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Deborah is Hebrew for"bee," and I certainly felt as busy as that industrious insect this past month, during which I traveled to Washington, D.C., for the Summer Fancy Food Show, experienced a balsamic vinegar and truffle tasting in Chicago, and took a press tour of a new restaurant and market concept in Skokie, Ill.

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center was abuzz with activity July 10-12, when 18,000 attendees descended on the Summer Fancy Food Show floor. Wings would have come in handy at the 318,000-square-foot event, where I sampled products from sofi award finalists, enjoyed dinner with the folks from Hammons Products (whose Black Walnut Oil won a silver sofi) and attended a National Confectioners Association reception (where I caught up with Jenn Ellek, director of trade marketing and communications, and Tim Quinn, vice president of trade development for Mars Chocolate North America).

At its Summer Fancy Food Show booth, Italian confectioner Fiasconaro displayed a giant panettone weighing 50 kg (110.2 pounds) that took 13 hours to bake, topped with a white chocolate sculpture of the nativity.

Other highlights included meeting with Chris Swire, founder of Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar from Coombe Castle — a savory, slightly sweet cheese with a bit of a crunch (calcium lactate granules) that is aged for 20 months. Swire is one of three graders at the Llandyrnog Creamery in the Vale of Clwyd in North Wales. He also created the Collier's marketing campaign, inspired by his grandfather — a coal miner in the mountainous South Wales valley area back in the 1950s who lunched on cheese sandwiches. My grandfather, an Italian immigrant, was a coal miner, too, so I appreciated Swire's story.

Italy was one of 80 countries and regions represented at the show. Exhibitors in the Italian Pavilion included Panificio Giulio Bulloni E Figli, whose Pane Carasatu —a super-thin, cracker-like bread, handmade from a centuries-old family recipe — hails from the idyllic island of Sardinia. Katiuscia Bulloni, whose father founded the company, introduced me to two varieties: one plain and the other seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil and salt.

Meanwhile, Pasticciere (Italian for Confectioner) Nicola Fiasconaro showed me his company's signature panettone (one of my dad's favorite treats). Although the sweet bread traditionally is produced in northern Italy for Christmastime, Fiasconaro is a Sicilian manufacturer that uses organic ingredients such as fresh candied orange and raisins to make a cake that is sold year-round.

Upon returning to Chicago, I went to an in-store event at City Olive. There, Cristiano Savini of Savini Tartufi and Andrea Bezzecchi of Acetaia San Giacomo spoke about their respective truffle and balsamic vinegar businesses, also located in Italy. I learned all about truffle hunting from Savini, who also shared how he and his dog unearthed the world's largest truffle, a 1.5-kg (3.3-pound) tuber that sold for $330,000 (you read correctly) at an international auction. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi explained why all balsamic vinegars are not created equal and offered samples of his aged Agro Di Mosto, Condimento San Giacomo and Essenza. I also savored hors d'oeuvres made with both ingredients, prepared by Sicilian-born Chef Giuseppe Scurato of Ceres' Table.

One week later, I got a sneak peak at the innovative new Wilde & Greene Restaurant & Natural Market at Westfield Old Orchard Mall in Skokie — the U.S.'s first one-stop restaurant and organic market from Toronto-based Richtree Market Restaurants Inc. The 6,000-square-foot market boasts 100-percent organic produce and healthy deli assortments, including locally sourced items. The 17,000-square-foot restaurant comprises 18 open-kitchen-style gourmet food and beverage stations, offering sandwiches, pasta, baked goods, crepes, sushi, individual pizzas, gelato and more. Upstairs, a 6,000-square-foot rooftop patio features small plates and a full-service bar.

My busy schedule continues here at The Gourmet Retailer, where we are drawn to new products like bees to honey —one of several buzzworthy items to appear in this issue. Time to fly...

Deborah Cassell, Editorial Director
dcassell@stagnitomedia.com