked. When the rice fields are constantly flooded, it does reduce weeds, but it doesn’t allow carbon to permeate the field and enrich the soil. I’m looking forward to reading my copy of the book and telling you more about my talk with them in the March issue.

I also had the chance today to meet Chef Mike Orachewsky (pronounced or-ah-CHEF-sky – really), creator of TBJ Gourmet and the BJ stands for Bacon Jam. What’s not to like, right? Chef Mike O was a restaurateur with a catering business when a client left him stranded with 50 pounds of bacon. His business partner suggested he make bacon jam. Chef Mike O did and what he came up with was such a favorite with friends and family, he decided to launch the brand.

The company’s classic Bacon Jam is available in Walmart but Chef Mike O also has a line of specialty jams for anyone who doesn’t shop at Walmart. And wait till you hear what plans he has in store for bacon jam lovers. Do I have to say it’s going to be revealed (at least most of it, I’ve promised not to reveal one product until it’s ready) in the March issue of Gourmet News.

As I was browsing the show floor, going from interview to interview, a brand name caught my eye: Kill Sauce. The small batch hot sauces come from a Los Angeles-based company called Habanero Cartel. I live in Arizona and love hot sauces, so I went for the Habanero hot sauce the company’s flagship product and it slayed me – in a good way. Multi-layered and balanced with the right touch of heat but not too much. I also sampled the milder Fresno, made with sweet Fresno chiles, after I told them I loved hot sauce on my eggs and they said this was the perfect sauce for that. I concur. And when I mentioned ice cream, they have a hot sauce for that, too the Ghost, which marries the notorious ghost pepper with fruity twists of blackberries, raspberries and pomegranates. We didn’t have ice cream there, but I agree it would be tasty on some vanilla ice cream.

I had the opportunity to meet with best-selling cookbook author and popular podcaster Anna Vocino, creator of Eat Happy Kitchen, which includes a line of high-end no-sugar added, no gluten or GMOs, high-quality pasta sauces. As the founder of a fledgling food company, Vocino was thrilled to be at her second show (and second Fancy Food Show), because she knows the more networking she does, the more her sauces get into the hands and kitchens of consumers and chefs.

Vocino had a lot to say about the journey she took from the entertainment world to the specialty food industry and you’ll learn about them in the (you guessed it) March issue of Gourmet News.

One of the great things about the Fancy Food Show is seeing friends you’ve made from other shows (and online communications). I was happy to see Brett Bowman of B’s Gourmet Nuts (he’s the B), who I met at the American Cheese Society Show. He knows I love his nuts (hey don’t go there, I’m talking about his flavored cashews!) so much, especially the black truffle-flavored Decadent Cashews, he sent me home with a bag. No, I’m not sharing! If you’re reading this (and thank you!) and at the Fancy Food Show, see Brett at booth #3333 and tell him AJ sent you.

And I met for the first time in person, though we’d talked before, Susan and Gary Snow, founders of Tabletree Juice, scrumptious bottles of pure cherry juice made from Flathead Lake, Mont., cherries. Delicious AND nutritious. And you know what? They, too, have other products on the horizon. I wonder where you could read about that? (Hint: The March issue of Gourmet News).

Maybe it’s just me noticing this, but I tell ya, keep the word “soursop” on your trend list. Last year, I got to try soursop products out of Africa from Zena’s Exotic Fruits. At this show I sambled Vietnam-based Vinut’s Soursop Fruit Drink. It’s very refreshing. If you haven’t tasted it, to me, it has a pear-like quality, much in the consistency and taste. I like it and I’m hoping to see more of it.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our booth neighbor, Briannas, which you’re probably familiar with because of their dressings. Guess what? They’ve got marinades now! They were sampling the Roasted Garlic and Herb marinade on chick Sunday and it was delicious! They’ll have another flavor, maybe the Sriracha Honey Ginger, but it could be Classic Steak or Smoked Chipotle and Lime. It’s something worth looking forward to. And you know what? There are other products coming down the line!

Check out my blog tomorrow on the Second day of the show and if I haven’t whetted your appetite enough for the March issue of Gourmet News, you can get your subscription here, so you don’t miss it!

Hayashi to Lead Team USA at Bocus d’Or Grande Finale

Hawaiian-born and Arizona-raised Chef Jeffery Hayashi will lead Team USA in the 2023 Bocus d’Or Grande Finale.

The 24 worldwide selected teams will compete Jan. 22-23 in Lyon, France for five hours and 30 minutes in two events: While the platter theme features monkfish and other seafood products, the second test, “Feed the Kids” takes the form of an entire menu based on squash, to raise awareness among children and, through this theme, educate them about healthy eating.

Hayashi left an architecture career after his passion for style and precision led him to discover cooking, landing an apprenticeship with chef and chocolatier Philippe Padovani in Hawaii. In 2014, he was the inaugural executive sous chef at Mourad in San Francisco, which received a Michelin star in its first year of operation. Hayashi qualified for the Grande Finale by winning the 2022 Americas Bocuse d’Or in Chile.

Hayashi is chef de cuisine at Senia Restaurant in Honolulu.

Each team will start at regular intervals beginning at 8 a.m. on Jan. 22. Hayashi is scheduled to start Jan. 23 at 9:57 a.m., finish his Feed the Kids menu by 2:53 p.m. and his seafood platter by 3:27 p.m.

This year, instead of the plate contest, the Bocuse d’Or puts education in food and taste for young people through cooking at the center of the candidates’ work.

Today, cooks play a central role in food and culinary education. In the “Feed the kids” contest, each candidate will have to be creative in producing a squash-based menu for children. Several varieties will be provided by competition partner METRO to create a 100 percent vegetable-based cold starter, a hot dish including an egg and a restaurant dessert style. The candidates will have to redouble their creativity, play with textures and flavors to convince the jury of chefs, supported by children from all around the world.

The platter theme honors monkfish, supplied by partner Seafood From Scotland, accompanied by scallops. To enhance the monkfish, the candidates will have to prepare two vegetable garnishes to be placed on the platter as well as a garnish served separately, made from a vegetable from their country, mussels and an individual crouton of their own composition.

The Bocuse d’Or adventure gathers the world’s gastronomic family and federates more than 5,000 chefs spread across 70 countries. With a local and itinerant approach, the Bocuse d’Or has travelled from city to city throughout the world since 2005 for the national and continental selections: in America (Mexico City, Santiago de Chile, etc.), in Asia (Guangzhou, Shanghai, Singapore, etc.), in Africa (Dakhla, Marrakesh, etc.) and in Europe (Brussels, Budapest, Stockholm, Tallinn, Turin, etc.).

Beyond the geo-tourism implications of the event for the involved countries, the traveling selections serve to promote the gastronomic culture of each region and to highlight the vast diversity of world cuisine.

Before reaching the Grand Finale, each team spends two years training to perfect their skills. This makes the Bocuse d’Or much more than just a competition, it is a genuine human experience that combines self-improvement and team spirit.

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