In addition to eating lots of cheese and spotting a number of trends at Fancy Foods, we also had plenty of other intriguing encounters. Here, a few high (and low) points, from questionable creations to culinary celebrities.
Cheese Spreads: Love Them or Hate Them?
Cheese spreads were all the rage at this week's Fancy Foods. I asked Michel Bray, who works with Cabot Cheese, what types of people buy spreadable products. That's when I came across the second interesting cheese fact from the show: people who purchase cheese spreads also enjoy eating traditional cheese — but those who primarily purchase traditional cheese eschew "cheese products." Which camp are you in?
Trendspotting: Low-Calorie Cocktail Mixers

Maybe The Cheesecake Factory was on to something with its new skinny cocktail program. At this year's Winter Fancy Foods Show, it was all about the health-oriented cocktail.
At food expos, cocktail mixers are nothing new, but at this week's show, it seemed like there were few liquid mixers that wasn't a fruit puree touting therapeutic benefits, fewer calories, sugar-free substances, Stevia sweetener, or a low glycemic index.
While the idea's great in theory, too many of these faddy food products were also skinny on taste. What do you think of low-calorie cocktail mixers?
10 Fads From the Winter Fancy Foods Show
We're always on the lookout for upcoming trends, and there's no better place to spot them than at the Fancy Foods show, where thousands of exhibitors display the latest and greatest edibles they've developed for the mass market. There was some trends you could probably guess were huge — everything was gluten-free! — but here are a few that you probably didn't.
Top Food Trends From the Winter Fancy Foods Show
The Winter Fancy Foods Show, which takes place every January, is always fun to visit after making the year's predictions for foods that'll go mainstream. While both PartySugar and yours truly tasted some stellar new selections, we also got to size up the patterns that will soon hit the food and beverage market. Here are the products that we're betting we'll see more of on supermarket shelves.
YumSugar's Best Bites From Fancy Foods
When PartySugar revealed her top tastes from last week's Winter Fancy Foods Show, I found myself savoring the delectable products all over again. That's when I knew I had to share my top picks from the show with you, too. Here are 10 things to look for soon on shelves.
Would You Eat This Sticky Toffee Cheese?
Each year, the Fancy Foods Show — which showcases all the newest, latest food products on the market — promises to be a roller coaster ride on the stomach. I was beginning to think 2010 was tame in comparison to previous years — until I found an assortment of cheeses from the UK that came in flavors such as apple pie and sticky toffee. As someone who's usually underwhelmed by cheesecake, the idea of sweet cheese doesn't really appeal to me. I tried some, and promptly regretted it. Would you go for it?
Top Tastes From the Winter Fancy Foods Show
The Winter Fancy Foods Show, an annual expo of foods and trends that takes place each January at San Francisco's Moscone Center, happened over the weekend. On Tuesday, YumSugar and I ate our way through the aisles of cheese, chocolate, and every edible item imaginable. Here are my top bites.


