10 Winter Fancy Food Show Favorite Finds 2020
New foods you NEED to know about + my stuff almost stolen on camera? Yup -- it was a blast!
I’m home from an incredible couple of days in San Francisco at the Winter Fancy Food Show. It’s like a mini version of Expo West and Expo East, but also very different, as there are basically stacks of cheese wheels that go all the way to the ceiling, 40 million kinds of prosciutto and chocolate in all shapes and sizes. It’s very much like the gourmet section of a fancy grocery store with a hint of “things Krysten would never / could never touch with a 10 foot pole” kinda thing (think bad-for-you candy filled with chemicals and food dye) and a good amount of amazing brands that I already know and love PLUS some new things that I can’t wait to share with you. I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!
This year I brought home a very special souvenir… a cold! Can we just remind people to use the tongs, not touch allllll the samples and wash your hands? Cool, thanks!
Something I must tell any brands reading this… if you have the ability to tweet out before the show, send emails or DMs prior to the show to let us bloggers, influencers and “press” know that you’ll be there, please do! I feel like I missed some smaller brands and brands in general with new products and would have loved to meet you. Like Steven Tyler sings, “I don’t wanna miss a thannnnng!”
Honestly, I normally don’t have a favorite find out of my Top 10, and if I do I never tell you which one is my favorite because they are all worthy of this list and products you need to know about, BUT I must start this list with my number 1 favorite find from the show… and the rest are in no particular order & also tied for second place. That’s how mind blowing, amazingly, fantastic, innovative and exciting the first favorite is.
1) OatZarella
Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, organic, plant based, soy free
This VEGAN and ORGANIC “mozzarella” is made from oat milk and it’s 100% incredible. I have to say this is my favorite find, not only because it so innovative and amazing, but for the fact that it’s organic and only 6 ingredients makes it above and beyond, too! I can’t even begin to tell you how many samples we ate at their booth, because it was too many to count. They served it with fresh basil, cherry tomato, a drizzle of their very tasty olive oil (Ancient Foods) and some crunchy sea salt. Wow! It comes in two flavors: plain and Italian herb.
You can order it online at Oatzarella.com
2) The Good Chocolate Dark Chocolate Vegan Milk Crunchy
Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, Keto, nut free, low carb, soy free, low glycemic
I found out about this amazing chocolate from my friend GigiEats. She made a bar with The Good Chocolate Co in a perfect collaboration (you can learn more about the deets on that here), which also celebrates her cookbook She Does Keto. This chocolate is so chocolatey but also has great crunch from magic, AKA crystal crunchies, and tastes like it would be a milk chocolate, but is also nut free and dairy free, too. I knew I would like it before I tried it because I trust Gigi’s tastes buds (homegirl loves her salmon, too!) and also she had so many people try it on her instagram stories, and everyone loved it. I had to try it for myself and, sure enough, BAM — it’s delicious! They also have many other flavors (one of which is not vegan), and they are all very tasty and a great keto friendly option, too.
You can order it online at TheGoodChocoalte.com
Check out my interview with cofounder, Ben & watch as someone try to steal my bags on camera and let's also talk about SALMON CHOCOLATE!
3) Zego Foods - Rice Cereal
organic, gluten free, Top 12 Allergen Friendly, vegan, soy free, cane sugar free
I love this brand and love what they are doing with transparency in being 100% open and accountable with their QR codes on the back of each product, which shows the testing of all kinds of heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, glyphosate and allergens. Zego makes allergen friendly fruit and seed bars, muesli, oats, protein powder and now they are rolling out this new cereal, which happens to be the cleanest cereal on the market. It’s like your traditional “crispy cereal” only organic, gluten free, vegan and has a whole bunch of other certifications, too. Something that you need to know for transparency which they are open and honest about: their cereal is made in a facility that also processes wheat, however, not on the same day and sometimes not even in the same week. The founder, Colleen, has celiac and she has been eating this cereal every single day for the past month or two and hasn’t had a problem. They are testing each batch which has a 5ppm (which is very low). I tasted it at the show and also had a bowl of cereal at home and yup — it’s delicious! But I also love that it’s the purest possibly cereal you could eat.
