Global Flavors Shine at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show
Assamese tea, Gujrati Rotlas and Mango Kulfi for the World
Photos by Lavina Melwani
For three blissful days you could experience the foods of the world at the 2025 Summer Fancy Food Show which featured over 2,492 exhibitors from 59 countries, embracing the taste buds of the entire globe. While the real world may be squabbling over borders, sovereignty and tariffs, here the countries came together as one. From China to the Soviet Union to America, from India to Pakistan to the Middle East. Smiles and camaraderie were the order of the day as, like good hosts, exhibitors from different countries urged you to sample their native snacks, savories and desserts.
These surroundings showed you what a great place the world can be, with people from all over the world visiting each other, being offered the delicacies of their country, and happily eating the food of so many different nations. Food is certainly soft diplomacy and the purveyors of these goods, while doing it for economic and business reasons, are also ambassadors of a better world. Who can say no to a warm slice of pizza or a golden gulab jamun?
American trends for more heat and spice and global foods were visible in many aisles of the show, as well as the American passion for healthier superfoods and fitness.
Summer Fancy Food Show: From India with Love
One of the Indian-American exhibitors who has already had success with consumers is Chitra Agrawal of Brooklyn Delhi which brings its own versions of Indian spice concoctions and fits them into the American lifestyle.
Asked if the American palate is changing and becoming more friendly to spices and chilies, she said, “I do think so, but the interesting thing is that now eating spice seems to have hot sauce without wincing on shows like Hot Ones. I developed a limited edition ghost pepper hot sauce for Season 20 and it was super exciting to see celebrities like Pedro Pascal, Anna Kendrick, Kieran Culkin try it! The flavor of the hot sauce is based on my Tomato Achaar.”
Asked who were the people who showed interest in her products at the show, she said, “The one thing that surprised me is that not only did we have people that love Indian food come to our booth but also people that were not familiar with the cuisine were like “Wow, I could see this in my fridge.” It made me feel like we are really bridging cultures with our flavors.”
The key, as she pointed out, was to be aware of consumers’ health, taste and time needs. For instance, the Date Tamarind Chutney, which she launched at the show, has 50% less sugar than leading brands. For vegetarians who hanker for the missed flavors of dishes like Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken, there is a heat and eat line featuring plant-based protein, Red Bean Rajma Masala and Black Bean Butter Masala, both ready in 90 seconds!
So, innovation and understanding the consumers’ pain point and needs seemed to be on most exhibitors’ minds as they vied for new clientele. Over three days at the Javits Center, domestic and global food and beverage manufacturers showcased innovative specialty products. “This year’s event showed that the appetite for specialty foods is growing even amid economic uncertainty,” said SFA President Bill Lynch. “We saw notable increases in attendance from retail buyers, investors, foodservice, and press to experience the latest innovations in specialty foods, a market that’s projected to hit $231 billion in 2025.”
Summer Fancy Foods – A Global Marketplace
There were 24 international pavilions, including the largest contingent from Italy. According to SFA, there were nearly 1,000 new products (983), a 90% increase over 2024; 378 first-time exhibitors; and 90 incubator and accelerator brands.
Specialty food sales grew 5-7% annually, projected to reach 26% market share by 2026. Other new trends discussed at the show: Consumers are gravitating towards emerging brands and private labels, which now represent 20% of grocery sales, expected to grow to 30% in five years. International retailers like H Mart and Patel Brothers are gaining popularity. Value consciousness is critical due to food inflation outpacing wage growth, with rising food prices being a top consumer concern.
Specialty Foods – From South Asia
Many exhibitors from the Indian subcontinent were there with the staples of Indian cuisine and introducing many new lentils and pulses to the American marketplace. There were also Indian-origin exhibitors from the US, Canada and London showing many new plant-based products to be introduced into the mainstream supermarkets, and into the nation’s consciousness. Noted names like Deep Foods, Bikaji and Vadilal were there with their snacks, sweets and ice cream. The face of brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan was there on the Bikaji snack packs – loved by South Asians, and now maybe by the world.
India is a provider of many staples and there were several exhibitors from India including Vikas and Anshul Garg who started Anvi Natural Organics two decades ago and now export to 65 countries and is one of the largest exporters of quality basmati rice. I was interested to see the company has also forayed into exporting what are considered superfoods here: flaxseed, quinoa, chia seeds as well as black, brown and red rice.
Another exhibitor from Toronto had brought in something which is not a normal part of Indian cuisine but shows how the Indian diaspora has spread and embraced the ingredients of the world. Truffles and Circumstance is a company which has taken Italian truffles – those elegant so loved gourmet delights and created a whole line of black truffle oils – truffle hot sauces, and ranch sauces. A few squirts can enhance any meal and are the ultimate for truffle lovers. The oil can transform pizza, patties – even Amritsari fish can be given an unexpected punch!
