Exhibitor: Segway ServeBots
The largest annual gathering of Food Service Professionals is back! The National Restaurant Association show is in Chicago May 21st – 24th. Since 1919 the show is the place to discover, learn, connect, inspire, and gain tools to thrive in the International food marketplace. Today is the last day for this #Tradeonly Event.
The expansive 600,000 square foot showroom floor has over 1300 exhibitors and over 900 product categories from food, beverage, equipment, technology, tableware, sanitation, and everything in between.
Alexis Ohanian
The keynote speaker this year was Alexis Ohanian – co-founder of Reddit and founder of Seven Seven Six. Alexis shed new light on how creating and embracing disruption can amplify growth and produce positive transformations.
I look forward to the culinary demo experiences the most. I also loved walking the floor to see the newest gadgets. Check out my National Restaurant Association Show (NRA) highlights below.
Tavi J. Highlights
Celebrated Chef Culinary Demos
There’s never a shortage of Nationally celebrated Chefs at the NRA show. This year Celebrity Chefs Andrew Zimmerm, Tiffany Derry, Lamar Moore, Rick Bayless, and more were there showing us how to make their favorite dishes. I went to the Saturday morning culinary experience hosted by Rick Bayless. He demonstrated how to make three types of authentic Mexican tacos. He also had a book signing afterwards. The culinary and beverage demo experiences help you connect with some of your favorite Chefs and Mixologist.
The Beverage Room
Speaking of beverages one of my favorite hangouts at the NRA show is the Beverage Room. You can learn about and taste different spirits. There were also some interesting demos’s going on like Cannabis infused beverages, or the opposite, The Allure of spirit-free alternatives demo. There’s something for everybody.
I have to admit I never tried White Claw before and I’ve been missing out. I enjoyed the delicious canned drink – The Cayman Jack Margarita. The pre-made drink delivers a unique, sophisticated, and hand-crafted experience. It’s made with 100% blue agave nectar and lime juice at 5.8% ABV.
Another beverage product that stood out to me was by Amoretti. The beverage infusion line is designed to infuse flavor into alcoholic and non-alcoholic seltzer’s, cocktails, iced teas, and other popular refreshment offerings at restaurants. The beverage infusions are easy to use, made with real fruit, have no preservatives, and are low in calories.
Ben’s Friends
In an industry filled with drugs, alcohol, and stress – Ben’s Friends is a breath of fresh air. Ben’s Friends is a National organization of sober F&B people committed to helping others in the industry who are struggling with alcohol and drugs. The organization Co-Founders Mickey Bakst and Steve Palmer, as well as several chapter leaders were onsite hosting several open meetings during the show.
Gadgets & Trends
Trending technology is one of the main purposes of the NRA show. I attend a lot of restaurant previews and I also do staycation pieces. One trend I’m beginning to see a lot is Segway ServeBots. The ServeBot S1 integrates the ultimate functions of “meal delivery, greet, attract customers, and recycle plates. It’s fun watching them in action. I’ve visited quite a few sushi restaurants with the ServeBots in place.
Walking the Show Floor
I’m such a planner, but one of the best ways to experience the NRA is to just aimlessly walk the halls and discover along the way. Here are my favorite finds:
- Tony Chachere’s Seasoning – OMG at this booth they were serving a plethora of items but my favorite was the Gumbo. I had about 5 bowls and I will make sure to pick up their seasoning the next time I go grocery shopping. I heard the seasonings are very popular in New Orleans and I see why. The seasoning had the gumbo bursting with flavor.
- Morning Star Farms – I eat meat, but I also enjoy Plant based products. Morning Star does a great job camouflaging their plant based products with flavor and texture. I tried one of the chicken tenders and it tasted just like real meat.
- All Friends Beverage – There’s a new line of Better For You functional beverage bases from Leahy/IFP. Each researched back flavor delivers antioxidants, electrolytes, and energy boosts from natural sources. All Friends is also vitamin enhanced and contains low sugar. I tried the Mango Chili as well as the Pineapple Ginger flavor and both were delicious.
- La Querendona – This Mexican food company was founded in 2011 and specializes in the elaboration of salsas and marinades. The products provide a real home taste and are available in more than 7000 outlets in Mexico which makes them proud to say that their products are welcomed by the country of salsa. I put the Lemon Pepper flavor sauce on my chicken tenders and it was delicious!
- Mike’s Pies, Inc. – You couldn’t help to stop by this booth. Cakes and pies were lined up and ready to be sampled. I indulged in the delicious strawberry cake. Mike’s Pies is a family owned company founded in 1992. They make everything to order from scratch and DO NOT add any preservatives, gelatines, or stabilizers to their products.
This is just a small sampling of the exhibitors I loved from walking the showroom floor. I exchanged information with several vendors and will be bringing you specialized product reviews in the near future. So stay tuned!
Official and Unofficial Networking Events
We all know the F&B industry loves to mingle! There were official events like the industry night out at Offshore. There were also unofficial events like the NRA rooftop happy hour hosted by Raydiant & Toast at Celeste rooftop bar. The events give attendees the chance to build stronger connections outside of show hours.
If you’re a member of the Food & Beverage industry I highly suggest you check out the National Restaurant Association Show. Show dates for next year are May 20th – 23rd.
The 2022 National Restaurant Association Show invites you in supporting World Central Kitchen in their ongoing humanitarian efforts in and around Ukraine. Their work is not done and this is our chance to come together and make a difference. Donations can be made HERE
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