Last weekend I attended ExpoWest in Anaheim, one of the largest trade shows for natural and organic food and beauty products in the country. Thousands of vendors exhibited their products to more than 60,000 visitors. I left the show late on Saturday afternoon, absolutely stuffed from eating dozens of samples, but excited by the creativity of so many new products and twists on old ones. Here's what I liked and didn't like.
My favorite new company is Greek Gods. They make the thickest, smoothest Greek yogurt I have ever tasted. I loved the honey flavor, but when I went to Ralph's, I was only able to buy the plain yogurt.
Another new company to Southern California is Just Desserts. They have retail stores in San Francisco, but are coming here and will soon be found in Whole Foods and Bristol Farms. Another dessert company, Three Senses Gourmet, is fantastic. They make a frozen chocolate souffle (gluten free) and a frozen chocolate chip brioche pudding that will surprise you. The pudding was so good I went back for seconds.
In the frozen entree sector, there are some wonderful new tastes. Tandoor Chef (Indian entrees found at Whole Foods), Phils Fresh Foods(nine varieties of frozen burritos found at Whole Foods and Sprouts), and Annie Chun (Asian rice and entrees prepared many different ways and found in most supermarkets) are three of my favorites.
The most unusual new product that just loved is Yanni Grilling Cheese. It is a Mediterranean type cheese similar to mozarella but saltier, that is sliced and grilled, then served with pita, cucumbers and tomatoes for a great alternative to a traditional salad...I really loved it, but it is hard to find, and right now only available in speciality markets.
Other products of interest...So many crackers, breads, and chips, but I really recommend Boulder Canyon Natural Foods, for their kettle cooked potato chips (thick, crisp and salty), and rice and adzuki bean dip chips. Quinoa is popping up on many menus these days, and the best I tasted was Eden Organics red quinoa salad. It was delicious, fresh, nutty and a good alternative to rice. I also liked the many new water, tea and juice options that are too numerous to mention and frankly there are so many, I don't know how they will all survive.
What I didn't like were most of the gluten free products. There were pancakes, bread, crackers, pizza, quiche, cookies and cakes, and I can honestly say I wouldn't eat any of them except the chocolate souffle (above). They have not yet been able to reproduce the taste and texture of the original products.
One final note on the show. The most unusual product was from Turkey, called Nival Garlic Shampoo. It is supposed to be good for thinning hair. It presumably stimulates the scalp for fuller growth. My mom said with the smell of the garlic no one will get close enough to you to see if you have thinning hair!
My sister in Pittsburg says her favorite greek yogurt is Fage. I don't know if it's on the west coast or not, but it sounds very much like Greek Gods.
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