Winter Fancy Food Show

Great show– Overwhelming amounts of great cheese, olives, pickles, chocolates, gourmet salts & seasoning, incredible charcuterie, jams, serrano ham from Espana, hand sliced, fancy sodas, Potato chips, Quinoa, every kind of cracker, any kind of sauce under the sun, you name it. Its there. This year, the show looked a lot like The Natural Expo West this go around, simply because healthy foods are also «fancy» gourmet foods. You have to pace yourself on the tasting, and not squander precious stomach space on crappy low end cheddar cheese and cheap salami, hold out for the good stuff! If you are a food lover, this show will not disappoint.

This is a review of day 2, with a note about day 3
Ohhhhhh Winter Fancy Foods!!!
I don’t know where to begin!!!
I guess at the beginning?
A group of us were treated by my boss with passes. The store I work at has a big focus on cheese, produce, and lovely imported yummies for all our customers from all over the world.
We were to go to scout out new trends, say hello to the vendors we carry, see their new products, educate our palletes ;), and find a few new fun products to bring back to the store.
A quick 10 minute walk from the BART station, and we went right in to get our badges. We were offered complimentary reusable bags for any goodies or info to take away, as well as a packet with a Gourmet News magazine, and a few goodies to get the party started. They also have directories out, with maps of the floor, and vendor guides. CHECK OUT THE FANCY FOODS APP! As soon as I found out I was going, I found it and studied it. It was great of having a sense of just how many vendors were going to be there, and what they were bringing.
I was not able to go until day 2. We were able to walk right up. From front door to entering the actual show, it was probably only about 5 minutes.
We started in the South Hall.
OOOOOOOMG
Before I say any more, here is a PRO-​TIP– whatever you are given, whatever you pick up, whatever vendors give you to try, only eat half lol. Now I can EAT. I kept it light the day before, and skipped breakfast. That’s how serious I was. This is what I cam to DO! I jumped in head first, and aaaaate. After about an hour and a half, I was suffering lol. I took a break and walked around for a while before trying anything else. Managed to push through and keep tasting, but next year, I will know better. Just a bite of things I am interested in is enough.
SO! The South Hall had the alcohol section, and most of the cheese. Strauss, Tillamook, Heber Valley, TONS of members of the American Cheese Society, as well as delegations from all over the world with their cheeses.
TONS of olives, olive oils, vinegars, jerkeys, chocolates, ice creams, honeys, pates. THEY EVEN HAD FOIS GRAS! It was recently re-​legalized, and they had 1 booth serving it with pride. I tried my first.
North Hall seemed a bit smaller? More of the same things, but less cheese and no alcohol. Seemed a little sell crowded also.
We arrived a bit before noon, and exited at exactly 5, having seen everything. I would have loved to come back for the last day, but by the end of day 2, I was exhausted, stuffed, blissfully happy, but in need of a nap and a day of fasting lol.
Most vendors had samples that were to be consumed there. The candy vendors usually had wrapped caramels, truffles, taffeys, and Jelly Bellies wrapped up to take. I came back with my bag stuffed.
My friend went on day 3, and she said there weren’t nearly as many vendors, and not near as many samples. Most of the retailers went on day 1 and 2 to try things out and network, order on day 2, and pick up their orders on day 3. I am assuming most of the vendors who weren’t there on day 3 were the ones who didn’t have anything directly for sale there?
I had an absolute blast, and learned some valuable lessons lol. I really hope I get to go next year, or even to the summer show.
PRO-​TIPS
*Either have the self control to either just try a few things, or try half of everything lol. Some of the samples are pretty damn big.
*Grab a bag or 2. You will want them for brochures, info, and samples.
*Get to know the vendors! They have such great stories. It’s not just about their product. They all have so much passion, and educating yourself on the products you are eating or buying, and the people who put them together is so important.
*HAVE FUN! Go with a friend who loves food as much as you do.
*TRY NEW THINGS! There were so many new things to me, and I took advantage of every single one of them. Dried durian? Fois gras? Dries squid? You’ll never know if you like it until you try it.