You can learn more about ZegoFoods at ZegoFoods.com and follow their social media to stay up to date on this launch.
4) Roam Free Bison Bites
Whole30, Keto, gluten free, sugar free, soy free, nitrate free, grass fed
I am very picky with “jerky” things, and I’m always on the lookout for any that don’t have sugar. Most of the time I feel that because there is no sugar brands will compensate and make it spicy. Side note: Krysten is a weenie and doesn’t like spicy (yes — I totally just referred to myself in the 3rd person). Anyway, not only is this packaging super cute, but the flavors are awesome (Jeff can attest to the spicy one being great, too… and don’t forget, he is the Official Taste Tester!). These bites are so good, and I love the ingredient list as it is super minimal, basic and I just kept wanting to eat more and more bites of bison.
You can order it online at GoRoamFree.com
5) Laird Superfood Liquid Creamer
Gluten free, vegan, dairy free, nonGMO, paleo, soy free
I found this awesome brand at Expo East when I tasted their Pumpkin Spice creamer and, as a non-pumpkin loving person, I loved it! At Fancy Food this year they launched a brand new plant based liquid creamers which have organic powerful functional mushrooms: Chaga, Cordyceps and Lions Mane! This new ready-made-creamer will come in 3 flavors: Unsweetened, Original and Vanilla. They are all very tasty, and I think will be a big hit! Big thanks to Laird for keeping ups caffeinated at the food show with cups of coffee and creamer!
You can order it online at LairdSuperfood.com
6) Miyoko’s Garlic & Parm Cultured Vegan Butter made with Oat Milk
Gluten Free, vegan, nut free, organic
Oh boy! If you like garlic, then this is the butter for you. It’s phenomenal, and I can’t even wait to use it on pretty much everything! This new Oat Milk Butter will also be available in a classic European butter as well. I can’t get enough of that garlic! Follow along their social media and website to see more about when this will launch.
You can order it online at Miyokos.com
7) Kween Vanilla Granola Butter
organic, gluten free, vegan, top 14 allergen free
Yassss Kweeeeen! I have already been a fan of Kween + Co for over a year now, and I truly love this product. Their granola butter is just so perfect drizzled or spread on so many things… or just by the spoonful. This brand new flavor is fit for royalty (as are all their products), but this flavor might be my absolute favorite of all. I love that it’s safe for schools, as it’s nut free AND it’s super low in sugar at only 3g. If you live near a Pressed Juicery, you can get the original flavor drizzled on a Freeze!
You can learn more at Kween.co
8) Numi Organic Drinking Chocolate + Kick of Mocha
Organic, paleo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free
I am such a fan of Numi already, and their brand new Drinking Chocolates are a hit. They come in 4 flavors: Kick of Mocha, Dash of Salt, Shroom Powder and Touch of Chili. I tried them all, and they are all fantastic with great ingredients and to make, you just add water! I am not one to go for anything spicy but the Touch of Chili wasn’t too spicy for me and it was actually quite good! I love this brand and all that they create!
You can learn more at NumiTea.com
9) Just Date Syrup & Just Pomegranate Syrup
Organic, vegan, dairy free, cane sugar free, paleo, gluten free, low glycemic
I found this thanks to Rancho Meloduco Dates! They did a collaboration cookbook called The California Date Cookbook and it’s gorgeous! I visited their booth at the show and fell in love with their syrups! I love that the ingredients are just dates and just dates and pomegranate. I personally don’t eat cane sugar, so I love dates, maple and honey or coconut sugar as an alternative. I am so excited to find this incredible date syrup to drizzle on sweet potato toast, use in salad dressings or on salads, or basically anything.
You can learn more at JustDateSyrup.com
10) 88 Acres Seed Protein Bars
Nut free, vegan, nonGMO, gluten free, kosher
I love that this is another safe bar for kids to bring to school or adults to bring to work because it’s nut free — made with seeds. Their products are also made in a dedicated bakery that is free of peanuts, tree nuts, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy and sesame, too. The new flavors: Dark Chocolate Brownie and Banana Bread and they are epic! I love seeing this brand at trade shows and seeing their delicious line expanding.
You can learn more at 88acres.com
