Fresno Food Expo shows off the Valley’s best food and drink

The Fresno Food Expo’s public event is gaining a reputation as one of the premier food and drink celebrations in the San Joaquin Valley.

And this year’s lineup of food companies is expected not to disappoint. Artisan dark chocolate, creamy sheep’s milk cheese and a crisp pilsner with a subtle cucumber flavor are among the new products being showcased.

The expo, now in its fifth year, is expected to attract more than 700 buyers and about 120 exhibitors for a one-day event on Thursday, July 23, at the Fresno Convention Center’s New Exhibit Hall. During the day, the vendors and buyers gather for a daylong business-to-business event, while the evening belongs to the public.

From 5-8 p.m., ticket holders can nosh on everything from habañero-flavored almonds to mozzarella cheese curds. Along with showing off their products, the vendors are also competing for the coveted People’s Choice Award.

The public event is expected to draw about 1,000 people. Among those planning to attend is Shayna Telesmanic, owner of the local Young Chefs Academy.

“I went for the first time last year and I loved the excitement in the room, it was packed with people,” she says. “It’s an amazing thing for Fresno to have all this buzz about food and beverages.”

Telesmanic will be looking for new ingredients and foods to try in her personal kitchen and with her students.

“Part of the fun of the expo is discovering new foods,” she says.

Expo officials say that out of the 120 exhibitors, 33 are introducing new products. Expo visitors will find several food trends happening at the event, including an increase in dairy products, new spins on packaging and new craft drinks.

Producers Dairy of Fresno, one of the oldest dairy operations in the Valley, is getting into the specialty beverage businesses with their cold-brewed organic French roast coffee. The single-serve plastic bottles have three ingredients: fresh whole milk, cold-brewed French Roast coffee and organic cane sugar. The drink has a robust flavor with just enough sweetness.

Other dairy offerings include a sweet cream butter from Top O’ The Morn Farms in Tulare, cheese curds from The Dairy Goddess in Lemoore, raw shredded cheese from Organic Pastures Dairy near Kerman and sheep’s milk cheese from Vintage Cheese Company in Traver.

The sheep’s milk cheese comes in six styles from a buttery Manchego with a medium-sharp finish to a savory blue cheese with plenty of bold flavor. Ryan Davis, chief executive officer of Vintage Cheese Co., is hopeful to get both consumers and retailers excited about his new cheese offerings.

“We think our cheeses will pair well with so many things from everyday cooking to eating all by itself with wine or beer,” Davis says.

Craft beers are still the rage and several brewing companies will be there with their latest brews. Attending the show will be the House of Pendragon in Clovis, Riley’s Brewing Company in Madera, 559 Local in Clovis and from Fresno, Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Company.

As one of the leaders in the local craft beer trade, Tioga-Sequoia is introducing a pilsner beer with a crisp cucumber flavor. The beer is easy drinking and perfect for the Valley’s summer temperatures.

“We think people are really going to like this one,” says Jacob Moraga, who handles events and promotions for Tioga-Sequoia.

Several exhibitors are expanding the concept of consumer convenience with new single-serving packages. Bussetto Foods of Fresno is putting sliced salami in snack-sized packages while Fresno County’s Baloian Farms — last year’s People’s Choice winner — has combined sweet mini-peppers and ranch dip in a plastic cup container.

Brandt Farms in Reedley is offering the sweet-tasting Thomcord grape — a cross between a Thompson seedless and Concord grape —in a one pound package. Brandt is calling the product Grape Jammers. The Stockton-based Farmington Fresh is selling “BFF’s” or “bites of fresh fruit.” The package contains fresh slices of fruit, including oranges, apples, grapes and pears.

Also expected to attract attention is the hand-crafted, premium dark chocolate from Molucca Chocolate. The chocolate is made from cacao beans from a single origin. The result is chocolate bars with flavor notes of mocha, raspberry and citrus.

Home cooks will appreciate the buttery taste and fruity aroma of Scout, extra virgin olive oil from Clovis and the thick and hearty Hutch’s Gourmet BBQ Sauce. Traina Foods has created the spicy and flavor-packed Sriracha Sun Dried Tomato Ketchup.

Marybeth Brandabur, of Traina Foods, says the spicy ketchup was a natural development of the company’s regular ketchup, a condiment with intense flavor. The sriracha gives the ketchup a spicy finish and can be used as regular ketchup, or as a base for sauces, marinades or in a Bloody Mary.

Brandabur says the fun part of promoting a product like spicy ketchup is that there seems to be no end to ways to use it.

“People use it as a sandwich spread, on tacos, on burgers, sweet potato fries, and it makes a great meat loaf,” Brandabur says.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 6:45 AM with the headline "Fresno Food Expo shows off the Valley’s best food and drink."