For foodies, welcome to heaven on earth. Trade and media only show. The food from what’s new what’s hot will show up in the grocery store in six months to a year. It normally takes one day per hall to walk and enjoy the show. Wear comfortable shoes and empty your purse. Grab the show floor plan and map out the booth you want to stop by. Swing by the sofi winner section to ensure you visit all the winners’ booths.
There are north and south hall with special room featuring what’s new what’s hot display. The food trends in 2014 is… Drum rolling… Sriracha flavor, the Thai chili sauce. Everything from popcorn to Bloody Mary has this flavor.
For exhibitors, this year is an improvement from three years ago. Busier. The north hall is for mainstream products. The south hall is more eclectic and international food. I like the south hall better in term if the show traffic. There are free shuttle bus from the official show hotels everyday. If you need fresh produce, ice, meat or cooking stuff walk to Whole Foods a block away or Target around the corner on 4^th and mission street. See you next year.

Amazing…
I’m still having food flashbacks!
Thanks to all the supporters who helped in whatever way you did.
You know who you are!
See you in Portland, Anaheim and NYC!

An absolute must for any foodie. More samples of every type of food and drink imaginable. You might as well not plan on eating breakfast before coming here, nor will you want dinner afterward. It’s literally wall-​to-​wall booths of companies sampling their wares. If you’re a chocolate fiend, as I am, you’ll have to make sure to pace yourself as it’s easy to hit that crazy sugar rush. Thankfully there’s always the Italian section with limitless pasta and cheese options to fill up on in between. The layout spreads out to infinity and only part of one of the halls is categorized by country. The rest of the floor is a free-​for-​all smörgåsbord of treats. There are signs saying that you can’t take samples off the showroom floor but this was clearly not being followed. I’m not sure what you could do to get in as it’s not open to the general public, and is meant for people in the food and service industries. Clearly there were a lot of business deals being done, but most everyone was just binging on the samples. A glorious treat for sure!

I scored some passes to the Fancy Food Show this year and was super excited to sample lots of goodies! So many things to try and definitely got my brain juices flowing for when I open my own business (one day!).
There were 2 enormous halls full of everything you could imagine– cookies, candy, chocolate, cheese, wine, health food, international food, etc. Lots of samples to eat and some to take home as well.
Definitely a cool way to spend MLK and I got to take a pic with Top Chef Brian (NOLA season)! Fun times!

I want to cry because I didn’t have enough time to see everything! I was fortunate to get an «in,» to the show even though I don’t work in the food industry. Unfortunately, I only had time to stay 2 hours and I spent that time in the international section trying pastas, chocolates/​candies, smoked salmon, sausages/​deli meat, dumplings, and other various snacks and drinks. There’s also the largest assortment of cheeses and olives I’ve ever seen EVER! I’ve never seen anything like this it was amazing! I mean commonnnn over 80,000 products from over 30 countries??? Just imagine it. If you can go, don’t pass it up and make sure to allocate a full day to it!

The bad
Every restaurant employee in S.F. Was there just to eat food these people were in the way of retailers trying to buy new products for there stores also there was garbage everywhere waste baskets were overflowing with food and garbage all over the floor also admission was $ 35 a person on top of the airfare hotel and transportation also on the last day venders were closing there booths over an hour before the show was over I was there to buy and too pack up before closing time is ridiculous get a clue people your there to sell your product
The good
This show is a must if you are a gourmet retailer the variety of products are incredible

OMG. This event earns a billion more stars!!! One of the perks of working in the food industry is that you get to EAT all the time! The winter fancy food show 2013 MORE than delivered and passed ALL my expectations. I mean eating FREE food for 6 hours is not bad, but bringing home probably about 20 – 30 pounds of FREE food is even better!
This year it took up both sides of the mascone center and it takes a fairly long time to get through… I mean after a couple of hours you just have to be picky about the free food you eat. I loved that there were different «countries» that you could visit and try their food and drinks! I’m so glad that I went and it is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully I can go next year!
One thing that stood out this year was this thing called Miracle Frootie and its a fruit from Africa and it changes your tastebuds so everything sour taste sweet! Talk about mind trip. We ate a strawberry and sour cream and it tasted like a sugar strawberry and whip cream! Also lemons just tasted like lemonade! I love that the reason is so that diabetics could have «sugary» foods without having the sugar!
Hands down one of the best events I have ever been to in my life, so if you ever have a chance to go, do not turn it down!

