by Nina Elder
WHAT’S HAPPENING
- The second-annual UnFancy Food Show — a celebration of handmade, decidedly unfussy food — was held at a dive bar in Brooklyn on June 29, 2008.
- Visitors could sample goods from nearly 20 of the area’s best “unfancy” producers. Treats included country pâté with wild ramps; blackberry ice cream; and direct-trade, stone-ground organic chocolate.
- The inspiration? New York’s Fancy Food Show, held the same day — a trade show that attracts nearly 20,000 food buyers and puts the focus on high-end products.
WHAT THIS MEANS TO BUSINESS
- For foodies in the know, fancy is a four-letter word. Real, authentic, unpretentious food is where it’s at.
- The “local, sustainable, organic” mantra isn’t just for hardcore foodies. More and more consumers want to know where their food comes from (and want to meet the people who make that food).
- Food is no longer mere sustenance. Young, hip, creative people are seeing food as an (edible) art form and a creative outlet (New York Times 3.16.08).
RESOURCES
- Check out a postmortem of the 2008 event (and find a list of vendors) here.
