The aisles of the 8th Annual New York Restaurant & Foodservice Show were packed with thousands of foodservice industry professionals looking for the newest products and services from 700 exhibiting companies spanning 122,000 square feet of exhibit space. The show floor offered chefs, restaurant owners and operators and others in the industry the opportunity to meet with celebrity cookbook authors, view edible masterpieces, and learn about new recipes from some of New York’s finest chefs. (Editors Note: The final number of attendees will be released by the week of March 11.)
As part of the larger than ever exhibition hall were several special attractions that made the trade show even more exciting. Attendees were able to marvel at the magnificent sculptures that were created by 28 pastry chefs in the 11th annual Patisfrance US Pastry Competition. Peter Rios of the Art Institute of Chicago was crowned the Pastry Chef of the Year. Rios also won the Vatel Club Award a technical prize as well as the Exceptional Taste Award presented by the Culinaire Philanthropique Societe. Regis Courivaud of New York’s La Monde was awarded 2nd place, Jody Klocko of the Short Hills Hilton, NJ won 3rd Place and Pierre Gatel of Payard Patisserie & Bistro in New York received the award for “Most Artistic Plated Dessert”.
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“It was a very strong show this year, with an extraordinary line-up of special events, top-tier attendees and exhibitors,” said Rick Sampson president of the New York State Restaurant Association, sponsors of the event. “We are committed to maintaining the high-level of the show and conference program as we begin planning for next year.”
Another special event that received a lot of attention was the Heineken La Parade Des Chefs, where 10 of New York’s finest chefs created recipes that incorporated one of the Heineken USA beer brands: Heineken, Amstel Light, Murphy’s Irish Stout, Murphy’s Irish Amber, Heineken Dark and Buckler Non-Alcoholic. Editors of industry trade publications awarded the 1st place prize to Franco Brattoli from the Columbia Inn in Montville, NJ for his Flash Dance recipe, which is Heinekin Duck Breast with white and dark chocolate and sweet potato meringue ravioli.
The show floor was jammed with hundreds of companies offering their latest products and services. A few dozen exhibitors participated in the New Product Showcase and a panel of industry journalists judged the products and selected the following three as winners. In the category of Equipment/Services the winner for the best new product was Insulair, Inc. for their insulated paper cups. For the category of Best New Food/Beverage Product the winner was The J.M. Smucker Co., for their Smucker’s Uncrustables, frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. In the category of overall best new product, the award was presented to Nestle Foodservices for their Nescafe Coffee.
The exhibit hall, which was 10% larger than in previous years, was filled with the leading industry players many of which had terrific displays. For the first time, Reed Exhibition Companies, producers of the event presented a series of Best Booth Awards. Ole Ole Food, Inc. received the Best Booth Award in the 100 square foot category with an honorable mention going to Fiji Natural Artesian Water. In the over 100 square foot category first place went to Aromi d’Italia, Inc. while Lawler Foods Inc. received an honorable mention.
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By GlobalDataDuring the event, the restaurant industry reached out to help one of their own, Jean-Louis Palladin, world famous and long-time chef at New York’s Palladin restaurant. Palladin is currently undergoing extensive medical treatments in his battle against cancer. In an effort to help their long-time colleague, the industry hosted a silent auction that ran throughout the three-day event. Attendees bid on such fabulous items as dinner for 10 in their home, catered by Charlie Palmer and Aureole’s catering division; a week of training in Le Bernardin’s Kitchen culminating in a dinner for 4 at week’s end; 4 dinners at Lutece – 5 course tasting menu (including wine) with new chef David Feau. The auction raised $18,555, which will be donated to the Palladin Medical Fund, to help Chef Palladin off set his medical expenses.
The newest event that was added to the show floor was the Mix-It Up – The Ultimate Bartender Challenge, where bartenders from throughout the country showed off their expertise, as they were judged on their technical skill, artistry and creativity. The competition was organized and run by the Bartenders Academy of New York. The Overall Winner of the competition was Rick Barcode of Club Fun in Tampa, Florida; 2nd Place was awarded to Dan Joseph of Bar Gods and Cafe Iguana in Miami, Florida and the 3rd Place Winner was Chris Cardone of The Kings Club in Center Reach, New York.
ABOUT THE NEW YORK RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW
The 9th annual New York Restaurant & Foodservice Show will take place February 24-26, 2002 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The annual trade show and conference is owned and sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association, a non-profit association of more than 7,000 foodservice operators and suppliers working together to promote a better and more responsive foodservice industry. The association maintains offices in Albany, New York City, Long Island and Western New York, and is composed of twelve chapters.
The event is produced and managed by Association Expositions & Services, a division of Reed Exhibition Companies, the world’s leading organizers of trade and public shows with a current portfolio of 450 events servicing 45 industries in 11 key sectors in 26 countries across five continents. Over 100,000 exhibiting companies take advantage of Reed’s marketing opportunities, which attract approximately 8 million buyers globally.
Reed Exhibition Companies is part of Reed Elsevier plc group, a world leading business and information provider. For more information about attending please call 888/334-8705 or 203/840-5604. For the most up-to-date schedule of events, visit the web site at http://www.newyorkrestaurantshow.com.
