Fancy Food Show in NYC

[KyleW]

Well we did it! With Suzanne's able quarterbacking Momoreg, Jordan, Monkeymay, Marmalady, NY Homecook, Panini, me and M.A.G., and Suzanne met at the Fancy food show! Man there was a lot of food.

Here are some photos of we merry band

[cape chef]

What a Motley Crew!!!!

S**T.looks like I missed a really good time.

Jeff,those chocolates look awesome

[shroomgirl]

I was thinking of you guys at 10am while I was dropping off my child at the airport....I'm sure you are having too much fun right about now.

[marmalady]

Notice how Kyle was conspicously missing from the photos.....hmmm, we forgot to have someone else shoot the pics so y'all could see his mug, too!

The FFS was great; the greatest part was meeting Suzanne, and Panini, and Momoreg & co.,, and Monkeymay, and NYHomecook, and Kyle &co.

The second greatest part was the food; all agreed the show was even bigger than it's ever been. Suzanne and I thought that the 'next new thing' looks like flavored salts, and spice mixes, and some way cool 'glass dippers', different flavored mixes to rim a glass with; both adult and kids varieties. A bigger showing from the Caribbean sent MonkeyMay and I scurrying in search of water after tasting some of the hot sauces! And the cheese - oh, the cheese - need I say more! Market seems to be saturated with oh, so cutsey jams, spreads, BBQ sauces, etc. Hope they can give the big guys a run for the money (like Republic of Tea, Spoon Foods, and two others I'm blankin on right now, but love); I always root for the little guy!

CC, I'm so sorry you couldn't make it, and I adore the harissa! The other goodies looked splendid, also. Please get well soon, so we can plan another event to meet again!

Off to bed, I'm beat. I'm so glad I got to meet members of this wonderful family, and hope we can meet more in the future!!!!

[NY Home Cook]

What a time! I am still recouperating. Sorry to all of you guys that we met there that we didn't stay and talk more, but there was soooo much to see that we couldn't stand still. Foodie paradise! (Sunday was our only day at the show. Work Monday bright and early.) I wish we could have chatted some more. I'm sure we had lots to talk about.
Afterwards, I really wanted/needed a foot massage upstairs on the main level! haha I am still a baby about foot lethargy. I am not doing 8-10 hour shifts on my feet in a hot kitchen for a living just yet... Did you all enjoy dinner and/or drinks after all that sampling? I know I couldn't eat a thing for a few hours!
Well, thanks to Suzanne for starting this thread. I would never have known about the show and been able to enjoy such a good and educational experience. Glad to have met the rest of you all. It's nice to have faces to the screen-names, isn't it?
Chat with you all soon,
NY Home Cook

[ShawtyCat]

Im sorry I had to miss this. Ive never heard of this show and hope its an annual thing. Maybe I can go next year. I woulda loved the hot sauces.

Jodi

PS

Did they have a pastry section? Any food pics?

[Athenaeus]

Momoreg you cut your hair!!! You look beautiful!

I tell you guys you were eating from Panini's desserts that were prepared for ME and my birthday...

Suzanne, marmalady and panini look exactly as I was imaging you

Kyle didn't want to be in those photos because we would see that he was constantly eating

Jealous? Bahhhhh

[Suzanne]

Just wanted to check in before I head back to the show again. It was SO TERRIFIC to meet everybody new, and to see Momoreg again (she looks sooooooo gorgeous)! Maybe some of the pix Jordan took will appear -- then you'll get to see KyleW too. We really missed those who couldn't come, especially CC.

As we walked around, we kept losing each other and hooking up again in different combinations. Got to have some good LIVE conversation with folks I love to talk with here! It was too bad that KyleW and his M.A.G. had to leave early (again ) and Marmalady couldn't stick around after the show. The rest of us went over to Pipa and had wine and tapas, and THEN to CraftBar for more drinks and food. (Well, at first only Paul, my hubby, ate, but he hadn't been eating ALL DAY the way we had.) After Momoreg and Jordan had to go home to the baby -- who, by the way, looks totally adorable in the pix they brought -- Panini, Monkeymay, Paul and I still hung out until almost 1 a.m.!! Talking about food and everything else under the sun. It was the most fun I've had in quite a while!

Now it's back to the show to do some real work!

[momoreg]

Wow, you guys are party animals!! We left in the middle of a wonderful time. Even Jordan had fun, and he hates everything!

The food show was much bigger than any previous Fancy Food Shows I've been too. After a few hours, I was so cheesed out--it seemed like every booth was giving out cheese! But we tried some amazing types; my most favorite being the haloumi, cooked on the griddle. M-m-m.

I introduced myself to Nancy Silverton, and invited her to Cheftalk, perhaps to do a celebrity chef chat. Surprisingly, she said that she doesn't know how to use a computer, but as soon as she does, she'll stop by.

