Psst…Hey Readers! This is Emily…Don’t tell Heidi I’m hijacking her blog for a minute or she might stop feeding me leftovers and taking me on incredible business trips. I just wanted to drop a few names of the products I really liked at the food show so you can look out for them when they hit the market.

Here are my Lucky 7:

1.) CookieZen, LLC: They make and package sweet and savory cookies, then suggest appropriate wine pairings for them. I see some type of cross-promotion with Tampax in CookieZen’s future.

2.) BigLittle Fudge: This is some seriously delicious stuff and it’s so rich, one piece’ll do ya. I liked the Mega Maple-Nut flavor. It was a burst of buttery, rich, maple-drenched pancakes topped with nuts. When this stuff touches down in Arizona, I’m going to need a personal trainer.

3.) Thai Away All Natural Coconut Curry Sauces: It saddens me that these guys are based in Canada, but they are well on their way to making it onto the shelves of U.S. markets! What they managed to whip-up with a rice maker and a hot plate would put even the most skilled dorm-room chef to shame. I think I had three or four samples before they cut me off. The green curry is the stuff that dreams are made of.

4.) The Modern Cocktail: Yes, this was the “hand-dandy carrying case” (see Heidi’s Blog) company. These are pre-packaged mixers: Just add booze! I know what you’re saying: “But I can buy my own mixers and make my own drinks!” But trust me, you can’t mix like this. Can you make a blood orange margarita? I didn’t think so.

5.) Justin’s Nut Butter: I’ll admit, I was a little bitter after an over-eager broker cut me off as I was talking to the crunchy-hippie dude himself, but I have to hand it to Justin, he makes a mean nut-butter! Go ahead and snicker. Highschool locker room humor is always funny. Don’t you feel better?

6.) Montchevre Cheese: With so many cheese vendors, we had to pick and choose wisely to avoid major system failures within our bodies, but the Bucheron that Montchevre was showing-off was worth the wait. Goat’s milk cheeses were all the rage this year, and Montchevre was definitely on  top of its game.

7.) J&D’s Bacon Salt: I know, I know. You think bacon is tired, right? I would have agreed with you a few weeks ago, but J&D have a different spin. The bacon-flavored popcorn is what it’s all about! It’s classic microwave popcorn with a hint of bacon-flavor and it’s shockingly delicious. If nothing else, buy the popcorn because these guys are hilarious. In addition to the salt and popcorn, their display was littered with random “schwag” including bacon-flavored soda pop and bacon-flavored chapstick. My dog ate it shortly after my return home. Good thing I didn’t put it on my lips.