By Elaine Viegas
What’s not to like about San Francisco’s annual Winter Fancy Food Show? You’re walking, sampling and schmoozing with some of the world’s best food and beverage purveyors, not to mention seemingly every gay caterer on the planet. The three-day event, which was held this year from January 17 to 19 at Moscone Center, is always exhausting, but enjoyable and rewarding. This year’s was particularly so, if anything for the sheer size of the event that took up every square inch of Moscone and then some.
Many of the vendors praised our local Rainbow Grocery, Bi-Rite and Berkeley Bowl stores for working with small food businesses and carrying their products. The Pasta Shop in Oakland and Berkeley also received high marks from the numerous vendors we spoke to at the show.
Below are a few highlights from the Bay Times team:
Republic of Tea Fine Wine Teas
The Sonoma Chardonnay, Sonoma Cabernet and other teas in this line really are reminiscent of wine, and offer diners a tasty non-alcoholic drink option.
Collier’s Welsh Miners Cheese
My father was a coal miner in Appalachia, and would have really appreciated this bold-flavored cheese, now sold in bags with snack-sized servings. Look for the distinctive black packages and wrappings featuring a Welsh coal miner on them.
Old Aunt Ada’s Watsonville Apple Cider Vinegar
Speaking of Appalachia, apple cider vinegar was, and still is, a cure-all to promote good health, not to mention good dishes. Mix this with honey for an all-natural cough syrup.
Wurstkuchl Mustard
This sweet-savory mustard has been crafted in Germany for over 500 years following the original recipe.
Numi Teas
Always community oriented, Numi is now raising money to bring clean water to farmers who do not currently have easy access to water.
Harmless Harvest’s Coffee Coconut Water
This organic drink is very delicious and refreshing. The coffee is harvested from a co-op nestled high in the Peruvian Andes, and the flavorful coconuts are the unique Nam Hom variety.
Taza Chocolate
Taza has a Direct Trade program that ensures quality and transparency throughout the process, from growers to the finished products.
Aneto Broths and Paella Bases
The richly-flavored broths are made in Spain out of all natural ingredients that are slowly simmered over low heat. Chefs cook the ingredients for at least 3 hours, resulting in homemade-tasting broths.
Effie’s Homemade Oatcakes, Corncakes and More
We liked the spunky owner, who uses a family recipe.
Kara’s Cupcakes
Kara herself was sitting at the table featuring California food business owners. Her food trucks often make the Bay Area rounds.
Jeremiah’s Pick San Francisco Coffee
Jeremiah was there too, and he is a really nice fellow. The aromatic coffee delivered with bold roast goodness.
Verdant Kitchen from Savannah, Georgia
Chosen for Oprah’s “favorite things list,” the products from this business were all excellent and health oriented. Look for the ginger dusted with turmeric, which many studies conclude is an effective anti-carcinogen. Oprah Winfrey has done a lot to promote small businesses across America, like this one. Many of the vendors proudly displayed their “favorite things list” honors.
Mancan Wine in a Can
As the label answers, “Yes, it’s wine in a can.” The “fizz” version tastes like a nice prosecco. All of the wine comes from grapes grown in Sebastopol. The fully recyclable cans are 35 times lighter than a glass wine bottle, leading to easier transportation and less materials ending up in landfills.
Hammons Black Walnuts
Black walnuts have a distinctive flavor that many of us from certain other regions of the country fondly remember. They will hopefully become more available in our local markets.
Kendall Farms Crème Fraiche
A lot of well-known San Francisco chefs use this versatile creamy product. Kendall’s is recognized as being one of the best.
Chivers Marmalades and Preserves
From tangy to bittersweet, these all natural jams and marmalades are full of fruit flavor.
Portland Pet Food Company
Even Fido had an option at the event. A percentage of the profits of these homemade-style dog foods goes to charities helping animals.
The Specialty Food Association also had a “Trendspotter Panel” who selected the following top trends, each represented by particular products.
Southeast (Asia) Meets West
Little Red Dot Kitchen: Bak Kwa meat snacks
Saffron Road: Tandoori Seasoned Chicken Nuggets
Wei Kitchen: Shallot Oil
Hey Boo: Thai Iced Tea Coconut Caramels
Grazing on Grass
Organic Valley: Vanilla Grassmilk Yogurt
The New Primal: Grass-Fed Beef Jerky
Dahlicious, Inc.: Organic Cucumber Mint Lemon Lassi with grass-fed milk
Steve’s Ice Cream: Made with grass-fed milk
Pushing Protein
Bitty Foods: Chiridos, snacks made with cricket flour
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods: Cinnamon Hemp Heart Bites
Explore Cuisine: Organic Edamame Spaghetti
Chicago Bar Company: Chocolate Sea Salt RXBAR
By the Cup
Ricebliss: Acai & Chia Brown Rice Snack
Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods: Sweet Potato Kale Quinoa Salad
Purely Elizabeth: Cranberry Pecan Ancient Grain Granola Plus Puffs
LonoLife: Chicken Bone Broth in Recyclable K-Cup
Purple Reigns
Back to the Roots: Organic Stoneground Purple Corn Flakes
Love Beets: Smoky BBQ Shredded Beets
Lotus Foods: Purple Potato and Brown Rice Ramen
The Republic of Tea: Sonoma Cabernet Iced Tea
The real take-away from this year’s show, in our opinion, was authenticity. Consumers these days are concerned about the business practices behind their foods. Information about how products are made, who made them, and whether an item was produced sustainably, humanely and organically are becoming more common. Transparency therefore is now emphasized more so than ever before.
Finally, I’d like to leave you with a recipe that was shared by a rep for Born Sweet’s “Zing” stevia baking blend. These brownies are some of the best that I have ever had. They are really moist. The black beans magically blend in, with many snackers not even realizing the protein-packed beans are in the mix.
Black Bean Brownies
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup Zing™ Baking Blend
(https://www.zingstevia.com/)
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8×8-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Grease top of parchment. Set aside.
In a bowl, beat black beans, using an electric mixer, until smooth. Add the Zing Baking Blend and remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. (Do not over mix.) Scrape down sides of the bowl. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into the pan and bake 30–35 minutes until the brownies begin to pull away from the side of the pan. Cool and cut into 16 squares.
This recipe was created in accordance with the 2015 meal planning guidelines published by the American Diabetes Association.
Yield: 16 squares
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