Whom You Know: DAYLIGHT: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW DRAWS RECORD NUMBER OF ATTENDEES IN MANHATTAN

Monday, March 11, 2013

DAYLIGHT: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW DRAWS RECORD NUMBER OF ATTENDEES IN MANHATTAN

The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York drew over 16,000 restaurant and foodservice industry professionals, one of the biggest audiences in recent years. Thousands of buyers from high end restaurants, multi-unit operators and foodservice establishments from throughout New York State networked and conducted business during the three-day trade show and conference which was held March 3-5, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The yearly event is sponsored and owned by the New York State Restaurant Association.

"We had several new and improved feature areas on the show floor including the Food Trends Experience, the Pride of New York Marketplace, the Student Pastry Competition, several reality television chef demonstrations and the Farm to City Expo," said Ron Mathews, Industry Vice President for Reed Exhibitions' Foodservice Events. "Bringing these events together with 500+ exhibiting companies brought in a record number of industry professionals who are interested in learning about new foods and new products which will help their restaurants."

Highlights of the event, included:
The Winners of the People's Choice Awards for the Innovative New Product Gallery were announced after thousands of attendees voted for their favorite products. The first place winner is GreenDustries Packaging for their Pleat Pack, Smart Sandwich Packaging. The 2nd place winner was Green Light Energy Conservation LLC for their LED Light Bulbs; and the 3rd place winner was Dr. Smoothie for their 100% Crushed Veggie Smoothies. Todd Basline, with Standard Burgers from Staten Island, NY, won a $250 shopping spree.

Noteworthy chefs from television programs including Hell's Kitchen, Chopped and MasterChef provided interactive, educational and entertaining presentations in theCulinary Demonstration Theater . Star chefs included Kevin Cottle and Van Hurd from Hell's Kitchen Season 6; Barbie Marshall and Danielle Rimmer from Hell's Kitchen Season 10 and AJ and Anna Rossi from MasterChef as well as Certified Master Chef Fritz Sonnenschmidt all had standing room only audience to taste their innovative dishes.
The 2013 Japan Pavilion featured dozens of companies offering the unique flavors and exciting new innovations of Japan. The Pavilion also showcased culinary demonstrations from the versatility of basic Japanese foods including recipes with Wagyu, Nigiri Sushi, Umami, Soba, Maki Sushi as well as Sake Pairings.

The Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum attracted over 2,000 attendees to the variousconference sessions. The most popular sessions were the Multi-Unit Operators Keynote Session "Execution 2013: 5 Ways to Get More Things Done Right" by Jim Sullivan; Boosting Profits with Vegan Offerings; Social Media Panel with speakers from Yelp, Open Table, and Living Social moderated by FishBowl and others.
The 2013 Pride of New York Farm to City Expo, Growing the Local Economy: Trends, Infrastructure and Purchasing attracted over 200 attendees to hear from speakers who announced that Governor Cuomo has approved $6.4 million in funding to help farmers reduce energy costs, protect the environment and remain economically viable. On the show floor, over 30+ local, New York food and beverage companies showcased locally grown products from farmers and food processors in the Pride of New York Market Place.

During The Ultimate Barista Challenge™ Ultimate Barista James Duncan from Pittsburgh, PA was named Best of Brew Champion; Shannon Dan from Fonte Roasters in New York City was named Latte Art Champion and Ultimate Barista Mike Richardson from Newport Beach, CA was named Espresso Frappe Champion.

Paris Gourmet named Ben Shelton from PreGel America in Concord, NC as the US Pastry Chef of the Year and presented him with a $4,000 grand prize for his chocolate portrayal of "Women" which was the theme of this year's competition. Sandro Micheli from Restaurant Daniel in New York City placed 2nd; Maura Metheny from Norman Love Confections in Fort Myers, FL came in 3rd place andSalvatore Settepani from Pasticceria Bruno Bakery & Restaurant in Staten Island, NY won an honorable mention during the 24th Annual U.S. Pastry Competition.Kristen Bataglia from New York City Tech in Brooklyn, NY won the first annual Junior Pastry Competition.

One of the hottest NEW areas on the show floor was the Food Trends Experience where 115 new companies provided samples of the fabulous new foods that will inspire new fresh menu ideas for thousands of New York City Restaurants. Some of the more noteworthy products were The Original Jersey Italian Gravy; Jake's Grillin Old Fashion Coffee Rubs; Blackout Sauces; Dunns Famous Smoked Meat Pouches and Spindrift Beverages to name a few.
As a charitable donation at closing, the exhibitors of the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York contributed thousands of pounds of food to City Harvest, the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children for more than 25 years.

"This marked the official launch of our Company, we could not think of a better place to meet with qualified New York restaurant owners than the International Restaurant Show. We were able to take the time to talk to people about the services that we provide and were thrilled with the interest. In fact on the show floor we were hired on the spot to help local restaurants achieve an A rating," said Rada Tarnovsky, Co-founder and Partner of Letter Grade Consulting.

About The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York

The 2014 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York will be held Sunday, March 2 - Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at the Jacob 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. Reed Exhibitions produces several other foodservice events including the Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo to be held Sunday, August 18 through Tuesday, August 20, 2013 at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show scheduled for Saturday, September 22 - Monday, September 24, 2013 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. For more information on exhibiting or attending future events, call (888) 334-8705 or visit the official Show web-site at www.thefoodshows.com.

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