Specialty Food
Association members:
Discuss this topic in
the Community Hub on
specialtyfood.com
W
elcome to the winter 2023 issue of
Specialty Food magazine—newly back in
print to coincide with the Winter Fancy
Food Show in Las Vegas!
The publication moves to a two-time schedule
this year, with a print edition available on-site at
each Fancy Food Show, as well as a digital version
online. The issues feature expanded coverage of
Show programming, as you'll find on p. 30. In
addition to an overview of key locations and a
schedule of events, we cover new Show features
as well as Q&As with several of our education
keynotes and presenters.
We'll also highlight the food retail and
foodservice scenes in our Show cities. On p. 16,
discover new openings and venerable specialty
food stores that dot the Vegas landscape, including
a multi-level brewery with views of the strip, a
16-course 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea dining
destination, and renowned cheese shops.
We are pleased to feature this year's honorees
of SFA's Leadership Awards, newly expanded
with categories for Outstanding Buyer, Emerging
Leader, and Sustainability Leadership. This
year's impressive winners run the gamut from a
firefighter whose coffee supports other firefighters
and first responders injured on the job, to a
business owner supporting wildlife preservation
on the African continent, to a buyer who is an
active partner in helping makers build their brands.
The Leadership Award winners will be honored
in a ceremony at the Winter Fancy Food Show on
January 16.
The Fancy Food Shows are sources of
on-trend, innovative products and we cover
on p. 40 the top trends for 2023, as picked by
SFA's Trendspotter Panel of buyers, foodservice
professionals, market researchers, food writers, and
educators. Convenience, sustainability, alternative
seafood, and global condiments are some of the
trends we expect to see on retail shelves and on
menus and the Trendspotters will be using the
Winter Show to determine what products fit these
trends and what new trends emerge.
Beyond this issue of Specialty Food magazine,
you can follow daily Show reporting on news,
trends, and products by reading SFA News Daily,
our daily enewsletter, or downloading the SFA
Feed app.
And, look for our livestream during the
Show on SFA Feed as well as on SFA's YouTube,
LinkedIn, and Facebook platforms. These daily
interviews with buyers and exhibitors and visits
to locations around the Show floor will give you
a taste of what's happening during these packed
days of in-person networking, connection, and
discovery.
Enjoy the Winter Fancy Food Show and all
it offers—we hope the products, education, and
networking set you up for success in the new year.
WINTER 2023 1
editor's letter
SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE—IN PRINT
AND SHOW FOCUSED
Denise Purcell
Editor, SFA Specialty Food
dpurcell@specialtyfood.com