I had picked up a nice selection of samples for Capechef, and then one of the vendors told me that I'd have to turn in my bag at the end of the show. Well, luckilly, that didn't happen, so Brad, I'll be knocking on your door one day soon with a goody bag, as promised, along with some gifts from your other chef talk friends.

You people are so terrific. I wish we could do this more often, because it's always exciting to meet people from this community, whether we're talking shop or otherwise.

I had hoped that Jordan would take more pictures, but unfortunately, he only took one, and Kyle is facing the other way!! But the pictures that I sent Nicko from our January get-together still haven't been posted!! And there are lots of pictures in that series. But they don't include Panini, marmalady, monkeymay, and NYHomecook.

Thanks Suzanne and Vivian for the nice compliments. Yes, I had to cut off my hair for the summer. It was getting a bit unruly.

I can't wait to visit Monkeymay (Monica) in L.A.!! (Possible Cheftalk destination??)

Yesterday was a special birthday all around.

[Suzanne]

OMG: yes, we forgot to mention here that it was Momoreg's REAL birthday yesterday. We did sing her Happy Birthday once everyone was together.

Here's my wrapup after a full day looking at EVERYTHING at the show. Yes, lots and lots of wonderful cheeses. Lots of Italian cold cuts -- I think I tasted about a dozen different brands of mortadella. Lots of tea and chai, not as many flavored coffees as I would have expected. Humongous numbers and varieties of hot sauces and related items. All the usual suspects in cookies, cakes, brownies, biscotti, candies -- very few of which did I taste. As Marmalady said, the new thing seems to be salt-and-herb/spice blends, and herbs/spices/salts in bottles with built-in grinders.

My favorite item of all was "Toad Sweat Dessert Hot Sauces." Yesterday, Marmalady tasted the Chocolate-Orange (with habanero), and I had the Lemon-Vanilla (very mild) -- both were really yummy. Today I went back for the Key Lime-Habanero: WOW!

On the way out, I ran into Monkeymay again. What fun it was to meet her, and Panini, and Marmalady, and NY Home Cook. Yes, there MUST be other good times together! And next time, CC, you'll be able to come, or else! And Shroom, and Shawty, and... and... and... I love you guys!

[marmalady]

Suzanne's right - Toad Sweat is awesome!!!! and so was the Yinpu beer - wow! Black rice beer, real carbonated and light, and not 'hoppy' at all - duh, not made with hops! Would be great on a hot summer's night, or with spicy Thai food.

I so wish I could have stayed in town longer, guys; you don't know how hard it was to say bye, there on the corner of ? 34th and 11th! BTW, got a cab on 10th, told the cabbie, 'to the port authority', he turned around and said, 'you know it's right up the street'. I said, I know, I'm hot, tired, and this bag weighs about 50 pounds right about now - you'll get a good tip!' We both laughed, and he dropped me at the door I needed, and which gate I needed to go to!

brad, haven't cooked anything yet with your harissa, but did give it a taste, and wow, oh wow!! Tremendous!

Oh, and Monkeymay - how the heck do you get the cork out of your bottle???!!!

Momoreg, i wish I had had more time to spend with you - maybe next time! Hey - what do all you 'locals' think of a cookout in Jersey? Maybe in August? We could set Brad up in a chaise lounge outside - joke, Brad, joke! and do pot luck on the grill!!! Let me know - I'd love to see you all again.

[Plum]

Sounds like you had a great time. Shame London is so far away, I would have loved to have joined you.

My husband and I are going to tour Europe this summer for 3 weeks by train. I'm trying to promise myself that I won't get obsessed by having to have wonderful foodie experiences on every street corner! I'll keep you posted.

Plum.

[cape chef]

Hey Marmalady,

I would love to come down there for a BBQ!!
My wife could tie me to the hood rack so I could lay down

[panini]

Hey All,
Late Wed. night, just got home. Thank you all for a wonderful time!!! Did a little sightseeing and eating after ya'll left. 1 1/2 hrs. on the runway to leave LGA.
Will update later. CC missed ya, thanks again to all of you for the warm welcome.
Jeff

[monkeymay]

Okay guys I just got back into town and saw the pics you posted.
That has got to be the most f****ed up picture of me I've ever seen!!! Shame on you Kyle! (AND I was sober!) Vanity aside, it was a pleasure meeting everyone and wandering those vast isles of food. I went back the next day to actually work and get some perspective on the stuff available. All in all it was wonderful and overwhelming.
Pipa was great for the wine and the company -the food (except for the lamb) was not as fabulous as I thought it would be. Suzanne's husband Paul and I shared a delicious duck salami, hen of the woods and taleggio sandwich at Craft bar- Yummm! Thanks to everyone for a great, great time!

Marmalady - try using a corkscrew!
Momo and Jordan, anytime you wanna come by, the door's always open.
CC - your lavender honey is beautiful.
Suzanne - such a pleasure. Good luck on the new biz and give Paul a big squeeze for me. Tell him if the Valley decides to secede he'd better let me know!

Monkey