Summer Fancy Food Show: Health, and sourcing, and crunch, and . . . mmmm

NEW YORK - Having a delicious product that comes in beautiful packaging and fills a unique niche might not be enough to make it in the crowded world of gourmet foods on the market today. To really get noticed, you need a story.

At least that would be the impression one would get wandering past the 2,470 booths of specialty food producers at last week's Summer Fancy Food Show at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. From Flamous Brands' falafel chips packed with 21 herbs, spices, and legumes to Ajiri Tea Co.'s teas grown by a co-op of micro-farms in Kenya and packed in boxes designed by Kenyan women, many of the exhibitors wanted the show's estimated 24,000 attendees to know that their products were either good for the consumer, good for the world, or both.

Health benefits like organic, all natural, and gluten-free have become de rigueur, but now many products are also being touted for their antioxidants and a plethora of grains, proteins, fibers, and minerals. On top of that, the ingredients' sourcing has become an important part of the message, with rain forest, fair trade and sustainable being the most common buzzwords attached to everything from cookies to condiments.

Of course, that didn't mean there weren't plenty of triple-cream cheeses, rich, dark chocolates, high-butterfat ice creams, and calorie-laden sauces to be sampled at the 59th annual trade show, the biggest of its kind in North America. In fact, most of the winners fell into the latter group, with the best new product being a tie between two cheeses: a deeply veined Bay Blue cheese by Point Reyes, and melt-in-your-mouth Pearls of Pure Goats' Cheese by the Fine Cheese Co. The best-product-line award was given to Columbus, Ohio's, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, hand-packed pints of rich, creamy ice cream, their goat cheese with red cherries flavor being perhaps the best product I tasted in three days at the show.

The top frozen-savory award went to Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co.'s lobster flatbread, loaded with chunks of lobster, artichokes, and herb butter, though for true lobster indulgence, there was the silky lobster oil made by Groix et Nature, one of 79 companies from France that presented at the show. A record 82 countries participated this year, with first-time appearances by Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Kuwait, according to Ron Tanner, vice president of communications for the Specialty Food Association, sponsor of the show.

Among other food trends was the use of herbs and spices to add flavor and no calories. The waters and teas at Ayala's Herbal Water, based in Bala Cynwyd, drew a big crowd with people marveling over how much flavor bergamot, nutmeg, and rooibos could impart to the zero-calorie drinks. Even more excitement surrounded the Jin+Ja booth, especially after the Philadelphia-based company won the best-cold-beverage category for its cayenne-, mint-, and ginger-infused green tea.

A final kick of heat found its way into numerous products, and not just in predictable places like Miller's tangy hot and sweet mustard made with banana peppers, or barbecue sauce king Ubons' outstanding new bloody mary mix. That sweet and spicy contrast worked well in Olive & Sinclair's cinnamon and chili chocolates and Suan's Scotch bonnet tomato jam, but not so well in Bonfatto's Spice Cream ice cream, infused with Buffalo wing sauce.

Along with chipotles and habaneros, other flavor formulas making a big show were hibiscus, beetroot, guayusa, dragon fruit, chamomile, and the now-ubiquitous caramel sea salt. Ketchup has replaced mustard as the condiment du jour, with the tomato-based topping taking on a more interesting profile in products like Emily G's zingy curry ketchup and Traina's Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup, which Traina sales director Joe Hollowell said had four pounds of tomatoes in every bottle.

When it comes to texture, crunchy has replaced chewy, with nearly every cookie company featuring a crispy line and fruit snack companies like Costa Rica's Natural Sins offering orange, beet, pineapple, and mango thins. Crackers are becoming ever thinner and crispier, like Lesley Stowe's delectable salty date and almond Raincoast Crisps, this year's top cracker. Perennial cookie winner Tate's Bake Shop, which won again this year for its buttery-rich whole wheat dark chocolate chip cookies, has been making crispy cookies for the last 11 years. "Everybody's looking for new ways to expand their line," said Tate's founder Kathleen King. "They've seen that we have a nice penetration into the market and they want to do the same."

In the world of candy, chocolate is still king, but marshmallows are having their day, with several companies presenting a colorful rainbow of the light meringue confection. "I tell people, 'Instead of having a cupcake, have a marshmallow,' " said Mitchell Greenberg, who traded in his job as a television set designer two years ago to start MitchMallows.

A convention that can showcase 29-calorie marshmallows alongside dark Belgian chocolate-covered truffles speaks to the vast array of products that make up the $86 billion specialty food industry, which Tanner said accounts for 10.5 percent of all food sales today.