Jan. 22–Imagine 220,000 square feet devoted to specialty food items, and you get to sample them all.
That was our challenge this weekend at the annual Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, where more than 1,400 gourmet food purveyors from around the world brought their cheeses, oils, chocolates, sauces, crackers, ice creams, teas and everything else you can fathom in the hopes of landing their products in a grocery store or restaurant near you.
The industry show, now in its 43rd year, runs through Jan. 23. We sipped, crunched and savored our way through the gourmet food spectacle to find out what's hot, trending and simply delicious. Here's what we found.
Moringa: Watch out, kale. The new vitamin-mineral-protein-rich green super food has arrived via the moringa plant, and you'll find it ground into a fine powder (to add to smoothies) from Oakland's Kuli Kuli or laced into the Vanilla Oolong Grape Tea from Sri Lankan tea plantation farmers Miracle Tree. We rather liked Vegan Rob's Moringa Puffs made with organic whole grain sorghum flour, turmeric, ginger and lemon oil in addition to moringa leaf powder. https://veganrobs.com
Makrut lime-infused maple syrup: You've seen maple syrup smoked or aged in bourbon barrels. Now everyone's favorite pancake topper has moved into the realms of savory foods and cocktails. Whether you're making pork chops or mixing a gin flip, you'll want to get your lips on Runamok's Makrut Lime-Infused Maple Syrup, made with organic Vermont maple syrup infused with organic Thai makrut lime leaves. Totally original. (250 ml/$19.95 at Mollie Stone's Markets); https://runamokmaple.com
Plant-based convenience snacks: From dragon fruit chips to dehydrated carrot sticks, healthy, packaged snacks made from fruits and vegetables were all the rage this year, but don't you want the fresh, real thing? Gaea, the Greek line behind the pitted olive pouches, has introduced a line of lightly-pickled and marinated shelf stable veggie snacks, including gerkins, carrots and cauliflower. $2.99 for 2.8-ounce pack); www.gaeaus.com
Drinkable vinegar: If you tried to hop on last year's apple cider vinegar trend — drinking it as a purported energizing and cleansing tonic — but failed because it was utterly awful then you'll be happy to know that many new products now make the experience better; even delicious and refreshing. Our favorite: Novato-based The Republic of Tea's Organic Apple Cider Single Sips feature organic cranberry and hibiscus essences that dissolve instantly into water. Each canister includes 14 individual single-serving packets. No more lugging around a glass-bottle of vinegar ($19.99; www.republicoftea.com).
Aloe vera yogurt: We tasted every conceivable kind of yogurt, from dairy-free coconut-based to thick and Icelandic. But it was Morinaga that captured our taste buds with their aloe vera-based Japanese-style yogurt, ALOVE. A fan-favorite in Japan, the company uses a technique to extract pieces of chewy aloe vera gel from the plant's leaves and mixes it into their smooth and creamy yogurt. Flavors include Original, Strawberry, Blueberry and Vanilla ($1.89 at Lunardi's); www.aloveyogurt.com
The ultimate protein bar: One of this year's fastest growing specialty food categories is the protein or wellness bar, and the new one to try is Redd Superfood Energy Bar. Every 2.2 ounce bar features about 10 grams of protein, 11 super foods including quinoa, acai, chia seeds and mangosteen, 23 vitamins and minerals — and, wait for it — about 35 milligrams of natural caffeine, equivalent to one-third cup of coffee. The mint chocolate was gooey and full of mint aromatics ($2.50/bar or 12 for $30 on Amazon; www.reddbar.com
Salted caramel walnut butter: Move over, almond butter. We sampled everything from pistachio butter to chocolate chickpea spread but kept coming back to Wellnut Farms' line of walnut butters for their sinfully-good flavor. Four generations of walnut farmers based in Chico and Maxwell are behind these indulgently creamy spreads, which just launched in November. We're still craving the Maple and Salted Caramel varieties. $12.99/jar; https://www.wellnutfarms.com.
Teriacha: Scottsdale founder Chad Manciagli knew he was onto the next sweet and spicy sauce when he tried Sriracha on his teriyaki-slathered Hawaiian barbecue. After tasting the greatness, the Scottsdale entrepreneur, then 25, did an online search for Teriacha, didn't find a thing, and launched his hybrid sauce in 2017. It's a delicious combination, great as a glaze or dipping sauce. $9.99 on Amazon; https://teriacha.com
Bottled gazpacho: The bone broth trend has paved the way for drinkable, on-the-go soups, and unfortunately, there are a lot of thin, one-note disappointments out there. Enter Tio Gazpacho, a line of boldly-flavored, clean chilled soups developed by celebrity chef Jose Andres. The Rosato, made with watermelon, cilantro and cayenne, kind of blew us away. All six make great bloody Mary mixes, too ($4.49 for 10-ounce bottle at Whole Foods); https://www.tiogazpacho.com
Mushroom jerky: We saw paleo-friendly mushrooms all over the Fancy Food Show, from mushroom-based soups to dried mushroom crisps. But Michael Pan's vegan jerky, which is based on a Malaysian family recipe, blew us away with its umami flavor and chewy texture. The Zesty Thai is made with organic shiitake mushroom stems and a boatload of spices. Good source of fiber and vitamin D, too ($9/2.2-ounce bag at Rainbow Grocery and Whole Foods); www.mushroomjerky.com
