Yesterday I splurged to partake in the Winter Fancy Food Show, a biannual tradeshow where both established and emerging food brands come together to showcase their products, learn about emerging trends, hear from industry leaders and more.  Twisting and turning my way through the thousands of food creators, showcasing their creativity incarnated through diverse flavors and products, while sipping so many different varietals of matcha, turmeric teas, too many chais, cold brews and probiotic infused beverages to count – I felt hopped up, yes in part hopped up on the insane amount of caffeine I imbibed (it would be rude to turn down someone’s lovingly brewed new cold brew, right!?), but also hopped up on all the creativity, all the languages buzzing as food purveyors came together from all over the world,  and hopped up from knowing that the thousands of people very intentionally gathered in this room shared my love for bringing their creativity to life through food (and many, though certainly not all, more specifically showcased their passion for healthy food).  In the span of five hours of sampling and hearing the creation stories from vendors, a couple favorite products emerged*:

Vegan Products:

• Nutraw Pistachio bars – If you are a pistachio and date lover (two of my personal faves), you will love this bar.  Clean ingredients (and just 5 – nuts, coco oil, date & cardamom). for a nut-based bar, surprisingly low in fat (only 6 grams), and 6 grams of protein.  It’s also gluten free. AND upon talking to the founders, 3rd generation pistachio growers from the SoCal region, they are incredibly nice and committed to sustainable sourcing.

• Cocoburg Chile Lime Coconut Jerky: Yes, I love pretty much EVERYTHING coconut-based and this was no exception.  This coco jerky has a nice sweet/ savory balance with the savory spices balanced nicely by the naturally sweet coconut meat.  All raw vegan, just 5 ingredients (essentially coconut meat and seasoning), gluten free, and pretty addictive :).

*Disclaimer: I don’t get paid in any way to promote any products – these are truly from-the-heart-and-taste-bud reviews for those I believe are creating something great that inspire me to share.