Gourmet Business - February 2016

As I write this, I am wrapping up plansto travel to Frankfurt, Germany to attend Ambiente. My colleagues and I will be walking the aisles for several days looking at new products, seeing trends, and talking with old friends and new. For those who have never been, Ambiente is one of the world’s most important (rivaled only by our own IH+HS next month in Chicago), and certainly the largest, consumer goods trade show. The goods on exhibit run the gamut from the most exclusive, high-end tabletop items to everyday casual cooking and dining, with the latest in cookware innovations, design, color and textiles. And with Italy being this year’s partner country, there should be an added level of great design. The show, which runs from the 12th to the 16th of February, is expecting 134,000 trade visitors from over 150 countries. 

Last year, more than 4,800 exhibitors were showing from 90 countries. It’s an exciting show full of well-dressed people, smart exhibits, education venues, and enough languages to make up a full session of the United Nations. Fortunately, I have a big vocabulary in several European tongues (albeit with poor grammar and absolutely no past tense) so I should be able to sufficiently embarrass my colleagues, unintentionally insult a few prominent people, and doubtless, create at least one international incident. Nevertheless, if we survive that, we’ll bring you a full report on the show, along with a gallery of the products we find later this spring. 

This month, I’m excited to include a report on today’s bridal registry by our editor extraordinaire, Joanne Friedrick (page 6). I found it fascinating and it proves once again that it is a brave new world indeed. We also have a gallery of new pressure cookers, a category that seems to be rising, as a whole new generation of cooks discovers the ease and efficiency of cooking under pressure (page 9), as well as plenty of new products. 

Thanks for joining us, and we look forward to bringing you the latest in new products and ideas for successful retailing. In the meantime, I’m off to Frankfurt for my annual dose of wiener schnitzel, sauerbraten, great beer, some very exciting contemporary cuisine, and per- haps the world’s best breakfast. Auf wiedersehen und gutes essen. 

James Mellgren
Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com