With the addition of PMQ’s New York Pizza Show, a Japanese Pavilion and Barista Competition Restaurant Owners Deem the Show a Resounding Success

NORWALK, CT, March 13, 2007 – Over 600 exhibiting companies showcased thousands of new products and services at the 14th Annual International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York.  The Show, which was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center March 4-6, 2007, offered chefs, restaurant owners, operators and others in the industry the opportunity to meet with some of the industry’s leading vendors, view and sample the latest cuisines from Japan, and learn from some of the biggest and best names in the industry.
 
“There was a tremendous buzz on the Show floor that this was one of the best events in years,” said Ron Mathews, Event Director for Reed Exhibitions, producers of the Show.  “We had so many exciting highlights from the Japanese Pavilion, to Danny Meyer’s keynote address, to PMQ’s New York Pizza Show and New York Wine Expo that the thousands of restaurant owners who attended were able to walk away with some terrific new products and ideas to bring back to their businesses.”

One of the highlights was the Japanese Demonstration Theater and Pavilion, organized by The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), where twenty-five food and product vendors showcased historical food preparation techniques and highlighted new trends and innovations. During the three-day event, the aisles of the Japanese Pavilion were packed with attendees experiencing the subtle flavors and texture of Japanese Premium Rice and richly marbled Wagyu as well as samples of artisanal Kelp and White Sesame Oil.  

“The companies that took part in the Japanese Demonstration Theater and Pavilion were thrilled with the restaurant owners and operators they met with during the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York,” said Jessica Parton, Research & Public Affairs for JETRO – New York.   “Vendors new to the U.S. market realized the added value of their products that incorporated the use of organic ingredients and kosher certification, making the Pavilion a productive cross-cultural business learning experience for all involved.”

Also popular was the Nation’s Restaurant News New Product Gallery where over 150 of the newest and most innovative products were introduced into the marketplace.  During the first two days of the Show over two-thousand attendees cast their votes for their favorite new products.   The Best of Show Award was presented to Orchid Island Juice Company for their Orchid Island Fresh Juice; Orchid also won The Best Beverage Award.  The Best Environmental Safety Award was presented to FundaMental Designs for their FIFO, First In, First Out Squeeze Bottle.  The Best Technology Award was presented to Pay @ Table by POSitive Computing Services. The Best Healthy Food Award was presented to Bake n’ Joy for their Whole Wheat Muffins.  The Best Entrée Award was presented to Thyme and Truffles for their Asian Noodle Nest.  The Best Snack Award was presented to Dark Horse Catering for their Crescent Duck Pate. The Best Dessert Award was presented to Junior’s Cheesecake for their Black Forest Cheesecake Layercake. The Best Equipment Award was presented to WingDipper for their Wing Dipper.
 
“What a terrific way to end a phenomenal Show,” said Aaron Foss, Creator of the WingDipper.  “We officially launched our product on Sunday, the opening day of the Show, met with hundreds of potential customers, received really strong sales leads, and ended up receiving a best new product award.  We couldn’t be more excited with the results of this Show.”
 
There were several other exciting special events including the 18th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition which took place during the Show.  First place was presented to Ebow Dadzie from Foulkie Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY; Ebow won $4,000 and a gold medal. Second place was presented to Christophe Mazeaud from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA; Christophe won $2,500 and a silver medal.  Third place was presented to Jemal Edwards from Brulee Restaurant in Atlantic City, NJ; Jemal won $1,000 and a bronze medal.  The Recognition Award was presented to Matthew Ratliff from the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michels, MD; Matthew won $750.
 
Danny Meyer, President of Union Square Hospitality Group, one of the world’s most dynamic restaurant organizations, which includes 11 unique dining establishments, spoke to a standing room only crowd on the 2nd day of the Show. Mr. Meyer spoke about how he helped pioneer an exciting new breed of restaurant, pairing excellent food and wine with warm hospitality and outstanding value.  He then signed copies of his bestselling book Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business.
 
E. Charles “Chuck” Hunt, Executive Vice President of New York City Office for the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) moderated a special session on Going Trans Fat Free.  The opening address was given by Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, Commissioner of NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene followed by an expert panel including Herman McKie, Nutrition Coordinator and Registered Dietician from the New York City Department of Education School Foodservice; Chris Giarraputo, Corporate Executive Chef for B.R. Guest Restaurants; Sheila Cohn Weiss, Director of Nutrition Policy for the National Restaurant Association; David Dzisiak, Global Oil Leader, Dow AgroSciences; and John Jansen, Vice President of Product and Sales Support, Bunge Oils. 
 
Other highlights included The Ultimate Barista Challenge ® USA which was an action packed competition where baristas competed in a dueling stage of identical espresso stations to shake, not stir, their espresso cocktails, prepare beautiful cafe latte art, blend espresso frappe and brew the best coffee.  Ryan Dennhardt (Ultimate Barista) from Barista’s Daily Grind in Kearney, Nebraska was awarded and maintained his title as the Ultimate Barista in the Espresso Cocktails Challenge category.    Greg Suekoff of Caffe Pronto in Annapolis, Maryland defeated Ultimate Barista Ryan Dennhardt in the Latte Art Challenge; and Heather Perry (Ultimate Barista) of Coffee Klatch in San Dimas, California won the Espresso Frappe Challenge and the Best of Brew Challenge.
 
PMQ’s New York Pizza Show featured several international pizza competitions.  First Place in the culinary competition was awarded to Fabian Martin from Spain; 2nd Place was awarded to Robert DeFabio from France and 3rd Place was given to Jason Samosky from the USA.  In the U.S. Pizza Team Trials Casey Cole from Pisanello’s Pizza in Franklin, Ohio won the Freestyle Pizza Throwing; Pat Turano from Angelo’s Italian Kitchen in Fairlawn, NJ won for Largest Dough Stretch; and Casey Hensley from Dominos Pizza in Findlay, Ohio won Fastest Pizza Maker.  The area was jammed packed when Vinny Pastore from The Sopranos visited to launch his new line of meatballs.
 
The New York Wine Expo featured wines from around the world including selections from Italy, Rioja, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Croatia, Hungry, California and New York. This new area on the Show floor, produced by the creators of Boston Wine Expo, was a sneak preview to the 2008 New York Wine Expo, an upscale consumer event that will co-locate with the Show. 
 
At the close of the Show, the exhibitors from the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York donated nearly 30,000 pounds of food to City Harvest, a rescue food agency; the equivalent of 29,000 meals.  
 
About The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of NY:
The 2008 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York will be held Sunday, March 9 – Tuesday, March 11, 2008, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, New York.  The show is produced and managed by Reed Exhibitions, and owned and sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA). Reed Exhibitions produces several other foodservice events including the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo which will be held August 18-20, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the Florida Restaurant Show to be held September 7-9, 2007 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.   For more information on exhibiting or attending future events, call (203) 840-5556 or visit the official Show web-site at www.thefoodshows.com.