Food Culture: The Fabulous Food Show

“Man can not live by bread alone….” This is a truism. There is nothing like good food, the smells, the taste, the utter assault on your senses. I haven’t always been a foodie. I grew up in a household where every piece of meat was cooked until it was beyond dead. Thanksgiving was an epicurean nightmare with turkey so dry it gave off dust when it was carved. My mother once made filet mignon so over cooked it was used in place of the puck at a Rangers game. I didn’t know what medium rare looked like; everything was made one way; overcooked. Another thing was when I expressed interest in wanting to learn to cook, my mother told me, “That is what your wife will be for.” (I am not kidding about this either so please don’t send me hate mail) I would sit in the kitchen and watch though, carefully trying to glean whatever I could from her or one of my family members. Now as an adult I find cooking to be very therapeutic and I love to experiment in the kitchen. Whether I am tweaking an established recipe or just throwing something together I like to approach each meal as an adventure.

I never knew that there was a place to go to meet other lovers of food and the artists who prepare these amazing creations; that is until I heard a whisper on the wind. Three years ago I was told of a magical event that took place in Cleveland, Ohio something called, The Fabulous Food Show. This massive event fills the I-X Center near the airport and for three days in November Cleveland is the center of the universe. The Fabulous Food show is more than just food, there are gadgets, demonstrations and celebrity chefs. This year many Food Network stars were on hand to meet their fans and share anecdotes about how they became rock stars for the foodie culture.

The 2009 Fabulous Food Show happened from the 13th-15th with each day offering different chefs performing on the main stage. Friday both Sandra Lee and Tyler Florence were on the main stage. Sandra Lee is not just the star of Semi-Homemade Cooking she is also an accomplished author with 17 books already published. Her upbeat personality was a sure hit with fans as was obvious from those not only attending her show but the queue for her autograph.

Tyler Florence was also in attendance on Friday. Florence is known to fans of Food Network as the host of Tyler’s Ultimate and How to Boil Water. He also made two appearances on Saturday. Having watched Tyler Florence on television I knew his food looked good, but even in the large auditorium I could finally smell what he was cooking. Saturday’s demonstration was a Thanksgiving theme for Florence. He made a roast turkey slathered in sage butter and then covered in bacon. The bird was stuffed with a cornbread stuffing and there was a side of mashed sweet potatoes with roasted bananas. My friends, this was food akin to porn; I really wished I had eaten more before coming to the show. I really want to give this an attempt at some point.

Also appearing on Saturday was Guy Fieri, host of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and Cleveland’s hometown boy, Iron Chef Michael Symon. Both of these chefs have large followings so both their shows and their autograph queues were packed. This was the second year in a row for these popular culinary artists. Symon had to add an extra autograph session Sunday just to accommodate the overflow of signature seekers.

Saturday the large convention hall was filled with food fans tasting free samples from various vendors with everything from amazing gelato to beef cheek pierogies. Lines were long for most of the free samples but it was to be expected with the size of the crowd. There was definitely something for everyone with offerings from large companies such as Giant Eagle (which offered a variety of products) to family business like Rito’s Bakery. There were also kitchen and cooking gadgets galore with knives, pots and something called a Pig Tail Flipper. I have never seen so many doodads and gizmos. They could easily advertise the Fabulous Food Show with the tag line, “Thousands of pepper mills under one roof!”

Sunday was the only appearance of Bobby Flay. Flay is a man with several shows running at the same time on the Food Network. Not only is he the host of Throwdown, he is the new host of The Next Food Network Star and one of the Iron Chefs. On stage Flay made a polenta with mushrooms, a steamed bass and crepes with a chocolate ganache. Just like when Tyler Florence was cooking I sat in my seat enthralled and drooling as if hypnotized. Seriously, it is one thing to see these masters work on television but to be able to smell what is going on brings it to a whole other level.

Bringing it to a whole other level my friends is what the Fabulous Food Show is all about. I do not believe that when any of these people went through culinary school they were thinking, “When I get out of here I am going to be just like Mick Jagger.” They are certainly closer to rock gods than Graham Kerr ever was in his hayday. Every level of geekdom has their conventions, so it was the natural course of things to have a convention for food lovers. I am not just a fan of food I am a fan of the Fabulous Food Show. I really enjoy this show and everything that it has to offer.

Aside from the delectable morsels both savory and sweet; there is a section set aside for wine aficionados and lovers of beer. For a mere 10 dollars you get a beautiful Schott Zwiesel wine glass and 6 samples of wine. The Grand Tasting Pavilion is quite possibly my favorite place to visit while I am at the show. This isn’t because I enjoy a good drink, which I do; it is because it offers a wonderful opportunity to try a taste of new wines and beers instead of having to buy a whole bottle. Here you will find wines, beers and hard liquors for your tasting pleasure. While you are here you can also purchase a small cheese plate from the cheese kiosk. Each year I attend I find a new wine to fall in love with sometimes, more than one.

Near the Grand Tasting Pavilion, there is the wine theater. Here you can sit in on a seminar and learn, not just about wines but the proper techniques for tasting. Each day offers several half hour classes, for example: wines from Spain. You get four samples, descriptions of the wines and help from an expert. These have been free for the last few years and classes are open on a first come first served basis. I enjoy the fact that you can go to a convention and learn something.

The Fabulous Food Show is a top notch event and something that needs to be experienced. It is a fun outing for the day for someone who is the casual fan or the weekend for the hard core foodie. The staff and the volunteers are very helpful and everything from the autograph lines to the many food demonstrations runs smooth. I will attend this again. Next November can’t get here soon enough.