We've already detailed the worst of the 2010 Summer Fancy Food Show. Now, we're showcasing the best. There were many new products in everyday items such as meats and cheeses but due to space, we are only presenting products that seemed truly unique or were deemed huge improvements in their category.
With so many candies to choose from, it is hard to compete with childhood staples. However, Sunny Seed Drops, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds, just might be the new M&M. It is impossible to eat just one, and although the chocolate coating is apparent in your first crunchy handful, it is the taste of sunflower seeds that stays with you. Its colorful packaging makes these nutritious and delicious snacks great gifts for birthdays, holidays, and other occasions. And with so many people allergic to nuts, these sunflower seeds make for a great snack everyone can enjoy.
If you think there's nothing new under the sun, then give credit to manufacturers who aren't necessarily coming up with a new product as they are refining something that already exists. Take Daelia's Biscuits for Cheese for example; if your cheese is feeling "bleu" then we found the perfect biscuits. These crackers are designed to complement everything from Cheddar to Brie to Wensleydale. Their Almond with Raisins is particularly noteworthy for its surprising peppery finish.
Cheese and wine are tried-and-true partners but Brix Chocolate for Wine opted for a sweeter combination. Depending on the body of the wine you are drinking, they offer Milk, Dark, and Extra Dark chocolate to pair it with. Having a glass of Syrah? Eat some Extra Dark. At $39 for a package of three, you'll have to pay to play the part of both sommelier and chocolatier.
The Savannah Bee Company is doing something even sweeter. Their Everyday Honey line is designed to enhance grilling, cheese, and beverages. As another incentive, Savannah Bee Company uses honey only from ecologically responsible beekeepers and their packaging features high recycled content.
A continuing trend in the specialty food markets is a push towards making natural products even more so. Sir Kensington's Gourmet Scooping Ketchup is all natural and uses honey and agave nectar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. At $4.50 a jar you can now enjoy your favorite hamburger or hot dog condiment with 75% less sugar. For anyone who grew up on Heinz ketchup, Sir Kensington's may seem a little too thick but we think ketchup was meant to be this way.
Corazonas chips boasts of giving customers "the freedom to snack." Though we can't comment on the science, the company claims that the plant sterols in their products are clinically proven to lower cholesterol, and the FDA agrees. These all-natural, gluten-free potato chips come in four tantalizing flavors and have 40% less fat than regular potato chips. They taste pretty good for a healthy snack, and for anyone on a very restricted diet, Corazonas will taste heavenly.
Moving back a few centuries to more primitive means of staying alive and healthy, the Paleolithic Diet (better known as the Caveman Diet) allows you to eat only what our ancestors ate. In keeping with the spirit of the diet, Stephanie Lester created Caveman Cookies to satiate her very modern cravings for sweets. Made with only four ingredients, these treats are gluten-free, all-natural, and high in protein. ($10 for a bag of 12.)
Despite the long and very filling day, we're pretty sure that in a year our stomachs will be ready to brave another Fancy Food Show. But one thing is for sure: Next time, we won't forget the antacid.
(Written by T.K. Danovich and Emma Marr. Additional reporting by Esther Sung. Photos by T.K. Danovich and Esther Sung.)
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