Fancy Food Show: Fullfilled Trends Report
We enjoyed the Fancy Food Show so much last year that we came back again this year. It was even better my second time around. There were more exhibitors and the new Las Vegas convention center hall hosted the event.
While in Vegas, my business associate and I met with many clients and had a wonderful time catching up with everyone. We really have the best clients and it’s amazing to see their growth and every expanding offerings. We have worked, created, launched and they are now enjoyed by swaths of people. In this article I will mention a few great restaurants we enjoyed and at the end finish with the Top Fullfilled Trends we saw at the show and then some final words- feel free to skip ahead if you just want to see the trends.
We also enjoyed some really tasty meals and meetings on and off the strip. One of our favorite spots is Nittaya’s Secret Kitchen- I guess the secret is out! The menu is creative and delicious. If you go you must try the “World Famous Spinach Salad” with its spinach dipped in tempura and lime dressing. You really can't go wrong with this menu and be sure to leave room for dessert. My favorite is the “Family Style Coconut Ice Cream” serves with sticky rice in a whole coconut, it’s the BEST!
We also had a wonderful business dinner at Martha Stewart’s first restaurant, it’s hard to believe! The Bedford restaurant is like going to Martha’s house. It was charming, even some of the mirrors and art are replicas of antiques she has in her Bedford, New York home. It’s very warm and inviting and the staff were all exceptional.
We tried a lot of great dishes and my top 3 were-
-The Steak Tartare was phenomenal with just the right amount of kick. It also pairs perfectly with the thin matchstick fries. The steak is a hand-chopped strip loin with capers and cornichons.
-The Crab Cake was warm and felt like a perfectly and lovingly made home cooked dish. It consisted of a large portion of crab meat with roasted yellow peppers, celeriac slaw and just the right amount of tang in the cream sauce.
-The Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE DESSERTS! Martha loves lemons as well and this does not disappoint. It’s worth booking the flight or going on the road trip to this restaurant just for this. The pie consists of a crisp meringue crust, tart lemon filling and a whipped cream topping. It’s magnifique!
Fullfilled Top Trends:
-Ease of use items were celebrated, the power of quick and convenient cannot be under estimated. We saw pancake mix in bottles which was cleverly displayed with artistic creations being made quickly of the famous Las Vegas Sign and even Bart Simpson. There were cereal syrups to pour over plain cereals, microwaveable soups and dinners, and lots of seasonings, even truffle flakes to elevate any meal quickly.
-Cheese, cheese puffs and even dried cheese. We even found some vegan cheeses that we liked, these have been difficult to master but we continue to be impressed each year by how much better the vegan options become. We are sure to see many more healthy and tasty vegan options coming up when we attend Expo West.
-Chocolate was everywhere! Chocolate balls, fruits covered in chocolate, chocolate covered nuts, chocolate covered pretzels and popcorns.
-Butterfly pea flowers was used to make drinks colorfully catch your attention. These products were sprinkled throughout the show and were hard to miss when mixed into matcha, topped on pastries and doughnuts. They really were beautiful and we don’t doubt that this trend will continue to spread.
-Nuts and seeds were all over the show! We even tried Sunflower milk for the first time. The unsweetened milk tasted identical to eating the seeds from a bag, exactly like one would imagine. We saw many different kinds of nut butters and packages nuts. Doughnuts were topped with nuts, pastries had nut spreads.
Functional products were also trending hot and mainly in beverages, example include:
-Turmeric sauces and teas.
-Ginger, organic ginger juices, ginger drinks.
-Hibiscus mainly in tea.
-Honey was everywhere and the benefits of honey were more talked about within this show than we have seen previously.
Finally I will leave you with a unique flavor we tried-
Torani featured a Toasted Black Sesame Milk Tea. There were also sesame chips as well.
We are also truly in love with Hope and Sesame milk, not only are their products delicious but they are EXCEPTIONAL for the planet better than oat, almond, or any other nut because they are drought-resistant and thrive with very little water. The Hope and Sesame products are also high in protein at 8 grams per serving as well as containing vitamin D.
If you are interested in hearing more about any of the products we have listed or if you would like to know how we might be able to help you then please reach out.
We love to help grow the good. Kaden@FullfilledFood.com