Have you ever seen the cartoon movie with the cute little misunderstood rat chef? That was always the first question people would ask me when they found out I was a pastry chef, so I’m guessing you’ve at least heard about the movie. All food lovers have probably felt kind of like that little rat chef from time to time, especially when it comes to dealing with people who just don’t understand why food matters so much. But, I’ve never felt more like a rat chef than at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City. I’ve been to the show a couple of times now, and between the gigantic size of the Jacob Javits Center and the never-ending aisles of vendors peddling their delicious wares, it gives me the distinct feeling of running through a maze with a whole bunch of other rat chefs. Much like a rat in a maze though, if you look in the right places you’ll find cheese everywhere.
Reunion of Food Folks
The Summer Fancy Food show this year was much the same as it has been in years past. With little to see in the way of earth-shattering food innovations, it’s become a reunion for food folks just as much as it is a great platform for vendors of all sizes to get their products seen. The event is 3 days long, but even if you stayed in the maze all 3 days it would be impossible to see and taste everything. Big name grocery store brands sit right alongside tiny niche-market bakeshops, and the whole thing has a great community feel to it. Only a fool (ahem) would visit not one but two fancy New York donut shops right before going to the show. But with all the olive oil, espresso, cheese, and sweet treats to taste, I definitely wasn’t the only rat chef jittering around that maze high on sugar and fat.
AUI’s entire marketing and innovations departments went to the show this year. The innovations department regularly goes to see what trends are popping up, and the marketing team was there to scope out cool print materials and booth designs. The biggest trend again this year, in both product lines and marketing strategies, is a return to nature. Rustic, earthy styles dominated the design aesthetic, and more and more products are being touted as healthy or natural. I overheard one vendor say to somebody at her booth, “Pay now or pay later! You’ll be sorry if you don’t eat healthy today!”
Personally, I’m a little wary of some people’s idea of “healthy”. On the street right outside of the convention center, we saw a truck passing out chia seed fruit goo in a squeezable pouch. Everywhere around us there were people eating it. The goo was called a “Vitality Snack” and the tagline read, “Seed Your Soul.” The branding was all clearly intended to inspire a sense of serenity and oneness between earth and body. On the streets of Manhattan, though, all I could see were grown men and women in suits and dresses squeezing goo from a plastic pouch directly into their mouths. Sure, the goo was made up of good clean hydrated chia seeds, real fruit purees, and just a touch of citric acid. But the description of it as an “anytime snack” that would “naturally provide the vitality to power your soul’s purpose” still kind of rubs me the wrong way. My soul’s purpose is to actively avoid eating goo directly from a plastic pouch unless I’m running a marathon or living in a post-apocalyptic future, and I’m pretty sure neither one of those things is going to happen anytime soon.
Simple Pleasures of Good Food
I know I’m just old fashioned and overly opinionated, but I wish that this trend to return to nature also meant a return to the simple pleasure of sitting down and enjoying a meal. It’s wonderful that a food can be both healthy and convenient, but how does squeezing goo into your mouth from a plastic pouch bring you any closer to the earth? Does your “soul’s purpose” really only need chia seeds for fuel, or does it need the physical experience of sitting down to a meal that just so happens to be made of good wholesome foods? The Slow Food movement is almost 30 years old, but with respectable business men and women sucking down packets of goo on the street it feels a little bit like we’re taking 2 steps forward and 2 steps back. Of course, that’s just my own misunderstood rat chef opinion.
The really nice thing about the Fancy Food Show is that you can see the full range of food trends, and overall this year’s show was pretty encouraging. A return to nature can only mean good things for consumers and chefs alike, even if for some people it means eating goo out of a plastic pouch.
Blog post complements of Carolyn Crow, AUI Event Manager & Pastry Chef. We invite comments and questions to pastryteam@auifinefoods.com.
