Highlights of the 2006 New York Fancy Food Show

Pantry Items

A fun change of pace for salads is Annie's Naturals Woodstock dressing, which combines tahini, tomatoes and nutritional yeast - shades of the 70s! (And without the fashions.) Other distinctive newcomers are O Olive Oil's white wine vinegar and clementine olive oil; which takes its rind-y flavor not by infusion, but by whole fruit that is pressed along with the olives.

For exquisite alternatives to grape jelly, strawberry preserves and other common fruit flavors, explore the Armenian grown-and-made preserves from Harvest Song. The company's tagline is "Sun, Seed & Soil," but I wouldn't overlook the influences of the stars, which have been smiling mightily on this barely 18-month-old company. Even though production started only this year, its pectin-free preserves have already landed space at Zabar's and prestigious hotels, and its Apricot Preserves took first place in the Outstanding Jam/Preserve Category at the show. Each taste at this booth was an indulgence, which made it one of the hardest to leave. The ones that stand out in memory are a chunky Apricot and White Cherry and enchanting Tea-Rose Petal Preserves, which use about 300 tea roses per 18.9 oz. jar.

Nirmala's Kitchen is expanding from exotic spices to ethnic convenience foods. Look starting this fall for tahini in a squeeze bottle, curry sauces containing first press organic coconut milk from Thailand (and pressed by kitchen head Nirmala Narine), and a bread mix that can be used for many, many non-Western varieties, among them chapatti, puri, and paratha.