The largest trade show for fine foods and 2013 was it’s 60^th anniversary! It is exclusively for people related to the food industry such as retail, distribution, manufacturing & sales. The show is full of cheese, ice creams, olives, crackers, breads, chocolates, candy, trendy gluten-​free, dairy-​free, soy-​free and basically samples of everything you can ever taste. It requires a lot of walking, which means dress accordingly, since the show occupies both the North & South halls of Moscone. There was an international section of the show where various countries hosted booths such as France, India, Italy, Japan, Morocco, ect.
Pace your tasting, sometimes it’s ok to say «no thank you» because your body will freak out. On day two the woman in the bathroom stall next to me was puking violently and on day three of the show there were explosive messes left in bathroom stalls (it wasn’t me!). Let’s be nice to our bodies, don’t try to eat all the cheese!
It’s been a few days, I am still recovering!

A Unilocaler’s paradise. If you like cheese, olives (and all olive products), chocolate (and all other candy), crackers or tea this event is life-​changing. Two huge halls of everything at Moscone. Partly organized by country of origin (vendors travel from around the world to display here). The challenge here is to pace yourself. It’s easy to sample too much, too fast, and crash before you get to the best booth (whichever one that is for you).

Nothing else to say that hasn’t already been said! Tons and tons of food samples, lots of people, lots of walking.
It was great to see what new foods and companies are out there as well as some of the bigger conglomerates.
It got a little overwhelming after a while, I would definitely recommend going for all 3 days. You need that long to see and taste everything. I would also recommend pacing yourself, which I did not :-(

Two days of gourmet new eats! New product launches include veggie chips, bean and rice chips, gourmet sauces in pouches, Vietnamese foods, new spice blends, stir fry sauces, kelp noodles and halo halo ice cream… come hungry there are 3 aisles of different cheeses, aisles of products from Japan (automatic sushi machine), Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Italy… can anyone say Pepto Bismol???

This is the Sin City of all Food Shows! So much goodness and greatness under one (well really 2) roof. Wonderful purveyors and products. A must do at least once for any and all in the food biz. It’s just pure decadence at its finest!

Oh boy… talk about Chai, cheese, chocolate, olives overload in 2 buildings at the Moscone… definitely a fun experience to sample all the different food vendors from around the world.
Since i don’t need chai by the case, cheese by the wheel, chocolate by the pallet, or slabs of jamon shipped from Spain i’ll have to hit up Whole Foods or Draeger’s for a retail sized portions of yummy stuff!
If you can score tickets, definitely a must go event!

Holy sweet Jesus. I got hooked up with WFFS tickets last year through my at-the-time-boyfriend’s-Jewish-rabbi-and-kosher-certifying father (what? yes.) Fat kid over here had absolutely no professional reason to attend the show. And it was a dream.
I’m not ashamed to admit that I grabbed myself a big-​ass bag and did 2 laps around the joint to net probably 6 lbs worth of chocolate and candy. I brought it all home and proceeded to gain said 6 lbs (I realize it doesn’t work that way… go with me here) over the succeeding 4 months. WORTH IT.

Winter Fancy Food Show. AMAZING!
A food industry trade show for retailers, buyers and manufactures. My friend and I got to sample products from around the world! There are different sections that we worked our way through. We worked our way through different retailers that produce prodcuts such as teas, coffees, coconut waters, chips, candy, chocolate etc. 3 hrs in we were stuffed!
The international section is even better. Sample food from around the world was an adventure.
Besides sampling food, the different vendors encourge you to bring samples home. We got to take home cups, teas, waters and other foods to spread the word of their products.
A must thing to do every year in SF!

