The great city of Chicago played host to the Spring NASFT Fancy Food Show, co-located this year with the Food Marketing Institute's (FMI) annual trade show. Business was brisk on both sides of the McCormick Center, the ever-expanding facility that sits on Lake Michigan's shores. This marked the 4th staging of the Spring Fancy Food Show, while FMI celebrated its 25th anniversary.

This year was the first time the two shows appeared together in the same venue, allowing attendees the opportunity to enjoy each other's shows on the last day. At next year's convening, the two shows will grow even closer together when they will both be situated across from one another in the North and South Halls. TGR's editors roamed the aisles far and wide looking for new and exciting products, and they found them. For your perusal, we present a glimpse of what you may have missed.

Beverages

Starting with tea grown on our nation's only tea plantation (in South Carolina), Davidson's blends it with herbs, spices and other teas for their new Nation's Harvest Tea, which is outfitted in attractive and subtly patriotic packaging. A portion of the proceeds is donated to Red Cross relief efforts and other 9/11-related charities.

Fairwinds Coffee Co. has now introduced their new organic line under the brand name of The Organic Coffee Company. Fairwinds has been an avid supporter of fair-price programs to coffee growers, and continues its commitment to helping the people who make their livings growing coffee.

India Tea Imports has teamed up with noted tea scholar and author James Norwood Pratt to launch "Bespoke" Frost Teas. Benchmarks of excellence, these six exceptional teas are all grown, handpicked, and meticulously processed in the Nilgiri Mountains. Also, 10 percent of their net proceeds is set aside to benefit educational, medical, and social services for the estate workers.

Chicago Coffee Roastery received lots of attention for their interesting Coffee Explorers Program designed to help retailers introduce new and rare coffees to their customers. The program includes a free coffee jar and a free air pot emblazoned with the Coffee Explorers logo, a free pound of coffee for sampling with every five pounds ordered, plus free sampling cups, signage, and staff education materials. Each month a new, featured coffee is supplied to participating retailers.

Condiments, Spices, Soups, Sauces, and Oils

Robert Rothschild Farm introduced four new ready-to-use products geared to comfort food consumption. Anna Mae's Sweet Smoky Oven & Grill Sauce is a thick, rich grilling sauce with a spicy finish; Asian Sesame Oven & Grill Sauce couples the smoky flavor of sesame with hints of honey and mustard; Creole Mustard combines tomatoes, garlic, celery, and onion with the subtle heat of chilies for use on anything from hamburgers to fancy baked fish; and Chocolate Mint Cookie Dip is a decadent dessert sauce for creating a silky sauce or simply dipping cookies.

Char Crust has designed a beautiful new black-wire display rack for their spice rubs. Each rack holds eight different packages (all seven flavors, plus an extra row for your best-seller), and sits up off the counter to maximize space. They also have created a new cardboard shipper that unfolds to hold 50 units of product.

The Halifax Group announced the addition of The Peanut Patch to their line of Scorned Women products, as well as debuted six products in their Drambuie products line, including Apple Treacle Glaze, Lemon Herb Sauce, Spicy Apricot Mustard, Citrus Grilling Sauce, Ginger Sesame Sauce, and a Holiday Sauce.

Crossings, importers of French specialty products, had several exquisite extra-virgin olive oils from Provence, such as Chateau Virant from Aix-en-Provence that has won gold medals in international competitions every year but one since its inception. The native-variety olives are handpicked and crushed within 24 hours. Others include Chateau d'Estoublon from Valle des Beaux, and Le Vieux Moulin, a single-variety oil with rich, earthy flavors. Also in the booth was a line from Truffieres de Rabasse that includes a truffle mayonnaise and a truffle oil, and their version of tapenade called Truffenade, which is made from truffles, olives, and mushrooms.

Nielsen-Massey unveiled a new vanilla extract specifically formulated to reduce cost-in-use. The new product, developed in response to increasing costs in the vanilla markets, permits a lower price point. Labeled specifically as Pure Vanilla Extract, the product is extracted from a uniform blend of selected vanilla beans and is available in 4- and 8-ounce, quart, and gallon bottles.

Wine Country Kitchens in the Napa Valley has introduced a new line of classic pasta sauces called Napa Valley Harvest. The all-natural sauces include Tomato Basil, Artichoke & Sweet Red Pepper, and Tomato Vodka. They have also come out with a lovely Peach Salsa, as well as launched sleek new packaging for their Napa Valley Barbecue Co. line of grill sauces and marinades.

