Photos courtesy of I-X Center
A Smorgasbord of Samples
Eating is an art form at Cleveland’s Fabulous Food Show
The roar of the crowd. Lights, stages with elaborate décor and merch covering tables clad in white linens. An event the size of seven football fields. Celebrities, loud music, excitement.
This isn’t Lollapalooza or Coachella. This is Cleveland’s Fabulous Food Show.
The Food Show, held at the International Exposition (I-X) Center in Cleveland from Nov. 13-15, isn’t your typical culinary event. Boasting celebrities such as Buddy Valastro, Frankie Avalon and Michael Symon, the Fabulous Food Show’s 10th anniversary edition will be anything but dull.
The show hosts culinary heavyweights from all over the country: some straight from the Food Network, others close-to-home, up-and-coming food and drink artisans. The variety of items to sample is extensive.
“It’s extraordinarily diverse. You can walk up aisle upon aisle, and we have whole sections dedicated to food trucks; there’s international beer and wine pavilions, there’s a spirit lounge,” says Jeremy Levine, vice president of business development at the I-X Center. “We have farmers’ markets, mom and pop artisans, baked goods. It really runs the gamut of the culinary spectrum.”
Photos courtesy of I-X Center
A Smorgasbord of Samples
Stefanie Paganini – director of student services for the International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute in Chesterland east of Cleveland – has been with the show since its first year, when she was a student at iCASi. For Paganini, what sets the show apart is how it combines the old and the new.
“They really focus on two things that you would think would be different. It’s tradition and innovation,” Paganini says. “I think the fact that they speak to all different levels of foodie is amazing as well. It’s a good blend.”
Over the past decade, the show has featured Martha Stewart, Giada De Laurentiis, Alton Brown, “you name it, they’ve probably been here,” says Levine, who has also been with the show since its inception.
Because the I-X Center operates the building in addition to running the show, the event is unlike most of its contemporaries.
“We can artistically create an environment that can’t be replicated anywhere else,” Levine says. “It’s hard to explain the sheer magnitude of this event, but it’s well worth the trip to come and experience something that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country.”
Preceding the show on Nov. 12, the I-X Center will host an awards gala for hospitality students and industry icons. On Nov. 13, a 10th anniversary cake, sculpted by Cleveland native and The Ohio State University alum Natalie Sideserf, will be unveiled at the Dessert First event. The Food Network has called Sideserf, who runs a cake studio in Austin, Texas, “one of the most talented young cake artists in the country at the forefront of realistic cake decorating.”
Photos courtesy of I-X Center
A Smorgasbord of Samples
In addition to the Dessert First event, this year’s show will feature a concert by the Samples in the kitchen Nov. 14.
“We just love the tie-in of not only the name of the band, but their style of music. (They) will fit in very well,” Levine says. “We’ll kind of turn it into a big party on Saturday.”
Throughout the event, Valastro, Symon, Avalon, Aarón Sánchez and Gail Simmons will take the stage to perform and host demonstrations.
“We were one of the first, if not the very first, event in the country to put the chefs on stage in the same format you’d see at a rock concert or a live performance,” Levine says. “What we really wanted to do is bring that energy that you might see on the Food Network and bring that into the live environment.”
Paganini’s students from iCASi experience that energy firsthand. The student volunteers do everything from running booths to preparing food demonstrations for the likes of Stewart and De Laurentiis.
“If Michael Symon is pulling out a perfectly roasted chicken at the end of his demo and saying ‘ta-da,’ that beauty shot or that end product was produced backstage by our student volunteers,” Paganini says. “We also, of course, wash the dishes, and I think that’s a great lesson for our students that it’s not all glamorous. … Yes, Giada looks stunning on stage, but someone’s gotta wash that spoon when the demo is over.”
The show gives iCASi students real-world experience in customer service, teaching classes and preparing food for celebrity chefs. When Stewart performed at the show, students were challenged to bake a cheesecake multiple times. Stewart examined each one, selecting the cheesecake with the most “perfect swirl,” Paganini says, to be displayed on stage.
“It’s a really great training exercise for students, and a unique opportunity that we could not create for them here at the school,” Paganini says.
Photos courtesy of I-X Center
A Smorgasbord of Samples
Due to the size of the event, Levine says, it often takes on a life of its own once the doors open. For Levine, that moment is the best part of the show.
“It’s a very rewarding experience when you can walk through a space and feel something. … We’re talking food and wine and craft beer, and there’s something very visceral about that experience,” Levine says. “My absolute favorite part is once this thing comes to life, it becomes a living entity of people enjoying that communal experience over food.”
Paganini agrees that the electricity of the celebration is tremendous at the Fabulous Food Show. From the performers to the volunteers at the I-X Center, pleasure in the sharing of food is contagious.
“The overwhelming feeling you get at the show is joy; everyone is happy to be there,” Paganini says. “Everyone is really happy to be celebrating food.”
Ticket information can be found at www.fabulousfoodshow.com.
Amanda DePerro is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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