Eating and Drinking Our Way Through The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show

Earlier this month, we went down to Washington D.C. to attend The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show at the D.C. Convention Center. The two day event featured specialty food companies, caterers, personal chefs and a variety of other epicurious things, such as workshops, demonstrations and an appearance by one, Paula Deen!

I'm going to go off on a bit of a tangent here, because I think Paula Deen is delightful. Yes, I feel like I've gained 10 pounds every time I watch an episode of her show on the Food Network, but you can tell that she puts lots of love into everything that she makes. I also respect the fact that she doesn't skimp on any ingredients- that really takes gusto. She was doing several presentations while we were at the show, but we opted not to attend, since you need to purchase additional tickets and admission was a little out of our range for the weekend. Someday, when I make it to Savannah, I am determined to dine at Lady & Sons, the restaurant that she owns and operates with her sons. I love to eat healthy, but there is nothing wrong with enjoying some hearty comfort food from time to time: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, apple pie- I'll have all of the above, please.

The show was a great opportunity to see what a food trade show is really like. We are planning on participating as an exhibitor in at least one tradeshow next year, so in the meantime, we are trying to gather as many ideas and do as much preparation as possible. While this show was open to the public, some shows are reserved only for members of the food and beverage industry, such as retail buyers, distributors and food writers. When you stop to think about it, there are lots of logistics involved in being an exhibitor. A couple of the main things we are currently thinking about: the layout of our display, signage, sampling and collateral marketing material, such as brochures.

The show was also a great opportunity to try some of the newest food and beverage products currently on the market. A couple of the highlights:

The Kitchen Table Bakers- Parmesan wafer crisps
Sunland Peanut Butter- savory and sweet flavors like onion and chive or Cranberry
Sonoma Syrup Co- infused simple syrups with flavors such as lavendar and pomegranate
Red Rocker Candy- handmade toffees and brittles