This week, we continue our roundup from the Fancy Food Show. Here are six more of our favorites:
Project 7 – What a concept . . . changing the world through [bottled] water. The leaders of Project 7 donate 50% of their profits to non-profit organizations (which are voted for by the public) impacting seven critical areas of need: Build the Future, Feed the Hungry, Heal the Sick, Help Those in Need, Hope for Peace, House the Homeless, and Save the Earth. So each time you buy a bottle of Project 7 water (or gum or mints or t-shirt), you’re donating directly to an important cause. Feels good.
Bruce Gore Salmon – This fish is the best of the best from beginning to end. It’s troll-caught, which means it’s gentle on the environment, by family-owned and operated boats (Triad Fisheries). It’s processed and flash-frozen at sea within 90 minutes of being caught, which means it’s preserved at peak freshness. It’s shipped by barge instead of plane, which means it has a vastly reduced carbon footprint by the time it gets to you. And each fish is tagged and tracked for traceability to the source. But how does it taste? Sublime. Some of the silkiest, most sumptuous raw fish I have ever tasted.
Sub Rosa Spirits – I’m partial to unique flavor combinations. Blood orange vodka, been there done that. Chile vodka, ho hum. So Sub Rosa’s flavored vodkas—tarragon and saffron—caught my attention. Crafted by one of Oregon’s burgeoning crew of micro-distillers, Sub Rosa vodkas are clean and smooth enough to warrant attention on their own. But the beguiling hint of flavor—floral and minty with the tarragon, warm and seductive with the saffron—leave me wanting more.
479 Popcorn – I saw these guys in a candy shop on Chestnut Street in San Francisco months ago and liked the packaging enough to take a pic with my iPhone (no tasting at the time). So I was glad to see them in person (with samples) at the show and, even better, to find the quality lives up to their look. 479 is organic popcorn popped in small batches and crafted into unique flavors—like black truffle and white cheddar, and fleur de sel caramel—from scratch. A worthy indulgence.
truRoots Sprouted Lentils – Alison and I are always ones to seek out good legumes, but both of us were a bit confounded by the concept of sprouted lentils. They didn’t look like the sprouts I knew. But Esha Ray, one of the founders of truRoots, explained that sprouting a seed creates an enzymatic reaction that makes the nutrients within it even easier for our bodies to absorb. They’re in essence captured and dried somewhere between bean and green . . . and they cook faster too.
Bambu – Bambu is no stranger to NOURISH Evolution. I’ve loved their biodegradable “disposable” line of plates and utensils. Now I’m smitten with their colorful coconut bowls, made from reclaimed coconut husks, and cork cutting boards.