Fancy Food Show Returns To New York City

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Parent Category: Expos and Conventions

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 01 July 2013 16:16

Written by Brad Balfour

The Summer Fancy Food Show opens June 30th and runs through Tuesday, July 2 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. With sold-out exhibit halls, a new look, and positive momentum for the $86 billion specialty food industry, the show celebrates the explosion in interest in international food, regional tastes and unique combinations of flavor and taste.

Now in its 59th year, the show is the largest marketplace devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages in North America and a must-attend event for top names in retailing and foodservice in the U.S. and abroad.

This year’s event both marks its return to New Yorkj City after a two-year hiatus in Washington DC and the official launch of the Specialty Food Association’s new brand to promote and recognize the industry: Specialty Food. Craft. Care. Joy. The newly-named Association, formerly the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc., created, owns and operates the Fancy Food Show.

The Specialty Food Association celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012. It is a not-for-profit trade association for food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs established in 1952 in New York to foster commerce and interest in the specialty food industry. Today there are more than 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad. The Specialty Food Association operates the Summer and Winter Fancy Food Shows and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food.

Returning to its longtime home in New York, the show is the largest to date, with 354,000 square feet of exhibit space. More than 2,400 companies from across the United States and 80 countries and regions are presenting their latest cheeses, chocolates, vinegars, oils, grains and other specialty foods at the event.

“Our show celebrates the passion and creativity that fuel specialty food,” says Ann Daw, president of the Specialty Food Association. “This is our largest show ever, and center stage are new and innovative foods and beverages that come directly from people who care about producing top-quality food.”

Show highlights include a keynote address on taste and innovation by internationally-acclaimed Chef Marcus Samuelsson, owner of Red Rooster in Harlem and The New York Times bestselling author of Yes, Chef. He will also present the 41st annual sofi Awards for the outstanding specialty foods of the year, and awards for the Outstanding Specialty Food Retailers of the year.

Other highlights include:

• Full menu of workshops and seminars, including “Start-Up Sunday” for beginning food entrepreneurs and roundtables on the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act
• Cooking demos from top chefs presented by the Specialty Food Association and Cooking Channel, including José Andrés, Sara Moulton, Kelsey Nixon and Roger Mooking
• New Brands on the Shelf pavilion featuring 34 industry newcomers
• A panel on GMO-labeling debate
• Donation of 150,000+ pounds of specialty food to City Harvest at show’s end

Though the show itself is a trade-only event, it's a chance for journalists, industry insiders and foodies to stay on top of the latest trends.

For more information, go to specialtyfood.com.

Fancy Food Show
June 30 - July 2nd

Jacob Javits Center
New York, NY

Specialty Food Association
136 Madison Avenue, 12th Fl. · New York, NY 10016

212-482-6440

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