The Gilway Company debuted their Simply Superb Mayonnaise in three all-natural and two organic varieties. The all-natural line includes Original, Lemon and Salsa, while the Organic line offers Original and Garlic. All five flavors have a smooth, clean flavor profile and a minimum one-year shelf life.

Pasta Partners has a new line of soups that just require water and heat. The line, called Plentiful Pantry, includes flavors such as Cheesy Enchilada and Roasted Corn Chowder.
Seasoning maker Tony Chachere's launched a Shredded Coconut Batter and a Crispy Creole Hush Puppy Mix at the show. The Shredded Coconut Batter is a delicious accent to fried seafood, including shrimp and oysters that may also be used to liven up vegetables, mushrooms, and onion rings.

Cheese

Crystal Foods weighed in with some very exciting cheeses, including Erborinatti, an Italian sheep's milk blue cheese that is reminiscent of an artisanal Gorgonzola, but is creamier and milder. They also have a fabulous line of Robiolas from Luigi Guffanti, an affineur who is so involved with the production of the cheese that he is almost a farmhouse cheesemaker. From Sancerre, they have Le Grand Vielleux, a flavorful raw-milk goat cheese. They have a line of washed-rind Belgian cheese ? washed with beer ? from Jacquy Cange. Not all their product is imported however, as they now distribute some very fine goat's milk feta from Shepherds in Utah. Available for tasting were fresh 12- and 25-month-old examples.

Belgioiso in Wisconsin now offers their excellent Asiago both sharp and mild in presliced packs, as well as presliced Provolone. For vegans and vegetarians, they have Parveggiano, a Parmesan made from vegetarian rennet. They have also begun importing a very nice ricotta salata.

Lactoprot showed off their new Smoked Salmon Cheese Spread, as well as a Tomato-Basil Cheese log, both of which are shelf stable and make excellent additions to a gift-basket selection.

Fine cheeses from Roth Kase will soon be greatly enhanced by the addition of new aging cellars, or caves, in which the humidity and presence of bacterial cultures precisely match those of caves in Switzerland. These will be used to mature some of their hard Switzerland-style cheeses, such as Gruyere.

Somerdale International has a new White Stilton with Mango & Ginger, a wonderful, sweet snacking cheese that is also recommended for cooking ? melt it over grilled salmon, or serve it as a breakfast treat, on fruit, and in salads.

Meat

Culver Duck Farms unveiled their new All-Natural Duck Sausage in five flavors ? Cajun, Cranberry-Maple, Italian, Sesame, and Garlic-Sun dried Tomato. Each one is made with all-natural ingredients and contains just five grams of fat, plus the meat is raised without the use of antibiotics.

Broadbent's B & B Foods has a new Hickory-Smoked Pepper Bacon that is all handmade with no artificial preservatives, adding to their fine line of handmade hams and bacon for which they have won many awards.

Baked Goods, Preserves, and Sweets

Yohay Baking Company was drawing a crowd who wanted to taste their new Almond Crunch Cookies in Cinnamon Almond Crunch, Fudge Almond Crunch and Sugar-Free Almond Chocolate Swirl options. Also new was the Black and White Waffle Cookie that is hand-dipped in dark and white chocolate.

Nicole's Divine Crackers are just that. Made from organic grains that the company grinds in their old rice mill, olive and canola oils, French sea salt, and fresh spices and cheese, they come in seven flavors, including Cheese, Sesame, Rye, Herb, and others.
Columbia Empire Farms showed their new Aebleskiver Baking Kit that includes a boxed mix for making the batter, a special cast-iron aebleskiver pan, a jar of their own Marionberry Preserves, and a wooden skewer ? everything you need to make these delicious Scandinavian treats. They have also added two other products, Apple Butter and Black Raspberry Preserves.

Urban Accents was showing off their new cocktail nibblers. These all-natural savory mini-baguettes are available in four distinct flavors: french herb, onion & chive, sesame & gouda, and sun-dried tomato. Extended shelf life and clutter-free packaging encourage display and cross merchandising.

Roland introduced Lady Finger Duets, beautifully packaged pastry with one side cocoa and the other side plain.

