The Fabulous Food Show came through Cleveland last weekend and due to a very generous wedding gift the old lady and I were able to attend the Alton Brown demonstration on Sunday. I know that I was able to find very little information online about the show itself, so I thought I would provide a little wrap-up for those that have never attended. Also too I wanted to highlight some of the vendors I felt noteworthy.
We had reserved tickets for the last Alton Brown presentation on Sunday and although that didn’t start until 3:45 we arrived at 11 a.m. to give ourselves plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the show. At that point in time the crowd wasn’t very heavy, but it didn’t prevent a nasty trend from developing. I had expected to be able to bounce from vendor to vendor to enjoy each booth and find out what each had to offer, but that is not what happened. For whatever reason, these long, snake-like lines developed, wrapping themselves along the front of every table. If you weren’t in the line, you weren’t getting to the table. It took a lot of fun out of the show.
Just about every single table was blocked by this impromptu conga line, except those that really weren’t food related or those that weren’t giving samples. Although a good number of tables offered samples, I estimated 80% of those were marinara sauce. Seriously, I’m not a big fan of marinara sauce in the first place, but having to taste 30 different tablespoons of it was a little much. On the other hand, Jessie, my little Italian princess, was in heaven. She thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Before I get into some of my favorite vendors from the show, I’d like to take a minute and talk about Alton Brown’s performance. He was awesome. He demonstrated how to make chocolate taffy, but as those of you who watch Alton know it was more about how the food is made and where the food originated. He was funny and energetic throughout, even though it was his last show of the weekend. He took a number of questions from the audience and graciously answered every one. It was so nice to see that he wasn’t a douche and he was that guy from television. He came across as a real genuine guy and that I was glad to see.
Here are some of my favorite vendors from the event:
Leeners – They offer supplies and kits for making everything known to man. If you are like me and you’re into making food at home, here is just a sample of the kits they offer: beer, wine, root beer, cheese, sausage, jerky, candy, mustard, ice cream, yogurt, vinegar, bread, and pasta. Leeners is from right here in Northeastern Ohio, so be sure to check out their website www.leeners.com
Kitsch’n Glam – I thought this was such a neat idea. Hand made aprons for women and men, that look like clothes from the 50′s. Very cool and very reasonably priced. Jessie actually wanted one, but they were so busy that we didn’t have time to wait. Check out their site at www.kitschnglam.com
Schokinag – Drinking chocolate? Oh, yeah, drinking chocolate. Freaking awesome. www.schokinagna.com
Mackenzie Creamery – Artisan goat cheese from right here in Northeastern Ohio. Amazing stuff. Jean Mackenzie is the owner and can be reached at 330-569-3387.
LaGra’s Pasta Sauce – Jessie remembered this sauce from two years ago when she purchased it at the Women’s Expo. She literally ran to the booth when she saw it. www.lagraspastasauce.com
Mama Jo Homestyle Pies – I got a 6 inch peach pie from these guys on a whim. I am so glad I did. Jessie is lucky I don’t know where Mama Jo lives. www.mamajopies.com
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November 13th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
I was at the food show at the same time you were. The snaking lines were horrible. I couldn’t believe how crowded it eventually got. We were supposed to see Giada, but by the time we got to the line, there were more people then could be accepted. I did get to see Jason Roberts, whose show was almost empty. The show was fun to watch. There were some great booths, but again, the crowds took some of the joy away. Overall, good show this year.
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November 13th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
We went to the food show 3 years ago, the last time Alton Brown was there. We had the same experience with the never ending conga line. We actually did not go this time because of the over crowded experience we had last time (and it was kind of expensive). I am glad to hear that the Alton show was good. One of the things that impressed me most about him was that he just seemed like an ordinary kinda cool, kinda geeky kind of guy. Rachael Ray on the other hand did not make such a great impression.
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November 14th, 2007 at 11:53 am
I’ve heard about the lines/crowds there too and it has completely kept me away.
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