January 22, 2004
Fancy Food Show Winter 2004
It was early yet on Sunday January 18, but already there was a hum of activity centered around San Francisco's Moscone Center, the site of the 2004 Fancy Food Show. The streets out front were flooded with people dressed in various degrees of formal attire. Badges suspended around their necks identified them as retailer, restauranteur, distributor, broker, manufacturer, or importer/exporter. And press. Connie and I proudly wore our newly acquired badges identifying us for who we were. Though Ryan has been a member of that esteemed profession for quite some time now, it was the first time for us to be recognized, in public, as such.
News of the Fancy Food Show had reached us long ago. It is the major, annual event for the food business. It is the scene for deals to be struck, to unveil new products, and to network with others in the industry. Big mammoths such as Birite, Sysco and Safeway are sure to be there, as well as smaller companies, local to the area. We were excited by the possibilities- who would we meet? What new foods would we be able to sample?
Together, we stepped into the melee...
...and were overwhelmed. The show was housed in both the south and the north halls of the Moscone Center, some 174,000 square feet featuring the exhibits of 1,210 companies and with 15,500 attending buyers. The smell of food- sausages, pancakes, chocolate, hit our senses. Clutching our directories, we made our way down the isles, stopping to investigate whatever should catch our eye.
My apologies- I have no pictures to share! I took the stern words of the show, that cameras were not permitted, to heart, not realizing (duh) that press by necessity, are usually exempt from such regulations.
Like a dream come true
There was just about every sort of food item you could image, and many that I, at least, would never have dreamed of. Like vegetable based caviar. Who would have thought a company would even conceive of and develop such an item? (By the way, though not unpleasant, it didn't taste anything like caviar.) Or whisky made with tomatoes, diabetic bbq sauce, and rose petal wine. Another item of note was the chocolate chocolate Jack Daniels ice cream by Bubbies of Hawaii. These delectable treats reflect Hawaii's "chanpon" background- they are composed of a small ball of ice cream wrapped with mochi, the sweet rice paste of Japan. The addition of Jack Daniels as a flavoring ingredient was irresistable.There were some things there that I had imagined before, but only in my dreams- isles and isles of candy, chocolate, and other sugary sweets. Truffles, shortbreads, fudge, turkish delights, and bizzare Japanese candies. It was all there, and it was all free for the picking. Amazing. The highlight of the confections section was a device developed, I swear, by Willy Wonka for use in his famed chocolate factory. When I first spotted it, I could not believe my eyes. My jaw dropped and I said, "Oh my god. Can it be?" It was, simply, a chocolate fountain. A rich, velvety curtain of melted chocolate flowed from the top in dark, delicious undulations and disappeared into a receptacle below. Using a toothpick, you could skewer a marshmallow, pretzel, or what ever your little heart would desire, stick it in the flowing fountain and glaze it, covering it in a thick coat of melted warm chocolate. Forget that, though- I wanted to just stick my face in there, letting the chocolate fall all over me. I suspect that device will make an appearance at my next party.
And of course, there was cheese. Aproximately 75 cheese related stands, that is, composed of a full complement of cheese makers, importers, and distributors from all around the world. The American Cheese Society was there, as well as the Wisconson Milk Marketing Board. More exotic participants included the New Zealand based Whitestone Cheese, and the Irish Dairy Board, which, as the woman told me in a charming Irish accent, represent a number of small farm cooperatives throughout Ireland, and market their cheeses under the "Kerrigold" label. Unfortunately, I was not able to confirm whether they have leprechauns on their staff. I was happy also to stumble upon the Consorzio Per La Tutela Del Formaggio Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana, an Italian organization devoted to the promotion of that most luscious of cheeses. No individual French cheese companies were present. We did spot a man whose badge identified him as a representative of Isigny St. Mere (makers of camembert, both au lait cru and pasteurized), the company itself did not have a booth. Instead, French cheeses were represented by their importers, such as the Cheeseworks Inc., and Crystal Food Import Co.
The usual suspects...
The focus of the cheese section, by far, was on the artisan cheese makers of the United States. Most of the prominent companies were present, and we had the opportunity to introduce myself to the people whose hard work and genius resulted in some of my favorite products. But I was struck with fan fear- Here were, if you'll pardon the horrible pun, the big cheeses of the dairy world. Standing before me was Mary Keehn, owner of The Cypress Grove Chevre, and Jennifer Bice of Redwood Hill Farm. If I had had her book The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guidewith me, I would have asked the author, Paula Lambert, to sign it. As it was, I could do little but enthuse about their cheeses, and learn what I could about their operation. Notable absenses included Laura Chenel Chèvre and the Cow Girl Creamery. With such a focus on domestic artisan cheeses, I was sure that these two would have a booth, and disappointed that they did not. I am in awe of Laura Chenel, and would have liked to meet her.and some new ones...
New to me, but the oldest in the area is the venerable Marin French Cheese Company. Established in 1865, are the first the make and sell cheese in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their product, soft cheeses such as camembert, do look familiar, and can be purchased for a great deal at Costco. Another creamery I discovered is one I'd driven by countless times, and always wondered about the equipment visible through the window. But surely, I thought, there couldn't be a cheese manufacturer there! I stand corrected. Belfiore, located not one mile from my house in Berkeley, is possibly one of the smallest (in square footage, that is) creameries that I know of.The Rogue Creamery, based up in Oregon, was new to me for good reason- they have not yet found distributors in California. Their Rogue River Blue has made history twice. In 1957, The Rogue Creamery's was the first blue cheese made on the west coast. Then, in 2003, it became the first non-European creamery to win the "Best Blue Cheese in the World" at the World Cheese Awards in London. Their cleverly named Oregonzola is also fantastic. I can't wait until we can get it locally.
This year's Fancy Food Show was the first for Star Hill Dairy, the dairy processing arm of Woodstock Water Buffalo in Vermont. Established just in April of 2003, they are only one of two domestic companies that produce buffalo milk, and the only domestic dairy that uses 100% water buffalo milk in their mozzarella di bufala. Their buffalo yogurt is unique- there is reportedly only one other producer, located in Italy.
Other new products include The Mozzarella Company's special mozzarella smoked with pecan shells and rich with intriguingly dark, nutty flavor. The Woolwich Dairy, (in Canada), were pleased to introduce the Chevrai, a fresh, spreadable goat cheese contained in a resealable package.
What impressed me most about the domestic artisan cheese makers was the strength of their community. This collaboration comes at a critical time. With the rising strength of the Euro dollar, imports have become increasingly expensive. A unique opportunity exists for the cheaper, domestic artisan cheeses to establish a larger market. US artisan cheese makers know, too, that quality speaks for itself. Each of these remarkable dairies are working hard to perfect and refine their cheeses. And each recognizes that this can be best accomplished by sharing their knowledge and techniques with each other.
Domestic artisan cheeses are rising in status in the cheese world, and rightly so. Though they may not have generations of formagiers behind them, they are of excellent quality. U.S. artisan cheese makers are in the process of refining and experimenting with their technique, and are accumulating a collective knowledge base. As this continues, the unique quality of each cheese maker will develop and change. I look forward to what the future holds for us!
Coming up:
An indepth review of a cheese tasted by Connie at the Fancy Food Show
A synopsis by Ryan of a cheese class held by the American Cheese Society on making artisan cheeses.