15 Jul NASFT Fancy Food Show
Welcome to the first of my monthly editorials from behind the scenes! Here, I’ll take off my apron and come out front to give you some insights from the test kitchen of the Gilded Fork, as well as share news about trends and developments in the food world from my own culinary perspective.
It’s appropriate that we begin this column in the month of July. While most people were trying to take it easy and beat the heat last week, we food people were convening at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City for the NASFT Fancy Food Show (the NASFT is the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade). The Fancy Food Show is the biggest convention of the year at which large manufacturers and small artisans alike unveil their new products to industry decision makers, and it’s quite a scene: Retailers, distributors, importers and food media crawl the aisles sampling products and making deals.
This year’s show featured 160,000 specialty food products from more than 1,800 domestic exhibitors, and 500 international companies from 71 countries. With so many products on the floor, it was nearly impossible to taste them all! We did try, though, managing to find several standouts. You can hear short clips from some of the many interviews I did on the ReMARKable Palate Podcast #47, with extended interviews with many more to come in the upcoming months on both ReMARKable Palate and Food Philosophy.
Here are some of the standout new products:
Tondo Vinegars
Nero Modena, from the world famous food capital of Emiglia Romagna, has just released a line of fine balsamic vinegars under the label of Tondo. We are proud to carry Tondo’s great line of products in our Gilded Fork Boutique: The Tondo 12-year aged Balsamico (250 ml bottle with gift box), the exquisite 12-year and 25-year 100 ml bottles (come with certification in beautiful boxes), and the dark and white balsamic creams, which are thicker and great for garnishing plates and accenting desserts. We spoke with Nero Modena’s founder Alessandro Calveri at length, and you’ll hear the full story of the birth and development of these fine products on an upcoming podcast. Alessandro described the strictly controlled process of aging the vinegar in oak barrels and the labeling by the Consortium, and explained that the name “Tondo” refers to the distinctive spiral swirl of balsamic featured in their logo.
Origen Vinegars
From Old Europe to the New World! This is an amazing story of female entrepreneurship: Verónica Larraín, a vintner, partnered with longtime friend María Inés Irarrazaval to 
create fine vinegars showcasing the best Chilean wine. They wondered why a country so rich in viticulture, producing some of the most respected wines in the world, was not producing equally good vinegars, and using their knowledge of wine, the ladies launched Origen and crafted a line of 8 quality vinegars that we loved. Four of them are based on fine Chardonnay wine from the Casablanca Valley: A plain Chardonnay vinegar; Mandarina, from tangerines; Almendra Tostada from toasted almonds; and Ají Verde, macerated with Green Chile. The four red varieties are made from Cabernet Sauvignon from the Colchagua Valley, and include the barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon; Frutos Rojos, from cherries and raspberries; Menta from mint; and Albahaca from basil.
Tobago Wild
This new company offers fresh, hand-line caught fish from the waters of the Eastern Caribbean. They work with skilled fisherman all around the island of Tobago to bring in Blackfin Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Amberjack, Grouper and Snapper. With their HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) controls and express delivery, they are able to bring the highest quality, safe fish from the water to your door overnight. We will be featuring Tobago Wild here at the Gilded Fork in the coming months.
Aguibal
We fell in love with the story of Aguibal, a husband and wife team and company based in New Jersey that brings fine products from Andalusia to the US market. Soraya Aguilar is from the town of Linares, near Jaen in the south of Spain. Her parents have an olive grove, and produce three different olive oils: a Picual, a Manzanilla, and an Arbequina, which are cold pressed and bottled on site. Her husband Tim Balshi (the name Aguibal comes from the combination of their last names) imports the olive oil, along with a fine artisanal Pan de Higo, or fig bread, which is a typical product from the Cordoba region of Andalusia.
Tamaya Gourmet
We spoke at length with Daniel Vitis, general manager of Tamaya Gourmet, about the carica, an interesting indigenous fruit from high in the Atacama Desert of Chile. Related to the papaya and the fig, the carica is very rare and hard to grow, but lusciously sweet. A bright yellow, the fruit is highly perishable, so they quickly preserve and bottle it in a light syrup that enhances its natural flavor. Chefs are using it in many applications both sweet and savory, from desserts to grilled shrimp and ceviches. The carica, like the papaya, has enzymes which tenderize protein, so it is a good pairing with meats, and serves as a sweet and firm fruit for making desserts.
Yummie Confections and Clothing
We were seduced by the sweet smile and bubbly spirit of Laura Waitze Zuckerman, a housewife and former film production assistant who decided to turn her love of chocolate and candies into a business, Yummie Confections & Clothing. She makes an assortment of decadent chocolates, including the whimsical bolitos, which are dark chocolates filled with a white chocolate core and an inner filling of peanut butter, kind of like the earth’s core mantle and crust, only yummier! She also makes baby clothing and slightly sexier women’s clothing with the yummie logo and kiss on them.
You can look forward to hearing more from the many great producers we met at the show, both on the Culinary Podcast Network and here on the website. Next month I will bring you a recap of the United States Personal Chef Association National conference, which will take place the first weekend of August in St. Louis Missouri. Until then, you can find me in the kitchen!
Photos: Mark Tafoya