Sticky Fingers has added a new Lemon-Ginger Scone mix to their line, while Too Good Gourmet added some decorated cookies with base flavors of Gingerbread, Lemon, and Chocolate Chip decorated in various holiday and event motifs. They have also added gift sets like their train set, a gingerbread man, and a cookie jar that can be filled with assortments of their distinctive cookies or candies.

Highland Sugarworks showed off their sinful Cinnamon Maple Butter. Wonderful on pancakes, it can also be used as a topping on ice cream or as a spread on scones and muffins.

Walkers Shortbread has a few new items, including Chocolate Dreams filled with white and milk chocolate chips, Butterscotch Shortbread Rings, and Shortbread Fingers rolled in chocolate.

Blackberry Patch has four new preserves ? Peach Cobbler, Wild Blueberry, Apple Pie, and Blackberry. They also have a new three-jar gift pack in a wooden crate that is made by a man who fell and broke his back and neck and now works from a stretcher.
Chocoholics Divine Desserts created quite a stir with their new Strip Chocolate Board Game. According to the company, it's fun, sexy, and very, very tasty.

Sweet Mele's Hawaiian Butter had two exciting announcements. First, they have introduced three new preserves in Pineappple, Passion Fruit, and Guava. Second, they have entered a new strategic business agreement with Honey Acres, makers of fine honey products, in order to help market the Hawaiian-based products on the mainland.
Busha Browne debuted a delightful new Sugarloaf Pineapple & Ginger Preserve in which the ginger is put up in syrup for six months prior to making the preserves to increase the flavor.

Fudge Fatale added The Ultimate Chocolate Sauce to their product line. The new gourmet chocolate fudge sauce is made with all-natural ingredients. Packaged in microwavable containers that are ready to be opened, the contents may be poured over ice cream, or enjoyed on desserts, for dipping, or eating right out of the jar.

Gift Sets and Accessories

Southernfood Specialties has a distinctive line of custom-designed gift baskets that can be drop shipped directly to the consumer, allowing retailers to meet the demands of selling baskets without having to devote space and labor. They can personalize baskets for just about any occasion with messages and their store's name printed on the ribbon.

John Wm. Macy's introduced an elegant new 12-ounce CheeseCrisps Gift Tin with two inner packages that are sealed for freshness. The gift tin whose beautiful photography is sure to draw customer attention offers a six-month shelf life for the Cheddar & Asiago CheeseCrisps contained inside.

Mierco displayed an extensive line of fine European textiles, including aprons and kitchen towels adorned with images from the world of fine food and wine in a wide array of attractive colors.

Xcell International had retailers stopping in the aisle to sample their new Mousse Quik Mixx that includes four servings each of the Chocolate, Raspberry, White Chocolate Mocha, and Key Lime varieties. Their new Mousse Gift Set includes four white porcelain Tulip cups, a pastry bag, a decorative piping tip, and a three-flavor pack of Mousse Quik Mixx. Just add cream, whip to prepare, and serve in less than 10 minutes.

Over At FMI?

Badge holders were free to mingle at either show on the show's last day, allowing specialty food buyers to get a glimpse of the world of supermarkets, and large equipment, as well as the U.S. Food Export Showcase that featured products from the country's many regions.

Take for example the Glad Corn brand A-Maizing Corn Snack. The result of experiments gone awry, Stan and Gladys Friesen developed these delicious snacks on their Minnesota farm. Made from corn, nonhydrogenated soy oil, and sea salt that has been, well, exploded, they are similar to corn nuts but much better tasting, easier to eat, and more nutritious than conventional snack food.

The people at Northland Cranberries exhibited cranberries covered with white, milk, or dark chocolate. They have also added dried cranberries to their line, enabling cranberry lovers to enjoy these healthy berries anytime.

How do you prepare alligator? Very carefully. That's just what they do at Chez Sidney from Louisiana. They offer a line of ready-to-cook alligator meat. Their catalog features recipes for "Gator" meat from the famed New Orleans' restaurant Brennan's.
Two companies showcased their newest refrigerator cases, both of which were designed to extend product shelf life by cutting down on forced-air circulation. At Southern Store Fixtures, they had some beautifully modeled cases with superior lighting to enhance the food displayed.

The folks at Hill Phoenix Inc. introduced their newest creation, the Park Avenue Prestige, an innovative new case that helps reduce the moisture loss inherent in most cases. The very attractive cases would fit in well with any modern deli operation.