Our Top Picks from the Summer Fancy Food Show

Our second year exhibiting at the Summer Fancy Food Show went just as well, if not better than the first! I still need to upload the photos of our booth, but I'll post these soon.

I was telling my mom the other day that something about attending events like these, where we have a booth, exhibit our products and talk to attendees about our company is so invigorating. My description makes the event sound like a shower or something, but I really do feel even more inspired and motivated after returning from the show. You really have to be there, at the Javits Center at noon on the first day of the show to really understand what I mean.

Last year, my mom and I manned our booth for basically 7 straight hours during each of the 3 days of the show. This year though, my good friend Jean was so kind, and offered to come up from Washington D.C. to help staff our booth, which meant we all could have a couple more breaks than last year and more time to explore what other exhibitors had to offer as well.

Here is a list of our favorite finds, in no particular order:

1) KIND bars- Delicious and healthy fruit and nut bars with unique combinations like Apricot Almond, Mango Macadamia and Almond Cashew.

2) Black garlic- Fermented under high heat for one month, this garlic has all the health benefits but without the strong smell or harsh after taste. Personally, I like regular garlic because of the smell and the after taste! But my mom could not stop talking about the black garlic the entire time we were at the show and we did bring home a couple cloves of it with us. Now we just have to figure out how to cook with them!

3) Tasmanian cheeese- I'm a bit upset that I don't remember the name of the cheese or the company that made this cheese, but it was by far, the best I tasted at the show. And believe me, there was a lot of cheese. What I do remember is that this cheese was handmade in Tasmania with whole milk and it resembled Brie, except it was so flavorful! Midway through tasting this cheese, I got this very distinctive peppery taste that gave the cheese a little kick.

4) Baconnaise- It really didn't sound appetizing to me at first, but there has been so much hype around bacon salt and baconnaise (both products are produced by the same company), that I had to try it. I kid you not when I say that I was so surpised- it has a great smoky flavor that I would definitely use for sandwiches, burgers or even add to a salad dressing. Try the Lite Baconnaise-it's only 30 calories per serving.

5) Rozendal Vinegars- These earthy and exotic wine vinegars are made in South Africa. My mom loved the Lavender vinegar, which is made with organic lavender grown right on the Rozendal farm.

Summer is the season for fancy food

I'm writing to you from the Big Apple. Actually, Clifton, New Jersey, which is where we've been staying for the past couple of days since we've been exhibiting at the 2009 Summer Fancy Food Show. Today was our last day at the show and it has been a great run!

I'm about to head to bed because it has been a pretty exciting, yet exhausting couple of days and we are driving back to Pittsburgh first thing tomorrow, but I'll be writing about our experiences at the show later this week.

This was our second year exhibiting at the show and it never ceases to amaze me, the amount innovation and creativity is out there in the food industry. It's so inspiring and it really makes my mom and I want to keep finding ways to improve our products and come up with new ones.

I'll be back to chat soon!

Nostalgic Memories of My New York Kitchen

While I was living in New York, I got used to reading certain publications and even after I moved away, never really broke the habit. A couple of the pubs: The New York Times, New York Magazine and The New Yorker. Mostly, I peruse the websites of these pubs, rather than picking up a hard copy, although, given the state of the newspaper industry these days, I'm feeling a bit guilty about this and probably should purchase an issue every now and then.

Each of these pubs catered to a different facet of my life in New York- The New York Times has always been my source for the hard news- this is where I would turn to for any breaking events, like the time the entire city smelled like maple syrup and people worried that it might be some kind of subtle attack on Manhattan. (Not to worry- turns out that this smell wafted over from Jersey, from a company that manufactures fragrances.)

New York Magazine was where I turn to get my dose of the arts and pop culture, while still feeling like I'm educating myself. And their reviews of NY restaurants and bars are really reliable. I like that they try to cater to those on smaller budgets (i.e. me) in addition to the 5th Ave. crowd.

Opening the New Yorker and reading the table contents makes me feel well read. The stories are prolific and eloquent. Plus, their cartoons are hilarious.

Which brings me to a recent find I made in the Video section of the New York Times website. There is a short video series called kitchen 4B. In it, NY Times recipe tester and writer Jill Sanpietro shows how to make recipes in her apartment with an extremely tiny kitchen. Here's her latest video on how to make risotto:




I'm hooked on this video series- it's unpretentious, really entertaining and really reminds me of what it was like to cook and entertain in the smallest of spaces. One year, three of my good friends and I made a complete Thanksgiving dinner for 8 people in our tiny apartment. We were amazed at how we were able to pull this off in such a tight space, but in the end, I think the meal was that much more delicious because it was such a challenge.