I’ve been wanting to check out Fancy Food Show since last year in 2010. Since it only comes during the winter time to Moscone, I had to take the opportunity to go this year in 2011
It is $ 30 for early registration.
$ 60/​after ¹²⁄₃₀
You get to sample a lot of products from the up and coming ones like Poco Chocolate, Fizzy Izzy, and some international products from (Tunisha, Turkey, Canada, France, Spain).
It’s great to network and chat it up with the vendors:
The stuff I tried and were my favorite:
VitaCoco water — better tasting than Zico I think
Hemp and FlaxSeed/​Goji berry mix
Fizzy Izzy drink
Jamon!
Cave Cheese

The Fancy Food Show, a food industry trade show, is currently happening at Moscone until Tuesday, January 18^th. I spent 3 hours there on Sunday and was only able to walk through the South Hall (which included the international section) and didn’t make it into the North Hall. With 1,300 exhibitors from 50 countries, there were definitely a lot to see, a lot to taste, and a lot of ground to cover. It was quite overwhelming but a great chance to discover new companies and see the different ways that products are marketed and packaged. I do wish that Moscone’s management would do a better job of keeping the bathrooms clean.

I attended a chocolate salon last November and I asked several of the vendors what was the biggest show they participated in. Their answer was unanimous: The Fancy Food Show. This piqued my interest and my decision to attend the event was cemented when another Unilocaler told me she had registered for the event and was asking me if I was planning to go as well. She’s a big foodie, so when I knew she was interested, I had a gut feeling it had to be a good event. I was right.
The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade holds 3 Fancy Food Shows per year. One in Winter, one in Spring in Chicago and the largest one in Summer in NYC. The Winter one is traditionally held in SF, but this year it was held in San Diego. I’m posting this review for SF since the next Winter Fancy Food Show will be held in SF.
I didn’t realize this until I registered for the event, but not everyone can attend the Fancy Food Show. Its an industry trade event, which means you need to work in the Food Industry and be over 18 y.o. to attend. Luckily for me, I do work in the specialty food trade. If you belong to the industry (or meet their registrant guidelines detailed in the registration form), you are allowed to bring along a spouse/​partner.
The cost to register is usually around $ 35, but the price of admission is well worth it. What your get for your money is access to thousands of gourmet food items to sample, hundreds of vendors to interact with, over a dozen countries promoting their food products, and the opportunity to schmooze and network with your industry peers. There are even cooking contests and seminars on how to better position/​brand your food item or business.
So basically you get to gorge (oops, I meant sample) on almost every type of cheese, meats, seafood, desserts, chocolates, wines, etc. Its like attending a food festival, but 1000 times better. I spotted at least 1 vendor offering caviar samples. This is the only business conference I have ever attended where the convention loses money on selling typical convention food, since the whole event is a smörgåsbord cornucopia. There is so much food to sample that 1 day is just not enough to cover everything. You need at least 2 days so you can actually enjoy the food being offered.
Personally, I just zeroed in on the seafood, meats, cheeses and of course chocolates. Even though I tried to pace my sampling carefully, it was still taste bud overload. Fancy Food veterans recommend fasting for several days before attending the show, and after experiencing my first show, I can see why. Do not start your New Year’s Resolution to diet and lose weight until after you’ve attended the Winter Fancy Food Show.
Please note that if you are not part of the Food Industry and manage to attend the event, please be mindful that many of the vendors are small mom and pop operations trying to network and get their food distributed. They pay thousands of dollars to participate in the show so be mindful of that.
I did find out later that the show actually unofficially starts about 2 days before the exhibit hall opens. These 2 days are crucial for networking, since they involve private tours and special networking sessions, but they do cost additional $$$ to participate in.
So if you are a foodie and want to attend this show, you have all of 2008 to get a job, or start a business, in the food industry and you too can participate in the next Fancy Food Show.