THOUSANDS OF INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS PACK THE AISLES OF
THE 15TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW OF NEW YORK

Attendance was up 14%; Over Two-Thousand Restaurateurs and Caterers Attend the Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum to Hear from Industry Leaders

Over 18,000 qualified buyers including chefs, restaurant owners, operators, caterers and others in the industry walked the aisles and attended the conference sessions at the 15th Annual International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York which was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center March 9-11, 2008. Preliminary reports indicate that attendance to the Show was up 14% over previous years and the attendance to the conference sessions was up an astonishing 300%. The industry professionals who attended, had the opportunity to hear from some of the biggest and best names in the industry; meet with 650 exhibiting companies who were showcasing thousands of new products and services; as well as view and sample the latest cuisines and newest equipment products. The event is owned and sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association.

“Education was a focus for us this year and we are thrilled that over 2,000 people benefited from attending the Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum and were able to learn from such industry leaders such as Danny Meyer, Jasper White, Drew Nieporent and Thomas Keller. With the new Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum, which included more peer-driven discussions about the latest and most relevant topics, as well as the new Catering Symposium, there was a 300% growth in professionals attending conference sessions,” said Ron Mathews, Industry Vice President for Reed Exhibitions, producers of the Show. “Attendees were thrilled to have a full experience of hearing new ideas during dozens of conference sessions, seeing new products, and meeting with established and new brands on the show floor. Overall there was a tremendous buzz throughout the three-day event both on the show floor and in the meeting rooms.”

It was standing room only during the opening day keynote address and cooking demonstration by Thomas Keller, Chef and Owner of The French Laundry. It was another packed room at the Successful Restaurateur Breakfast Panel that was moderated by Michael Batterberry, editor in chief of Food Arts Magazine. The panel featured Danny Meyer, President of Union Square Hospitality Group, one of the world's most dynamic restaurant organizations; Drew Nieporent, owner of Myriad Restaurant Group including Nobu and Tribecca Grill; and Jasper White, owner of New England’s Summer Shack Restaurant.

The Show floor was hopping with many new products and new exhibitors. A popular spot on the Show floor was the Innovative New Product Gallery where two dozen of the newest and most innovative products were introduced into the marketplace. During the first two days of the Show over 3,000 attendees cast their votes for their favorite new products. On Monday afternoon, The Best of Show Award was presented to the Brooklyn Bagel Slicer. The First Runner Up was Alili; and the Second Runner Up was Slip Klip.

“What a terrific way to end a phenomenal Show,” said Michael D. Moss, Owner of Brooklyn Bagel Slicer with his father Dr. Dennis Moss. “We showcased our product and 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.”

Many exhibitors agreed that the event was a success. "This has been a wonderful show,” said Robyn Batz of Dairyland. “Our company got nearly 1000 leads and we are already looking forward to next year!”

“The quality of buyers this year was obvious, there was a higher level of real interest in our product,” said Anthony Morello, Vice President of T&L Creative Salads.

There were several exciting special events that took place, including:

· The judges of The 19th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition awarded First place to Wing Cheung from the Grand Hyatt in New York City who won $4,000 and a gold medal for his Under The Sea themed sculpture. Second place was presented to Anthony Smith from The Cosmopolitan Club in New York City who won $2,500 and a silver medal. Third place was presented to Salvatore Settepani from Pasticceria Bruno in Staten Island, New York who won $1,000 and a bronze medal.

· During the three-day event, the aisles of The Japanese Demonstration Theater and Pavilion, organized by The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), were packed with attendees experiencing the subtle flavors and texture of Japanese products. Attendees had the chance to meet with twenty-five food and product vendors who showcased food preparation techniques and highlighted new trends and innovations.

· The Ultimate Barista Challenge® USA 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. Winners included Mike Love of Coffee Labs Roasters in Tarrytown, NY who was named the Latte Art Champion. Greg Suekoff from Coffee Pronto in Annapolis, MD was name the Espresso Cocktail Champion. And the UBC Ultimate Barista Ryan Dennhardt was named the champion of the Espresso Frappe and the Best of Brew Challenges.

· PMQ’s New York Pizza Show featured several international pizza competitions. The highest international prize for pizza was awarded to Jarmo Valtari of Koti Pizza in Vaasa, Finland. In the U.S. Pizza Team Trials Casey Cole from Pisanello’s Pizza in Franklin, Ohio won the final spot on the US Pizza Team and they will be heading to the World Championships in France on March 26th. The individual acrobatics competition was won by Juan Hermosillio from Pizza Pizza in Toronto, Canada. Several members of the US Pizza Team became celebrities as they were featured on Good Morning America and on Live with Regis and Kelly.

· The New York Wine Expo was co-located with the event for the first time and offered wine connoisseurs and the trade an upscale event that featured over 160 winemakers. The Expo was open on Friday and Saturday to thousands of consumers and on Sunday to the trade. “This was a great feature that the restaurateurs and foodservice professionals really enjoyed, and we look forward to expanding upon this success at next year’s event,” added Mathews.

· At the close of the Show, the exhibitors donated ten thousand pounds of food to City Harvest, a rescue food agency in New York City. In addition to the food, the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York will make a financial contribution to City Harvest from funds that were raised during an online auction that was held prior to the Show, and a subsequent silent auction that was held on-site. Nine well know chefs prepared exquisite culinary dishes that were photographed by Diana DeLucia and were showcased as part of the Photographs for Philanthropy Art Auction. Hundreds of dollars were bid on each of the nine photos from such well known chefs as Daniel Boulud of DANIEL’s, Tom Colicchio from ‘wichcraft; Eric Ripert from Le Bernadin; Jean-Georges Vongerichten from Jean Georges and others.

About The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York:

The 2009 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York will be held Sunday, March 1 – Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in 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 23-25, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show to be held September 5-7, 2008 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. For more information on exhibiting or attending future events, call (888) 334-8705 or visit the official Show web-site at www.thefoodshows.com.

CDTV.net visited the following booths:

* Coastal Seafood Inc. 203-431-0453
Maryland Style Crab Cakes

* Tumaro's Gourmet Tortillas www.tumaros.com
Healthy Flour Tortillas

* Cuisine Solutions www.CuisineSolutions.com
Deserts

* Aquastar www.aquastar.com
Freshwater Shrimps

* Dreyers 800-531-CONE
Eskimo Pie Soft Serve Yougurt

* Buckhead Beef www.BuckheadBeef.com
Beef

* Insignia www.InsigniaSoups.com
Soups