ZICO Named one of Hottest beverages of 2004

ZICO the enlighrened sports drink. coconut water.

7 Jul 2004
LIFE & LEISURE

July 7, 2004Wednesday

SECTION: LIFE & LEISURE; Pg. 12E

LENGTH: 831 words

HEADLINE: Serving up 70,000 new flavors to savor From blueberry goat's milk to wild boar kebabs, the Fancy Food Show has it all

BYLINE: Patricia Talorico, Staff

BODY:
By PATRICIA TALORICO Staff reporter

NEW YORK - Under a sign touting that "Life's Too Short for Dull Food," slimmed down Cajun celebrity chef Paul Prudhomme is taking sips of Diet Coke while hawking soy-ginger rotisserie rubs and spicy Louisiana red pepper marinades.

Nearby, a guy dressed as King Arthur offers samples of Royal Edinburgh shortbread, twentysomething women in tight white T-shirts pour glasses of ZICO, a "New Age" coconut water drink and costumed French musketeers from New Jersey producer D'Artagnan gallantly present truffle-laced foie gras medallions on silver trays.

Goose liver not to your taste? Perhaps you'd prefer a sip of IZZE sparkling clementine juice, a dab of Croatian fig spread with orange, a lettuce leaf drizzled with O Olive Oils domestic port vinegar, or maybe a nibble of another D'Artagnan luxury product - wild boar kebab meat.

The 50th annual Summer Fancy Food Show offered a little something - actually more than a little something - for everyone.

More than 70,000 foods and beverages were on display for three days last week at Manhattan's Jacobkobebeef or packages of pre-cooked duck rotisserie from Maple Leaf Farms.

Tastes great, looks fun

Over an area covering the size of almost seven football fields, the aromas of macadamia nut brownies blended with those of barbecued duck legs, curried chicken and offerings like chipotle-flavored potato soup.

Some products at the show were wonderfully fun like the line from Girlfriend Confections, which offers sugar cookies shaped like cell phones, clutch purses, nail polish bottles and tiaras. The Milwaukee-based company's latest offering for dahling divas? European chocolate raspberry truffles made to look like lipsticks, packaged into chic Kelly bag-like paper pocketbooks.

And then there are products that are just wonderfully wacky. Take the chocolates flavored with curry and ancho chiles, the vegan chocolate marshmallows or Coach Farm's Yo-Goat drinks. The tangy-tasting bottled goat's milk from the award-winning New Yorkcompany can be a beverage or can be used in cold soups, marinades or as topping for fresh fruit. Yo-Goat also comes in blueberry and strawberry flavors.

The low carb industry wasn't ignored - more than 800 low-carb products have been introduced in just two years, and exhibitors offered everything from low-carb jelly beans to snickerdoodle cookies.

One of the biggest trends of the show was a stunning array of white teas and pyramid-shaped silken tea bags. "People are getting into tea more, says Angela Staehle of Teaosophy, a Washington based company that sells specialty teas from places like Kerala, India. "Younger people tend to go for packaging, and our package is really hip."

White tea, which undergoes very little processing and no fermentation, is similar to green tea, but the taste is entirely different. While green teas tend to taste "grassy," white teas, high in cancer-fighting antioxidants, are lighter and sweeter. They brew to a pale yellow/light red color.

Rishi Tea, a maker of artisan tea blends, offered 10 varieties of loose-leaf white teas such as organic white peony from the ZICO, an energy beverage made of pure coconut water.

ZICO, a 60-calorie drink which will be launched nationally in August, is already popular at some New Yorkyoga studios. The smooth-tasting drink comes in slightly sweet flavors like mango and passion fruit/orange peel.

"People in their 20s really like the passion fruit. You can drink it by itself or use it as a mixer for cocktails," says Jon Osmundsen, a spokesman for the Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based company that has offices in Braziland El Salvador.

Reach Patricia Talorico at 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com

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ZICO the enlighrened sports drink. coconut water.