Food show features a world of taste

Lina Barrera, left, and Syndi Guerrero will demonstrate Mexican cuisine.

The Great Taste Food Expo presented by The Andersons and The Blade from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at The Andersons' Maumee store greenhouse promises to bring flavors from around the world.

The free show will feature more than 50 food and wine vendors with product samples. There will be new foods, new products, local and national vendors, as well as classic favorites.

Free seminars and cooking demonstrations will be held every hour on topics ranging from health to cooking to wines. As The Blade's food editor, I am constantly seeing and writing about how food trends affect the shopper, the home cook, and the dining scene, and will discuss them at noon.

Many of those trends will be on display at the Food Expo.

Watch for products with new ingredients, such as Robert Rothschild Farm Bumbleberry Spread with Agave, and Blackberry Spread with Agave. Bumbleberry Spread with Agave which is a combination of blackberry, strawberry, and blueberries and the Blackberry Spread with Agave have very natural flavors. One tablespoon is 30 calories.

Agave syrup, also called agave nectar, is used as an alternative to sugar in cooking. 'Agave has been around for many years,' says Tom Theobold of the Urbana, Ohio-based Rothschild Farm. 'It comes from the cactus plant in Mexico.'

As a natural sweetener, he says it is similar to the maple tree with sap. 'We are using it as a natural sugar,' he says.

Kylene Gehle, sales representative, reports that 1 tablespoon of sugar is 68 on the glycemic index and 1 tablespoon of agave is 15. Foods that are more slowly absorbed have a lower glycemic index, which appeals to those with diabetes.

There are also an increasing number of foods made with acai and pomegrantate on the market, such as Rothschild Cherry Acai Preserves and the Cranberry Pomegranate Preserves. While pomegranate is grown domestically, acai fruit is imported from the Amazon region.

Also new is Rothschild's Dirty Martini Cheese Ball, which Mr. Theobold calls a 'party in a jar. You crack open the lid and serve. You've got cream cheese for the base, olives, salt from the olive juice and a little jalapeno bite at the end.'

Some of the companies represented at the Food Expo are from our region.

Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine is a Toledo company with two plants and 130 different products. 'We are one of the only full lines of Mediterranean foods nationally,' says CEO Mark Bodnar.

The Andersons deli case holds a variety of Oasis products, including three kinds of hummus, stuffed cabbage, vegetarian grape leaves, tabbouleh salad, olive bruschetta, fattoush, and garden lentil salad.

Oasis products are also offered in Mediterranean delis and Whole Foods in Ann Arbor.

'We use natural grains from scratch for our hummus. We are one of the few plants to make our own tahini from sesame seeds, which we roast,' says Mr. Bodnar. The entire line is kosher and are all-natural products without preservatives. The company also pre-packs their foods (sealed at 160 degrees), which allows a longer shelf life.

Marzetti's Guacamole Dip is new to the Toledo market. The Columbus-based company is well-known for its salad dressings and dips. Flatout of Troy, Mich., has a variety of flatbread products.

Other companies featured at the Food Expo are Bel brands, Swissrose, Saputo, and Lactalis cheeses of Wisconsin; Original Cakerie of New York; Fabulous Flat Bread (naan bread); Honeybaked; Roots of Fremont; Velvet of Utica, Ohio, and Sonoma Seafood with frozen seafood.

New to The Andersons bakery is Sauder's Doughbox Bakery of Archbold. 'This is a new program we're launching at the food show,' says Dianne Shomody, retail buyer. This will include four pies and five cookie varieties. Pies can be purchased prebaked or frozen to bake at home. In addition they will sell four frozen cookie doughs.

Look for a wide selection of wines from Heidelberg Distributing and Glazer, the two major wine vendors for The Andersons.

Rosenblum Cellars from Glazer's, with attractively priced wines, will feature cabernet sauvignon, which complements hearty pasta, chicken, and savory beef dishes. Glazer's will also have Bracato Sparkling Wine, an Italian wine that can be served with pastry, dried fruit, and ice cream.

Heidelberg will showcase Louis M. Martini Sonoma Cabernet, which goes well with steak and red-sauced pasta dishes. Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc from California's Central Coast has crisp citrus notes and is great with salads.

The Andersons Maumee location has partnered with community organizations for private-label wines as fund-raisers. At the Food Expo, the new private-label wine to benefit the local affiliate of Susan G. Komen Taste for the Cure fund-raiser will be sold for $9.99.

Four varieties of Healdsburg brand California juice white zinfandel, chardonnay, merlot, and cabernet sauvignon have been bottled with the private label. Once customers complete their purchase, The Andersons contributes the equivalent of $2 per bottle sold to the organization.

'This program gives organizations that are already serving wine at their event a way to generate additional monies for their organization,' says Julie Payeff, The Andersons Community Commitment Specialist. Komen Wine is only available at the Maumee location.

Kathie Smith is The Blade's food editor.

Contact her at: food@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.