This a report from the Fancy Food show in New York in July:
There are a number of useful incites that may surprise you…

IN THE KITCHEN: Fancy Foods 2008 — ‘all natural,’ ‘gluten-free’ emerge among this year’s trends
Friday, July 11, 2008 5:25 PM EDT
By Pat Tanner Special Writer

With the economy spiraling downward, it would be understandable if the mood at this year’s Fancy Food Show, which ended its run at the New York’s Javits Center on June 30, had been relatively subdued. To the contrary — I found it surprisingly buoyant.

More than 2,100 exhibitors from 77 countries, as well as thousands of attendees who crowded the aisles over a three-day period, seemed downright cheerful. That is because many industry analysts believe that in tight times, consumers cut back on major expenditures but indulge, instead, in small extravagances. Think black truffle butter, frozen lobster mac & cheese, and cherries in merlot — just three products awarded gold prizes at this year’s show.

They were among the many new finds I sampled this year, but sweetest of all for me was that among those companies taking home the gold was New Jersey’s own Blackwell’s Organic, based in Long Branch. Marcia and Tom Blackwell’s raspberry sorbet was named this year’s Outstanding USDA-Approved Organic Product.

Blackwell’s makes soy gelati and fruit sorbetti that are dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and without preservatives or additives. Each Blackwell’s product has at least one fair- trade ingredient, including the chocolate, cocoa, and coffee in their gelati. For the award, though, all products are judged primarily on taste.

Blackwell’s Organic is available at McCaffrey’s, Pennington Market, and Whole Foods.

Nearly 2,100 products vied for top honors in 32 different categories. A silver award for Outstanding Diet or Lifestyle Product went to a local business, Twin Hens, Inc., for its gluten-free beef potpie, which features a cornmeal topping. Owners Kathy Herring and Linda Twining of Princeton dished up samples of this and their chicken potpie over the show’s three days, and plan to introduce a vegetable version this fall.

Twin Hens pies are available in 15 states, at many Dean & Delucas, and at McCaffrey’s, Pennington Market, the Whole Earth Center, Nassau Street Seafood, and Terhune Orchards.

Several other local companies introduced new products at the show, or reintroduced themselves.

When Nancy Dince of Cherry Hill Road left her job at Merrill Lynch in Plainsboro and began marketing her all-natural sports drink, she called it LIV Natural and it sold well. But this year she reformulated and relaunched as LIV Organic and sales have taken off, she said. Bottles of her lemon, orange, citrus passion, and berry flavored drinks can be found locally at Small World and Olive’s, and there is currently a major promotion at Whole Foods that includes raffling off a kayak.

Another Princeton entrepreneur who left the corporate world (in her case, Campbell’s Soup) to launch a food-based business is Nora Schultz, who introduced her Naturally Nora line of all-natural cake and frosting mixes. Her partner, husband Steve Schultz, subsequently left his job with Colgate-Palmolive to join her. The pair urged attendees to try the mini cupcakes they had baked to see for themselves that they taste as good as homemade. They do — if my sample of Cookie Cookie (yellow cake with bits of chocolate cookie) with Cheerful Chocolate frosting is any indication.

All five cake-mix flavors and four frosting varieties are made without artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or hydrogenated oils, and are certified kosher. The mixes themselves do not contain dairy or soy — although some sort of milk product is added during home preparation. They are available at McCaffrey’s, the Whole Earth Center, and Pennington Market, and will soon be available online.

Earlier this year, I noticed a container of fresh-frozen herbs in the freezer case of Bon Appetit in the Princeton Shopping Center. I was startled to see that the company, Daregal, is based in Princeton — on Witherspoon Street, no less. It turns out that the Darbonne family of France founded the business in 1887 and for the last 30 years has offered preservative-free frozen chopped herbs, with Princeton as its U.S. base. Several major grocery chains, including Kings and Stop-and-Shop, carry Daregal’s herbs but I’m told that the first U.S. retailer to sign on was none other than Bon Appetit.

Why seek out frozen herbs, when fresh are available in supermarkets year round? According to the company, fresh herbs lose 75 percent of their flavor and aroma within 24 hours of picking. Theirs are frozen within three hours, while those in the produce aisle have been sitting around for days, at best. Daregal’s herbs are chopped and then misted with a fine layer of vegetable oil to preserve freshness and allow them to flow freely. Plus, the company literature points out, “when you buy a container of Daregal herbs, you’re paying only for the tender leaves of the herbs — washed, chopped, and ready to use.”

Muirhead of Ringoes, whose line of fruit butters, chutneys, mustards, and vinaigrettes has taken home the gold in previous years, debuted their latest creation: wine jellies produced in collaboration with their neighbor, Unionville Vineyards. I particularly liked the Chardonnay jelly — its vibrant, clear gold color glows like a jewel. Both it and the garnet-red chambourcin would make delightful accompaniments to a cheese plate. The wine jellies are available at Unionville Vineyards and via www.muirheadfoods.com.

The larger, better-known New Jersey food companies that are staples of the Fancy Food Show also introduced new wares. D’Artagnan, the Newark-based purveyor known for its foie gras and game meats, introduced four varieties of hot dogs: buffalo, duck, beef, and pork. Ciao Bella Gelato of Irvington launched pints of its new key lime and ginger snap flavors, while Montgomery- based Snack Factory gave out tastes of its latest: ciabatta crisps in garlic-rosemary and sundried tomato-parmesan.

Of course, I stopped by many non-Jersey exhibitors as well, sampling as much as I could and ferreting out upcoming trends.

Gluten-free continues to be one, as does “all natural.”

Many products touted Moroccan spices — Boyajian olive oil and Schokinag Moroccan Spice European Drinking Chocolate are but two.

Agave syrup seems to be the up-and-coming sweetener, either its own or in products like Organic Nectars’ Raw Agave Gelato Pistachio, which was awarded the gold prize in the category of Outstanding Diet or Lifestyle Product.

I picked up a sample of fennel pollen, which up until now I’ve encountered only at the hands of restaurant chefs and which I can’t wait to try at home with roast pork loin. It’s from Pollen Ranch, a company based in a part of California where fennel grows wild. As I write this, the closed package is perfuming my office magnificently.

From the high-end chocolate company Vosges comes pint containers of Organic Naga ice cream, a surprising and surprisingly good marriage of sweet Indian curry and fresh young coconut.

When I came across a booth in the British pavilion that touted “ancient Greek vinaigre” I stopped dead in my tracks. Turns out this is one of three “historic” vinegars reproduced by Brit chef Alan Coxon, who is ranked among the Top 10 world television chefs by BBC viewers. Coxon himself doled out samples of each while explaining its history and uses.

My favourite turned out to be Ale-Gar, which recreates vinegar from the 15th century made from hearty ale. It is rich and smooth with hints of chocolate, and is intended to be used in place of balsamic vinegar. I could find only one online source for it, based in the U.K.

Despite the upbeat vibe of this year’s show, at least one vendor did remark to me that there didn’t seem to be as many “big buyers” prowling the aisles as in the past. The faltering economy notwithstanding, I and many others will be indulging in small pleasures like chardonnay wine jelly, fennel pollen, and ancient vinegar.

Pat Tanner is the restaurant critic for New Jersey Life and writes a biweekly food column for The Princeton Packet. A former caterer and corporate trainer, Ms. Tanner is a founding member of the Central New Jersey Chapter of Slow Food and is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the James Beard Foundation and the Association of Food Journalists.