Never again in my life will I take counter space or a dishwasher for granted.

Like A Food Network Star (almost)

Last Sunday, my mom and I participated in a Gluten-Free Day that was hosted by the brand new Whole Foods in Annapolis Maryland. We were on the store floor handing out samples of our Cupola Cookies & Clouds for a couple hours, and then, we did an hour-long cooking demonstration in the store's fantastic Culinary Center!

During our cooking demonstration, we made three short recipes (two appetizers and a dessert) that featured our products. The Culinary Center kitchen was state of the art- it was a lot fun to be able to use all these shiny new appliances- definitely a "kid in a candy store" kind of a moment for me. And on some very basic level, now I know what it would be like to have your own cooking show, like Paula, Giada or Martha.

Here's a list of the recipes we made:

1) Parmesan Endive Boats
2) Artichoke Canapes
3) Summer Fruit Trifle with Quinoa Custard

If you'd like a copy of any of the recipes above, feel free to send me an email here.

Lessons Learned From The Demise of Archway Cookies

Many of you are probably familiar with Archway cookies- they come in a signature red package that's hard to miss on grocery store shelves. Until I read the recent New York Times article "What Happened to Archway?", I had no idea that the company was in any kind of financial trouble.

It turns out that Archway had been having some major cash flow problems for months, and that in order to retain the financing they were receiving from Wachovia, the company cushioned its books with non-existent sales. In addition to what equates to accounting fraud, the company has been accused of providing defective or unsellable products to its distributors and retailers and then making it difficult for these business partners to receive credit on these orders.

What scares me is that, there must have been at least several executives who knew what was going on, yet turned a blind eye. By engaging in these kinds of activities, Archway let down its employees, its distributors and the retailers that carried its products. Archway's demise carries lessons that any small business can learn from, whether involved in the baked goods business or not. Despite being a 60-some year old company, it appears that all the high-quality and integrity associated with the Archway brand and its cookies disappeared in just a few short years or even months. Compromising the quality of your products and the relationships you have with your business partners is a sure fire way of decreasing the value and success of your company.

100- Calorie Packs- RIP?

Mintel recently released a report stating that popularity and sales of 100-calorie pack snacks are declining. I'm sure you have also noticed that this type of packaging for cookies, crackers and other snacks have gradually been taking over store shelves, especially over the past year or so.

Have 100-calorie packs surpassed their high point in terms of popularity? I've occasionally purchased 100-calorie pack products, particularly when traveling, because I found this was a really neat and convenient way to have a snack. But I agree that price-wise, you do get more value from purchasing regular sized packages of these items and portioning them out yourself.

The report also examines something I found really interesting- the idea that these pre-portion snack packs actually facilitate overeating.

What are your thoughts on 100 calorie snack packs? Do you buy them? Why or why not?

Check out the Brandweek article about 100 calorie packs: 100-Calorie Packs Pack It In

Barberries- An Interesting Find

We just got back from doing a round of product demos in the Maryland this weekend. After one of our product demos in Silver Spring, my mom and I were trying to figure out what to do for dinner and stumbled across a small strip mall that had a Persian supermarket. We love Middle Eastern cuisine, although neither of us have had the chance to really learn much about Persian food.

This particular market would be a delight for any curious foodie. Dried fruits and nuts of all kinds, from imported pistachios and almonds to figs and mulberries were neatly displayed in bins along the walls. The store had a wonderful selection of dried herbs, not to mention some really beautiful fresh produce. While we were there, we picked up a very unique item- dried barberries.

Barberries are a rich scarlet color even when they've been dried.

Has anyone heard of barberries before? My first encounter with barberries was at this Persian market. I was browsing the selection of dried fruits and picked up a package of what looked like a cross between sundried tomatoes and cranberries. When I asked the woman at the cash register what they were, she told me that they were barberries, a fruit that is native to the Middle East and is very similar to a cranberry, but a tad more tart.

There is actually a traditional Persian rice dish called Zereshk polow (yup, I had trouble trying to pronounce this too). The dish sounds delicious- it's also made with chicken, saffron and pistachios. If you're curious about the recipe, feel free to check it out here. I think I might try this recipe for dinner one night this week, if we have time.

Wish me luck on my first foray into Persian cuisine!