The most elaborate stunt: TaDah foods hired an Obama impersonator to give a speech (sans teleprompter, noted) flanked by obviously not actual Secret Service agents.
Might as well write your company name in pig fat, for the memory books.
Dutch cheese, as delivered by a cow.
Chocolate-filled "books" explain how chocolate has fixed your relationships and cured your heartbreaks.
Rick Bayless in the house.
The Korean pavilion had its own pop-up restaurant, Hansik, featuring the delights of Las Vegas chef Akira Back.
The popup "restaurant."
Popcorn is always in season. It is hard to argue with that.
The anti-5-hour-energy drink, spiked with melatonin. "Warning: This product may cause drowsiness."
There's nothing like gourmet garbage.
Pick up the cone! It's for you!
Elvis cocoa and lemonade exists.
Potato chips meet pretzels meet popcorn. GENIUS.
The last Harry Potter movie is coming out and what better way to celebrate than with earwax-flavored jelly beans?
In case you didn't know, you've been enjoying candy bars at partial flavor.
These ladies would not say where they found these glasses. WANT. They are filled with caramel, white chocolate and dark chocolate, by the way.
Extra fancy!
Wine and booze-flavored peanuts were a recurring theme.
Molecular boozing in the form of sea salt foam over margarita spheres.
This world was missing an ouzo-flavored soda.
Patti LaBelle's Lady Marmalade line of barbecue sauces. Sadly, no Patti LaBelle. Or Lady Marmalade.
Soy vay, indeed.
Sexy energy drinks!
A Tur-Duc-Hen, of course.
The Bone Doctors are actual orthopedic surgeons who had these lovely ladies don scrubs to sell their barbecue sauce.
Naked Nuggets sound much more exciting than Simple Sliders.
Show your school spirit with peanuts!
These cookies pair well with wine. But wine is not included.
A mozzarella cheesemaking kit, complete with dairy thermometer.
[Photos: Amy McKeever/Eater.com]
The 2011 Summer Fancy Food Show kicked off yesterday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, which was packed with vendors selling 180,000 trend-setting food products. There was oil galore (coconut oil, rice bran oil, avocado oil, olive oil...), meats, salsas, popcorn, chocolate, and tastings of everything from mezcal to craft beer. Italy put the rest of the countries to shame just in the sheer size of its multi-row pavilion that took up about a quarter of the convention center's lower level. José Andrés, Rick Bayless, and Cat Cora were in the house either stationed at booths or wandering among them.
But that's not all there is to the Fancy Food Show. Most importantly, there are funny signs and publicity stunts! Like, say, a pop-up restaurant, bacon-flavored air, or an Obama impersonator hawking hummus and falafel. We combed the convention center for the 30 most exciting moments in maybe-fancy foods. Onto the gallery!