I’ve attended or worked a hundred “food shows.” That’s the short name for a food industry conference with booths for product displays, tastings, sales, marketing. I’m a food PR practitioner; companies hire my little PR firm to do fancy things for them. There can be a strange celeb rub-off in the job, too. I’ve taken Naomi Judd to the potty, hung backstage with the Temps, posed for pix with Supreme Mary Wilson, hired Dallas’ Charlene Tilton to toss salad, kept icon DJ Wolfman Jack from self-destructing before our work together was done. Don’t get me started about “celebrity” chefs, LOL.
My friend, Cathi, was often my support foodie; before 9/11 she flew with stashes of knives, fully loaded ice chests, bottles of bleach and pallets of clever decor. After 9/11, we had to rent all that junk on-site. Nobody produced a better booth than the Patti + Cathi team.
Last week was the Fancy Food Show in New York City. Thousands of booths of all-you-can-eat. Gorgeous, clever, funky, international, local, brilliant, ridiculous, strange, exotic things to see and taste presented by passionate entrepreneurs. I attend every few years. Truth be told, it’s a boondoggle disguised as a business trip. Larry attended, too; as a marketing professor, he looks for innovations to present to his students.
My own goal was to soak up sparkle, look at new items, find a few good recipes and then spend the rest of the time loving NYC. Our hotel was one block from the Empire State Building and the weather was perfect, we hit the top. If you’re a food blogger, get on the contact list for the Fancy Food Show and plan to attend the next one, January in SFO. You won’t regret it.
Did you attend? What were your favorite products (my TOP one was an Irish Butter, have never tasted anything so wonderful).
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Ditto on the secondly part!!!! Sure miss those food shows…maybe I can make it to the FFS in SF…sounds like fun.
The Irish do two things well: butter and tea. I can say that from first-hand experience
Secondly, I have a copy of that Mary Wilson pic, cuz I was in it. AND I was there for the Tilton salad adventure, too. Pretty cool.
Patti comments: yes, you were!