This being the 200th anniversary of tea from Assam there was a lot of promotion in the India Pavilion. I have often felt guilty when I throw away a teabag after using it, thinking of how all the paper packaging and teabags continue to pollute the earth. Here there was an interesting new concept – tealeaves hanging by a string without the bag which can be dipped right into the cup and removed, without adding more trash to the environment. It has been introduced in India and will hopefully be introduced by other tea-producers.
Then there was Cupji, a company introducing beverages which were already in paper cups – and only hot water has to be added – even the stirrer is included. These drinks are ready in seconds, and each box includes cups of karak chai, green tea, cappuccino coffee or hot chocolate. The tea flavors include masala, cardamom and saffron. This seems a great way of doing no work and entertaining friends with everything from masala chai to cappuccino without getting up from your chair. Cupji is the brainchild of brothers Uday and Aakash Sotta and won Best Packaging Design 2025 at Gutfood Innovation in Dubai.
Some of the best vegetarian burgers I’ve eaten were introduced at the show from Canada by an Indo-Canadian exhibitor, Brar’s. The Veggie Burgers BBQ were being grilled on the spot and are a hearty addition to any freezer. They also introduced innovative samosas in many flavors besides the standard peas and potato filling: Cheese Pizza samosas, tandoori paneer samosas and jalapeno and cheese samosas. Brar’s has a line of restaurants in Toronto, which I had visited, before they decided to get into frozen foods, paneer, ghee products and Indian desserts. Should be a welcome addition to New York’s Indian foods!
Summer Fancy Foods – A Trends Report
The American palate is diversifying. They want new flavors. They want international flavors.
According to a report from Specialty foods about trends at the summer fancy foods show, global flavors were big: “Trendspotter Kat Craddock was excited by “so, so many great new South Asian brands!” and expects that consumers
everywhere will continue to gain access to non-native flavors and new-to-them dishes in convenient formats.
Craddock noted “Vermont-made Dosa Kitchen dosa batter, Sun Ghee’s flavored ghee, Arya Roti’s premade roti, Doosra’s snacks, and Satya Desi Pantry.” “Convenient to heat-and-eat or mix and-make formats of authentic global foods will add flavor adventure to consumers’ snacks and meals,” said Trendspotter Kara Nielsen.
“Frozen Japanese ramen and dumplings from around the world; nutritious Indian dosa pancake mixes, and flavor-packed traditional Thai simmer sauces are examples.” Plus, regionality is on the rise. Trendspotter Dr. Beth Forrest
pointed to “not just tapenade, but Santorini and Kykonos tapenade (smaller regional specialties); not just salsa but salsa macha.” This trend is exemplified by Xinca’s pupusas, Sobo Foods plant-based dumplings, pi00a Asian-inspired pizzas, Brooklyn Delhi’s Chickpea Tikka Masala and Yolélé’s Yassa Fonio Pilaf.”
The Changing Indian-American Consumer
Over the years, the Indian-American consumers have also changed, and become curious and enthusiastic buyers of foods from all over the world, due to travel to many countries and adapting to the American life. They are more likely to include salads, pastas and healthy dishes as well as cuisine from Italy to the Far East in their daily menus and also experiment with making hasty tasty dishes which have flavor but are quick to prepare.
On every aisle there were ways to make daily meals easier for working people – From the Greek company Krinos Foods from Astoria, Queens, comes a quick and easy way to put pizza on the table without really making the dough or the sauce. Chef Maria Loi, who appears on National Public Television, showed the snappy way of whipping up pizzas with Greek flatbread and a canned tomato pizza sauce, baked right in the oven in a few minutes and embellished with cheese. I can imagine entire families demolishing these pizzas. Pair them with a salad or add some veggie toppings and you’re good to go.
There were healthy eats to go – packaged olives, dry fruits and nuts which can be a much healthier way to nibble than sugar and butter laden cookies and snacks. The quality was also noteworthy – a company of spice blends, India Tree, which had nothing to do with India but had spices from all over the world – and it was interesting that they had sourced their black pepper from south India – Premium Tellicherry – and it took you back to India with their fresh fragrance and potency.
The huge Italian area was a paradise of all the best of Italian food and their great wines and cheeses. A live demonstration with zucchini noodles and a pesto sauce showed how a meal with almost no cooking could be livened up with the right classic cheese showered liberally on it. This Italian cheese -Grana Padano – is delicious and actually also great for those who are lactose intolerant.
A Family Story of Gujrati Entrepreneurs at the Summer Fancy Food Show
All the exhibitors opened up their home for the world to experience and taste. Shree Patel, the founder of Arya, the Modern Indian Kitchen, was there with his mother and sisters Soma and Pari promoting the foods of their native Gujarat. It was the immigrant dream of one family sharing their Indian rotis with the larger world – Gujarati rotis and rotlas which many children, growing up in America in the 70’s, had been embarrassed to take to school lunch – these were now being shared proudly by the CEO while his sisters served hot rotis to everyone as their beaming mother heated them on a grill. A family effort of all four – and their pride to share their home cuisine with the world. Food is indeed the language which brings friends and strangers together, knitting diverse worlds into one.
For more info – https://www.specialtyfood.com/fancy-food-shows/summer/
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