Summer Fancy Food Show 2016 Sets Record
T
he 2016 Summer Fancy Food Show was the largest the Javits Center has
seen since the show was established in 1964. More than 2,670 exhibitors filled
the halls with the latest in specialty foods and beverages from across the U.S.
and 55 other countries. More than 47,000 specialty food professionals were in
the exhibit halls, which spanned the equivalent of six football fields, to taste the
offerings from a variety of domestic and international exhibitors.
Offerings were plentiful from Italy, the largest international exhibitor, and
Tunisia, the official partner country sponsor of the show, which was front and
center with olive oil, harissa, dates, and many more North African delicacies.
Show highlights included the Shelf Showdown, a specialty food pitch com-
petition where four first-time exhibitors presented their products to a panel
of seasoned specialty food buyers. The winner was lawyer-turned-farmer and
meat entrepreneur James Faison of Milton's Local in Hopewell, Va., who took
home a promotional package from the Specialty Food Association for his
Uncured Chipotle and Cilantro Bacon Sausage.
The show's opening night party was dedicated to honoring the 2016 sofi
Award winners; this year the awards boasted a record 3,200 entries, 100 final-
ists, and 28 winners.
The show ended on a philanthropic note: Exhibitors donated more than 100,000 pounds of specialty
food, enough to fill six tractor-trailers, to the Specialty Food Foundation in collaboration with City Harvest,
New York City's pioneering food-rescue organization.
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