Fancy Foods & Gluten Free

A month ago I attended the Fancy Foods show in Washington DC.  Going from New York to DC should be a breeze, but sometimes it takes two airports, two different security lines, two different flights, three taxi cabs and six hours to make the journey.  I earned my evening cocktail.

I had already done the prep work and knew which vendors were showcasing gluten-free food and who I wanted to visit.   This type of assignment is right up my alley, walking the show, chatting to people about food and tasting all sorts of incredible products coming to market.

A couple of things I noticed are newsworthy trends!  The first trend is bold flavor and the second trend I am calling “mother’s little helper.”  Both ideas actually work in tandem because global flavors from Mexico to India to Thailand are packaged in a variety of user friendly simmer sauces and spice blends.  This is a huge development for working parents everywhere.

It used to be if you rushed in from work and faced hungry kids, there were always chicken nuggets or hot dogs or mac n’ cheese that you could prepare in fifteen minutes.  But, that quickie dinner is lacking flavor and nutrition and doesn’t teach your child to become an adventurous eater.

With these simmer sauces, one night it’s a tandori chicken meal and the next night it’s a beef in a red curry sauce.   Even the chopping, slicing and dicing of vegetables for the simmer sauce has been replaced by flash frozen prepared vegetable that either require a quick toss in a pan or a steam in the microwave.   All the resident mom or dad chef has to do is sauté some protein and vegetables, open a handy-dandy pouch or jar, and “simmer.”  Side dishes of frozen rice or potatoes are easy to find and take only a few minutes in the oven or microwave. 

Couple that dish with a salad.  These days it is easy to find bags of triple washed lettuce, already clean and chopped up in the bag, just asking for a splash of oil and vinegar.  In an instant, there are two offering of vegetables at one meal that took you a few minutes to prepare.   

It has never been easier to globalize one’s taste buds in thirty minutes or less!

Here is what I liked even more about many of the products I saw at the Fancy Foods show, so many of them were certified gluten free.  Many of them were organic and all natural, but the gluten free aspect of the product was a featured part of the marketing of that product.  It seems to me that if a product is naturally gluten free, or if the creator has specifically sought to make the product gluten free, then certification of that product is natural step.  Gluten free is no longer an afterthought, it is a conscientious business decision. 

Another great advancement for those of us who prepare meals for someone with celiac disease or gluten intolerance!

Kendall Egan