Fancy Feasts

The Global Food & Style Expo kicked off last Sunday at McCormick Place South and ran through Tuesday, bringing some 1,000 exhibitors together to showcase more than 56,000 food and lifestyle products. The massive show is made up of three (relatively) mini-shows, including the All Things Organic Conference and Trade Show, the Spring Fancy Food Show, and the U.S. Food Export Showcase.

Despite the competition, many exhibiting companies found ways—think eye-catching displays, colorful presentations, and heaps of samples—to stand out from the crowd.At the packed booths, curious (and hungry) attendees could stop, sample, and take home smaller-sized versions of everything from gluten-free baked goods, Eli's cheesecake, and organic chocolate candies to artisan cheeses from Wisconsin, mineral water from Mexico, and raisins from Argentina. Several companies set up café-style seating for their guests, such as Florida organic food company Tree of Life, which also placed botanical arrangements in glass bowls on each table. Arizona-based company Lehi Valley, meanwhile, set up a general-store-style setting, complete with glass jars filled with candies, nuts, and flavored popcorn.

More than 60 workshops, seminars, tastings, demonstrations, tours, and networking events took place during the expo, with celebrity chef Bobby Flay, marketing guru John Moore (the guy behind Starbucks's and Whole Foods Market's successful campaigns), and Kevin Coupe, founder of MorningNewsBeat.com, all leading keynote sessions. As part of the Fancy Food Show, chefs from the Italian region of Abruzzo held attention-grabbing cooking sessions filled with boiling pots and banter on the show floor.