The Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan was packed with 22,000 hungry attendees this past week for the Fancy Food Show. The event showcased artisan food start-ups and their latest product offerings, allowing grocery buyers to peruse, sample and spot future trends. Vendors were displaying everything from classic gourmet products (with a twist, of course) like olive oil, cheese and caviar, to more unusual and innovative products like goat milk chai caramels and beet yogurt.

After properly indulging on the samples – because, priorities –  we chatted with fellow foodies and professional food trend-ers, to come up with a comprehensive recap of the up-and-coming culinary trends for 2015/2016.

Unsurprisingly, responsible eating was the force behind most of the new snacks, with companies really promoting organic, gluten-free and vegan products.

In particular, what was most apparent with these products was consumers’ demand for simple, natural ingredients. Stripped of added sugars, artificial flavoring and chemicals, companies are now touting ingenuity in simplicity. Minimal, conventional ingredients combined in an unconventional way and prepared simply is what artisan food is about today. With increased education and access to food, people are more willing than ever to pay for purity and health when making food choices.

In terms of taste, we noticed a trend for hot and spicy. Heat from jalapenos and chilies were prevalent, as well as ethnic spices, particularly turmeric and curry. A Western twist to Indian flavors is definitely something to keep in mind looking forward.

Innovation was not just limited to taste. Portugal’s meia-duzia blew us away with their paint tube packaging for honey, jam and chocolate with fruits, which removes the middle-man-utensil and spares the mess. These products remind us how powerful a first impression can be.

Finally, as tea entrepreneurs and enthusiasts, we couldn’t sign off without sharing some of our favourite new tea commodities. Without further ado:

1.    Tea-rrific! Is an ice cream brand that focuses on crafting premium, tea-infused ice cream using as much locally sourced and minimally processed ingredients. Their Chamomile Ice Cream was a finalist for the Sofi Awards, and trust us – for good reason! Delicious.

2.    Republic of Tea is a Cali-based tea company, that launched a line of “Sonoma Teas”, showcasing innovative iced tea flavours, inspired by classic alcoholic beverages, using actual fine wine grape skins! Among the most popular, were the Chardonnay Iced Tea, Rosé Tea and Cabernet Tea.

3.   Just Cook Foods launched their “Taco Night Blend”, a delicious all-natural rub, made from mole-inspired ingredients, including cocoa, nutmeg and cinnamon. This rub was such a success it was a finalist for the Flavor Enhancer Sofi Award.

We tip our hats to all the brands and vendors for their incredible display of creativity and good taste. Thanks for having us, Specialty Food Association!

For more information about this year’s Sofi Awards:

https://www.specialtyfood.com/awards/ 

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Though it’s easy to get distracted and overwhelmed at a conference that has so much to offer, I was determined to stick to my agenda: I wanted to learn as much as I could about tea in relation to health and wellness. Having been working tirelessly to formulate and approve recipes for teALCHEMY’s Elixir Line, a line dedicated to natural health, I was thrilled about the “Tea Up for Health” addition to this year’s agenda. The sector promised an extensive educational program, which would explore key topics, latest research, consumer trends, and critical “how-to” info. It did not disappoint. Though there were many notable exhibitors and speakers, and I couldn’t possibly do them justice here, I’d like to quickly recap some highlights:

I kicked off the expo by attending Babette Donaldson’s highly anticipated presentation, “Selling Tea for Health: The Power of talking about Tea and Health”. Babette launched into a discussion about the many scientific benefits of tea, explaining complex information in a comprehensible way and citing extensive past and current research. Most thought-provoking, was how she explored the legalities of marketing the health benefits of tea, the roadblocks set by legislature, and the careful considerations involved should businesses choose to move forward with tea-health claims. She advised on everything from books to read, to career advancement moves, to product packaging. Her instructional questions and pointers resonated with me and I left her conference with strengthened resolve about the future of teALCHEMY’s Elixir Line. Needless to say, I picked up a copy of Babette’s “The Everything Healthy Tea Book: Discover the healing benefits of tea”. (Stay tuned for a review on the blog!)

