Joy the Baker

Can I talk to you about the Fancy Food Show?  Can I be completely honest?  

In some ways, the Fancy Food Show is a battle between people who want free stuff and vendors who aren’t all that eager to give away free stuff.  It’s a bizzare and sometimes troubling experiencing.  Take these macarons, for example.  Exactly everyone wanted one, and exactly no one got one.  It’s the Fancy Food Show, not the Free Food Show.  I get it.  Don’t get me wrong, I did manage to walk away with my fair share of goodies, but it’s not the free for all you might think it is.

Maybe it’s just me.  Maybe I’m too shy.  Maybe I need to work on my schmoozing skills.  Maybe it was the layers and layers of people clamouring about.  I dunno, but the Fancy Food Show made for a memorable, bizarre and overwhelming weekend.  

Here are some of the run of the mill details.  

The Winter Fancy Food Show is in its 34th year.  This year’s winter festivities were held over three monstrous days at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.  

More than 1,500 exhibitors from 35 countries packed the convention center.  Everyone had a badge.  There were plenty of dudes in suits acting like they had national security on their minds.  

Many producers from different countries banded together in specific areas, creating a sort of united front, if you will.  Leave it to the Italians to set up a giant flat screen television playing some sort of heated football match.  That combined with the wine and cheese made the Italian section one of the hot places to be.  Oh Italy.   Read more »