Largest Summer Fancy Food Show Ends on High Note

“There was optimism and positive energy in every aisle,” says Ann Daw, president of the Specialty Food Association, owner and producer of show, the largest marketplace devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages in North America.

Show highlights included the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring five pioneers in the Specialty Food Industry including Harold Anderson, founder of Haddon House Food Products, and Max Reiss, founder of Reiss Finer Foods, both honored posthumously, whose sons accepted their awards.

Also honored were Tony Matthews, president of Food From Britain, who helped build the presence of imported British foods in the U.S.; Russ Vernon, a pioneering specialty food retailer who opened the venerable West Point Market in Akron, Ohio; and Mario Foah, who helped launch the introduction of Italian food products in the U.S. and who was a founding member of today's Specialty Food Association.

Dominique Ansel, the acclaimed pastry chef and creator of treat sensation the Cronut®, a croissant-donut hybrid, delivered a keynote address on innovation, and announced the winners of the 42nd sofi™ Awards for the outstanding specialty foods of the year. The contest drew a record 2,737 entries across 32 awards. Lentil Rice Crispbread with Sesame and Pink Salt from East Hampton Gourmet Food in East Hampton, N.Y., won Outstanding New Product.

Chef Ansel, who said he faced hunger as a child in France, donated his speaking fee to City Harvest, the Summer Fancy Food Show’s longtime anti-hunger charity. At the end of the show, exhibitors donated seven and a half tractor trailer loads of cheeses, hummus, produce, meats, and more to City Harvest, which delivered it to 12 emergency food programs in New York City. The donation was covered by the Associated Press in a story that was picked up all over the world. Full story.

Other show highlights:
Official launch of the Specialty Food Foundation, which will work to reduce hunger and increase food recovery efforts through grant making, education and industry events.

Demonstration of a 3-D food printer for pastry chefs, professional bakers and mixologists.

Live blog coverage of the show by Specialty Food Media.

Seminars on Non-GMOs, sustainable packaging, public relations tips from top editors, responsive social media for restaurants, and 11 more important industry topics.

Debut of pre-show workshop for international companies on how to succeed in the U.S. specialty food market.

More than 300 first-time exhibitors.

Close to 900 journalists from top media outlets including Food & Wine, The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, Food Network Magazine, Epicurious.com, ABC News, CNBC, CBS News and all the top food trade publications, including Restaurant Business, Gourmet Retailer, Gourmet News, Gourmet Business, Grocery Business and European Supermarket News.

Future Show Dates
Winter Fancy Food Show: Jan 11–13, 2015, Moscone Center, San Francisco
Summer Fancy Food Show: June 28–30, 2015, Javits Center, New York

About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs who bring craft, care and joy to the distinctive foods they produce. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,000 members in the U.S. and abroad the tools, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association (formerly the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.) owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.