Nigel Melican’s “Tea’s Dynamic Duo- Caffeine and Theanine” was another illuminating session, which discussed the properties of caffeine and theanine and their physiological effects. As a leading authority on tea, particularly tea production, Nigel offered valuable information about commercial tea processing and swiftly dispelled some common myths. What became abundantly clear throughout his talk was how misinformed both consumers and so-called tea experts are, and how important it was for all of us to make a conscious effort to stay well versed in our field.

Finally, it’s not an expo if you don’t indulge in the beautiful products and great resources on display. I couldn’t resist picking up some gourds and bambillas for our Yerba Mate Tea, which I’m so excited to offer to all of you on the website, soon! I also stocked up on important publications such as Fresh Cup, The Gourmet Retailer and Tea Time Magazine.

The coolest product I saw was the Alpha Dominche – a hand-crafted brewing machine designed for maximum precision and quality, and built to produce the “perfect” cup of tea or coffee with repeatable accuracy. The price tag was steep at $15,000, but a girl can dream.

Finally, another product that seems to be gaining a lot of traction lately is the Ilex Guayusa tree, an Amazonian super-plant of the holly genus. When the leaves are dried and brewed like a tea, they produce a stimulant effect similar to caffeine, without the negative side effects, and are packed with antioxidants, polyphenols and essential amino acids. Mother Nature, you’ve done it again.

Though the educational sessions and the exhibitors were exceptional, the dynamic among the attendees was what defined this experience for me. All of your generous advice, words of encouragement and general camaraderie was not unrecognized. Big thank you to everyone who took the time to chat with me and to impart his or her knowledge and expertise. I look forward to seeing you all again next year!

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I was able to learn a lot from our neighbours at the event from The Healing Arc, a Sea Buckhorn estate in Teeswater, ON. Owner, Marlene Wynnyk shared her experiences and research knowledge of the hearty plant and flavourful berries. Sea Buckthorn is rich in many essential nutrients. It contains high concentration of Vitamin C, carotenoids, fatty acids as well as phytochemicals that are known to have strong antioxidant activity.

The ladies of Lavendar Blu on the Purple Road of Ontario shared cooking with lavender recipes, the scents of lavender soaps and beautiful artisan arrangements. They suggested adding lavender with sweet and savory dishes. Mix with mint or thyme (same family) , bananas and cream cheeses. The ungusty variety is a sweeter lavendar then the pundant taller french lavndar more suited with savory like meats and stews Use fresh lavenders leaves and flowers, dry for 3 weeks by debuding it, put in pillow case, rub gently to allow buds to separate. The best time to harvest is when the bud is still closed. BBQ stems with shrimp amd scallops. The most potent oils and flavour are released by pestal and mortar just before cooking. It goes well with pork, apple, shortbread and scones. Visit Lavendar Blu for more information.

We attended a book signing by Beverley Gray, author of The Boreal Herbal – Wild Food and Medicine Plants.

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teALCHEMY was happy to be a part of Taste of Toronto Food show, from July 24th to July 27th, which featured Toronto’s most celebrated chefs, foodie entertainment and boutique food and drink vendors. teALCHEMY founder, Lynda Budd was on hand to launch Tea-Tails: Party Till the Wee Hours of the Afternoon, her new tea-inspired cocktail recipe book.

Taking place in Toronto’s Fort York district, Lynda served up two of her favourite cocktails, Yerba Mate Pimm’s and Rooibos Lemon Spritzer. While entertaining the crowd with her premium cocktails, Lynda also mixed and mingled with some of Toronto’s entertainment royalty; sharing her tea knowledge along the way.

Tea-Tails will be available online on our brand new site the end of September 2014 at www.teALCHEMY.ca.

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Trays of teALCHEMY tea were provided to party goers attending the launch of the new PRODUCTTORONTO.COM

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