Ten Favorite Northern California Brands at the 2016 Winter Fancy Food Show

My first weekend back in the Bay Area also happened to be one of the best weekends of the year – when the Fancy Food Show is in San Francisco.  It’s a magical food industry event where companies, importers, tourism agencies, buyers, members of the media, and just PEOPLE from all over the world come together.  Vendors debut new products and look for distribution channels, buyers shop for new items to sell in their stores, writers look for the biggest upcoming trends, and everyone eats. And eats. And eats.  You name it, you can sample it there.  Cheese, salumi, ice cream, cocktails, spices, vanilla, ramen, popcorn, and much, much more.  I tried quite a few new things, like olive oil “butter,” finger lime fruit, macadamia nut milk, and bone broth from a Keurig.  It was three days in paradise.

We wanted to share some of the brands and products that we got really excited about, but there were too many for only one post!  So this post will focus on local (to us) businesses in Northern California, and you can look for another post soon with brands from all over the country (and Canada!). Let us know if you’ve tried any of these products or if you’re loyal to any of the brands.  We’d love to hear it!

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
We love the bean to bar chocolate movement, and the way that companies are treating chocolate more like coffee.  Single origin chocolate bars are eye-opening, and Dick Taylor is one of the major players in this industry.  They are unconditionally devoted to using traditional techniques, regardless of the time involved.  As former carpenters, Dustin Taylor and Adam Dick carry over that same attention to detail, appreciation of the tactile, and patience into the art of making chocolate.  From using a vintage letterpress machine to manually printing all of their labels to the mold designed by a family member, they don’t cut a single corner.  The result is not just a chocolate bar, it’s a chocolate experience.  Order through their website or at specialty grocers all across the US (and Japan!  They have a remarkably large presence in Japan).

Bolani – East and West Gourmet Afghan Foods
We’ve been fans of Bolani’s Middle Eastern stuffed flatbreads and sauces for years, but we’re including them in the roundup because of a new line of iced teas that they debuted at the Fancy Food Show. It’s nearly impossible to find iced tea without ascorbic or citric acid in it, but their new line is preservative-free and organic.  These are huge selling points for us, but the real reason we included them on our list is because they’re DELICIOUS. My personal favorite is the Energizing Black Tea, with a touch of cane sugar and just a hint of cardamom.  We’ve since stocked up on their Soothing Mint Green Tea, which has only 4 ingredients on the label: green tea, cane sugar, fresh mint and cardamom.  They have 4 varieties, and we can’t wait until they’re available everywhere! You can find them in a lot of local farmer’s markets, Whole Foods and sometimes at Costco.

Calivirgin
Owned by a family with a long history of farming, Calivirgin is a true vertically integrated olive oil company.  They planted the olive trees, harvest them, press the oil, and bottle it in house.  And you can taste the difference in the freshness of the oil.  In addition to beautiful extra virgin olive oil, they also offer flavored oils and balsamic vinegars.  Our favorites are the White Truffle Olive Oil (much more affordable than traditional truffle oil!) and the Rustic Rosemary Olive Oil.  You can order products directly from their website, and you can find them at Williams-Sonoma.

LAFAZA
We were first drawn to the LAFAZA booth at the Fancy Food Show because of their beautiful, eye-catching packaging and branding. Once we learned more about their story and found out that they are based out of Oakland, CA, we fell in love.  The founders were Peace Corps volunteers who spent time in Madagascar.  They saw how damaging the vanilla trade was to the environment and people of Madagascar, and decided to do something about it.  They use sustainable farming and production practices and fair trade to benefit the local communities.  This ensures vanilla of the highest quality that you can feel good about buying.  You can buy LAFAZA from their website or at gourmet grocery stores around the country.

Formosa Hot Sauce
Formosa hot sauces have some fantastic characteristics that tend to be hard to find in a hot sauce.  They’re spicy, but not just for the sake of being spicy; they have tons flavor beyond the initial hit of spice.  Although they’re vegan, gluten-free and all-natural, they somehow have a magically creamy texture.  In addition, they’re made using traditional techniques and recipes passed down through generations.  My personal favorite is the Chipotle flavor, but it’s no secret that I have a mini obsession with the smoky spice from chipotles.  You can request samples from their website and order online, or you can find their products in specialty grocery stores around the country.  

Naia
Naia is another one of those brands that we’ve been fans of for years.  When I lived in North Beach (the Little Italy neighborhood of San Francisco), no date night was complete and no out-of-town guests could leave until we visited Gelateria Naia.  But the reason we’re talking about them in this post is not because of their amazing gelato – it’s for a product that they debuted at the Fancy Food Show that hasn’t even hit the market yet.  I’m so stinking excited that I couldn’t wait to tell you guys about it.  It’s called “Home Cranked Ice Cream Base,” and it’s a neutral, organic ice cream base made for home ice cream machines.  You can add your own flavors and ingredients to make it your own, but the work of making the base itself is already done for you.  The base is made from only organic cream, milk, sugar and egg yolks.  The dairy comes from the amazing Humboldt Creamery in California.  I truly can’t wait for this item to hit shelves.

Sonoma Syrup Co.
Sonoma Syrup Co. makes small batch, handcrafted syrups from organic ingredients.  They produce high-quality syrups, bar mixers and extracts in a range of creative flavors that are perfect for cocktails, sodas, coffee and tea, desserts, and more.  We both fell in love with their Lavender Simple Syrup and Meyer Lemon Simple Syrup.  Their Five Citrus Sweet & Sour bar mixer inspired all kinds of cocktail ideas, too!  Find them online or in specialty stores like BevMo and Sur La Table.

Pollen Ranch
Have you ever cooked with fennel pollen?  It’s a magical secret ingredient that we love to use on meats, fish and vegetables. Pollen Ranch made their name with this beautiful spice, but they carry a range of really inventive, unique ingredients.  Dill pollen, kaffir lime leaf powder, lavender fennel sea salt, and honey vinegar are some of our other favorites.  You can purchase Pollen Ranch products online or find some of their items at specialty food retailers.

Napa Valley Heirloom
We tried an amazing lower-sodium Bloody Mary mix made from Napa Valley heirloom tomatoes that was so flavorful and packed full of tomatoes that we didn’t even miss the vodka.  It hasn’t hit the market yet, but you’ll be able to find it via Wine Country Kitchens and other specialty grocery stores.

Wooden Table Baking Company
We both have a soft spot for anything with dulce de leche, and I almost died when Carla first introduced me to alfajores years ago at the San Francisco Ferry Building (shortbread sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche).  I haven’t turned a single one down since then.  The owner of Wooden Table Baking Company, Andreas, is an Argentinian woman who missed the food from her country when she moved to San Francisco. She started cooking and baking her comfort foods, and it’s led to somewhat of a local cult following in the Bay Area.  Her alfajores have softer cookies than most of the ones I’ve had before, which I really enjoy.  She also experiments with different twists, producing flavors like Snickerdoodle, Chipotle & Chocolate, and Meringue. I’m a traditionalist, but they’re all delicious.  You can buy Wooden Table Baking Company items online or all over the West Coast.