Dewey’s Pizza Blog
Fancy Food Show
Authors:
Stephanie McCall (Director of Marketing) & Amanda Moore (Marketing Manager)
We came to track trends and fuel innovation. Instead, we fell in love – with flavor, with people, and with a show that turned into a three-day, full-blown sensory romance.
We did our homework. Attending webinars with “what to expect”, downloading the app, and outlining the training sessions to attend, but nothing could prepare us for the overwhelming size of this show. With sensible shoes and excitement for the flavor journey, we walked straight into the Javits Center early Sunday morning.
While we’ve attended many local food shows, this was our first international show. The Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Show is known for unique flavor profiles from countries around the globe and touts itself as “where business meets innovation.” There were three floors, more than 2,000 vendors, multiple stages for learning, and packed show floors. Even with hungry bellies and three full days, we knew immediately it was impossible to sample it all.
But we jumped right in – straight into the world of cheese. Infused cheeses dominated the show floor. Spicy, floral, herby, and fruity. It was a charcuterie lover’s dream. Godminster Red Chili Devil’s Dance, a British cheese, was one of the standouts. (Also fun, the vendor called toothpicks, “cocktail sticks.”) The award-winning Bellwether Farm’s Ricotta was so creamy it was nearly dessert-like. An American brand that believes “whole is better” and rewards farmers based on the care of the animals living full, healthy lives.
Infusion also worked its way into meats. Pepperoni and salami have been reinvented with unique flavor profiles like lemongrass, mustard, and Mexican mole. Personal favorites included Coro’s Orange Cardamom Salami and Olli’s Habanero Salami. Dewey’s loves a remix, so we had to applaud all the creative flavors.
Speaking of flavor trends, matcha, truffle, dill pickle, and pistachio were plentiful in the aisles. From sunflower seeds to chips to drinks to spreads to cheese, we savored unique flavor mash-ups booth after booth. We’d be remiss to omit the infamous Dubai chocolate trend. A tiny soufflé cup with strawberry, pistachio cream, and whipped cream topped with edible gold flakes. It stopped us in our tracks with this immense flavor in a teeny-tiny cup.
We already anticipated protein as a trend, but you couldn’t get away from protein items in this show. The most unexpected item was protein sprinkles by Sprinkle Bites, founded by two moms who endorsed sprinkles for breakfast but wanted to feed their kids with healthy ingredients. (Yes, it was great. But if you’re a sprinkle traditionalist, don’t expect this to taste like true sprinkles!)
Marketing 101 = get the product in the mouths of consumers. Day two began with Brez handing out full-size NA tonics at the door. A nice touch from the brand, and you could see their logo being held throughout the show floor for a good few hours! Amanda enjoyed the “uplifting” strawberry-mango for mental clarity, and I had “flow” with lemon elderflower vibes to help me feel pleasant and refreshed (you know, go with the flow). The marketing gal knew her stuff when she saw us walking in. Interestingly, the “beverage pavilion” didn’t contain all of the beverages offered. Teas, coffees, NA drinks, boba teas, and cocktail mixers extended throughout the three floors. Large, mainstream brands to small start-ups bustled for attendees to indulge in a sample.
We attended a few learning sessions. Our first session was led by Hungryroot’s founder Ben McKean, who spoke about AI in food delivery services. By using AI to create a truly personalized and tailored experience, customers have adapted to trust the brand with “SmartCart,” where the Hungryroot system automatically adds groceries to your cart that the individual will enjoy. This has taken the brand from sore forearms, when Ben personally spiraled vegetable noodles, to a billion-dollar digital marketplace brand.
Diving into consumer research, we learned during the session Engaging Every Sense that 30% of consumers do not prioritize taste when it comes to food. Smell and sight are highly considered as the main drivers, alongside taste. Hearing was the lowest in priority among the senses. It’s no surprise, as diners are on their phones. By creating an environment rich in all five senses, guests will have a deeper connection and belonging with our brand. Our take is that Dewey’s is winning with our fresh flavor combinations (taste), the smell of freshly baked pizzas or morning prep items (smell), our dough toss window and Insta-worthy pizzas (sight), and curated playlists (sounds). We will consider touch as a brand activation point moving forward.
On our final day, we had an eye out for new cocktail program enhancements. Dried fruit was available, but scarce. A beautifully dried dragonfruit slice was visually appealing and cocktail enhancers for champagne caught our eye with their incredible packaging. The lovely team at Natalie’s Orchid Island & Juice Co. spotted our name tags and jumped into the aisle to stop us. We tried beet juice and, of course, their infamous lemonade varieties. He was no stranger to Dewey’s and genuinely interested in helping us to succeed.
As we made our way through the show floor, we were met with more than a few enthusiastic “DEWEY’S” shout-outs. Vendors from New York and Chicago, reminiscing about their hometown Dewey’s. Others, from places like Cleveland and Kansas City, stopped us to ask, “Are you the same Dewey’s from [insert my hometown here]?” Turns out, we were. Once they realized they were talking to “the Dewey’s marketing team”, the connection felt even more special – a moment of serendipity. Hearing their stories and seeing their affection for our brand was an unexpected, unforgettable highlight of the show.
If you’re interested in attending a future Fancy Food Show (10/10 would recommend), here’s a couple of tips and tricks. First, stop by the product display case and note what you’re most interested in sampling along with the vendor’s booth number. This makes it much easier to locate them on the show floor. With a show this big, you may get lost, but don’t worry…you can eat and drink your way out! Secondly, categorize your sampling i.e. cheeses, meats, snacks, beverages. This makes it easier to compare flavors and textures of similar products. Lastly, dress like it’s Thanksgiving. Ensure there is room to savor every sample.
This romance ends with full bellies and full hearts.
All for now.
-Marketing
