Summer Fancy Food Show, Part I

Today was day one of the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. I wish I'd have taken pictures yesterday when our sales manager Joanne and I were there to set up and hand out ad boards -- it's like being backstage at a musical or play. You walk the aisles (very carefully! You don't want to get run over by a an electronic cart or cherry-picker!) and see booths in every stage of set-up. As of 12:30, there were booths complete with product displayed, counters draped and ready for the show opening, and there were booths that were still empty, except for a few boxes and crates marked with the company name. Boxes and storage crates of every size and shape were piled around the show floor -- I think it takes seeing the show in that stage to really get an appreciation of what goes into each and every booth on the floor.

Anyway, the first day of the show was great! I made the mistake of starting out up on the first floor, just like everybody else and their mothers. I wandered the 400-1000 aisles for a bit before heading downstairs. Here's a few of the companies I came across today:

The Cooperstown Cookie Company offers baseball-shaped shortbread cookies in officially licensed Major League Baseball packaging. New this year are the Baseball Hall of Fame vintage tins and classic Stadium Tins, including a favorite from my hometown, Wrigley Field. Now baseball fans can hang in through the seventh inning stretch with the Tube of Bunts, a cylindrical tin featuring logos from teams such as the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and of course, the Chicago Cubs. More info at www.cooperstowncookie.com.

New to the Fancy Food Show, Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce (www.somebodysmothers.com) was sampling their Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce (nominated for a 2009 Sofi award) and White Chocolate with Pear William Sauce, which they sampled drizzled over some vanilla ice cream -- delish! Lynn Lasher and her three children, Reese, William and Hayden, were were manning the booth and dishing out samples of all three sauces. Good luck on the nomination, Lasher family!

Local brownie bakers, Mari's of New York (www.marisny.com) was also at the show, featuring "simply marvelous" brownies. These moist little bites come packaged in a coral gift box that you might just see in an upcoming Fancy Food gift guide. The company offers seasonal brownie offers, such as Holiday Cheer and L'Orange.

Tune in tomorrow for more updates from the 2009 Summer Fancy Food Show!

Editor's Choice: Nutorious Nut Confections

This week's editor's choice comes to you straight from the pages of our July issue's Snacking All Stars feature. (Consider it a sneak peek!) The snack starts off innocently enough (after all, their tagline is "Innocently addictive"), with a mix of walnuts, almonds and pecans, but then comes the other stuff. In this case, for Cha Cha Chipotle, the other stuff includes sugar and spices, transforming the once good-for-you nut mix into an indulgent crunchy treat that is just plain good. I've got my reservations on how innocent the mixes from Nutorious Nut Confections really are, since they are so darn addictive. I was first hooked back when they were promoting their Cherry Vanilla Va-Voom, featuring cherries and just the right touch of vanilla. Since then, they have expanded the line to include Cranberry Orango Tango, Cha Cha Chipotle and Blueberry Lemon Merengue, which has been nominated for a Sofi award at this year's Summer Fancy Food Show. And of course, there's always simply the Ooo La La Original.

What's even better about these addicting nut mixes is that the company will be introducing the 2-oz. snack packs shown above at the Summer Fancy Food Show this year. This is particularly exciting for people like myself, who could take down a whole 8-oz. bag in one sitting if left unsupervised! Check out the Nutorious Nut Confections story and product details at www.nutoriousnuts.com or visit them at the Summer Fancy Food Show booth #5215.

-Stephanie

Tradeshow Health Safety

With all of the recent news from the Center for Disease Control regarding the Swine Flu (H1N1), it's important to remember some basic common sense rules for protecting our health as we head into a busy tradeshow season.

The CDC recommends taking the following precautions for staying healthy and preventing sickness of any kind (not just the super-publicized H1N1). These tips are especially important in situations such as trade shows,when shaking hands and speaking in close proximity with a lot of people is the norm:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

Avi Frier, a marketing professional from Presto Tradeshow who works tradeshows for a living, offers some more show-specific tips for exhibitors:

• Bins of promotional items: Visitors touch multiple objects when reaching into a bin. Instead, spread items on a table and clean the table regularly; or hand items to attendees one at a time.
• Candy bowls: Even more dangerous than bins, since candy goes right into the mouth. If you MUST distribute candy, it should be individually wrapped and handled like promotional items. Let food service professionals handle other food.
• Shaking hands: Don’t drop your handshake! Psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow, speaking on FOX news, said he’s concerned about the negative effects of eliminating the handshake. "We need human touch and genuine communication more than ever right now," Ablow said. So shake hands—but wash up afterward before touching your face or eating.
• Hands-on demos & experiential activities: Touch-screen gadgets, video games, golf clubs, pool cues, etc. must now be cleaned after each use. Some exhibitors have eliminated them altogether.

Now, eliminating food samples at your booth altogether in the gourmet industry probably isn't a good idea, but as with any show, be vigilant with your food handlers. Keep disinfectant wipes or hand sanitizer handy in your booth and make sure you are taking care of yourself. Tradeshows can be really hard on the body (especially if you're filling your evenings with networking events or dinners with clients) and can make for some very long days. It may be a good idea to up the ante with vitamin C or by using a product like Echinacea or Airborne to boost your immune system. Make sure you get a good night's rest (which, I know, can be difficult if you're out of town, staying in an unfamiliar bed in a hotel), and are eating well (which can also be difficult at a food show -- I never stop for lunch, for example, but sustain myself on not-necessarily-nutritious samples throughout the day. Dips, chocolate and coffee do not make a healthful lunch!).

What are some of your staying-healthy strategies when you attend or exhibit at trade shows? We'd love to hear them!