Special Report: Winter FancyFaire* Preview

The highly anticipated Winter FancyFaire* is right around the corner, making its industry debut in January in San Diego. One major facet of the show is Campus Tasting Trail which allows for attendees to step out and experience the Winter FancyFaire* outside the tradeshow walls. Guided throughout San Diego’s prime dining neighborhoods, attendees will engage with restaurants, uncover and be the first to try cuisine that is shaping the future of specialty foods. 

“Winter FancyFaire* is a new tradeshow experience; it’s not the Winter Fancy Food Show anymore, and we felt that a new show deserves a fun new name,” explained Bill Lynch, Specialty Foods Association (SFA) President. “The asterisk at the end represents a snowflake, so the show always carries a little piece of winter with it.”

“Holding the first big food show of each annual cycle has always been significant for SFA, and we’ve worked to set our January events up to provide a look ahead for all participants,” Lynch continued. “That will continue, as well as all the traditional tradeshow opportunities that our exhibitors and attendees have come to expect from SFA shows: discovery, networking, trendspotting, and more.”

Winter FancyFaire* not only sets the tone for the year for exhibitors and attendees, but it is also a contemporary tradeshow experience designed to inspire and guide attendees after the holidays. It offers traditional and experimental taste-testing, identifying emerging trends in food and the cultures they come from and making connections with industry peers both at the Convention Center and throughout San Diego’s vivid downtown area dotted with prominent and upscale bars and restaurants. 

“Designed even more intentionally to overcome the post-holiday slump and provide big-time inspiration and guidance each January, Winter FancyFaire* is a new tradeshow experience,” Lynch explained. “The event will offer both traditional and experimental settings for sampling, trendspotting and networking. Participants will find exciting business opportunities within the Convention Center but also beyond it, at San Diego restaurants, retail and attractions. New activations are in the works for the Exhibit Hall and upstairs in what we’re calling the New Horizons Hall. This will include our co-location with the Good Food Mercantile. We’re excited to bring the 2026 sofi™ Awards celebration to Winter FancyFaire*, as well as the first-ever reveal of the specialty food Trend of the Year, as determined by SFA and our research partners.”

Show organizers were attracted to the San Diego metro area as a venue for the launch of Winter FancyFaire* because it offers a lively food retail and restaurant scene along with many specialty food makers and buyers to interact with. 

“The San Diego metropolitan area combines state-of-the-art facilities with a vibrant food retail and restaurant scene and a high concentration of specialty food makers and buyers,” Lynch said. “We’ve heard from show participants a desire to return to California, and we’re very excited to deliver on that for them.”

The Campus Tasting Trail

The Campus Tasting Trail entices attendees to explore the local scene and food fare by engaging with nearby retailers and restaurants with the goal of extending Winter FancyFaire* into San Diego so that attendees can have an immersive experience of the local flavor. 

“The Campus Tasting Trail invites all show participants to branch out and experience the local culture and cuisine,” Lynch said. “Our goal is to engage specific retailers, restaurants and local attractions in a variety of nearby neighborhoods to both bring Winter FancyFaire* out into the city and bring a taste of the city to Winter FancyFaire*.”

“Our goal with the Campus Tasting Trail is to blend the creativity and heritage of local tastemakers with the innovation of SFA member companies,” he continued. “Restaurants and retailers in nearby San Diego neighborhoods will feature SFA member products in menu items and as shopping accoutrements. Specific restaurants and featured products will be announced in the fall.”

The Winter FancyFaire* promises to offer access to local flair while still encompassing the largest gathering of gourmet exhibitors in one location. 

“By pushing product discovery into the larger San Diego community, we are inviting attendees to experience all of the wonderful cultural authenticity that the city has to offer—just with a little added ‘kick’ of specialty food built in,” Lynch said. 

Winter FancyFaire* Restaurants

Restaurants by Neighborhood:

Barrio Logan

Hayes Burger

2060 Logan Ave, Ste A, San Diego, CA 92113 

Casual smash-burger restaurant featuring tasty burgers and fries.

Member Product Highlight: Vermont Creamery—Maple Chipotle Goat Cheese 

Lia’s Lumpia

Pop-up at Mujeres Brew House, 1983 Julian Ave, San Diego, CA 92113

Contemporary Filipino pop-up that’s family-owned and focused on Filipino street-food dishes.

Member Product Highlight: Bitchin’ Sauce—Chipotle Spread

Por Vida

2146 Logan Ave, San Diego, CA 92113

Locally roasted coffee house that combines Mexican flavor with a space that showcases community art. 

Member Product Highlight: 58Peaks—Coffee Syrups; Breadmasters—Pocket Breads

Gaslamp Quarter

Huntress

376 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Upscale steakhouse that specializes in premium cuts, dry-aging and a unique whisky collection.

Member Product Highlight: Bluebird Grain Farms—Emmer Farro

Lumi

366 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

Rooftop restaurant featuring Chef Akira Back that celebrates Japanese and Korean flavors.

Member Product Highlight: FreshZen—Thai Chili Garlic

Rustic Root

535 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

A rooftop patio that combines New American cuisine with California edge.

Member Product Highlight: Prime Shrimp—Prime Shrimp Burger

Union Kitchen 

333 Fifth Ave, San Diego, CA 92101

A spirited atmosphere for brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night drinks.

Member Product Highlight: Sincerely Brigitte—Blue Marbled Cheese

Little Italy

Barbusa

1917 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101

Handmade pastas, seafood and Sicilian favorites that are old and new.

Member Product Highlight: Ciao Sicily—Organic IVP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Davanti Enoteca

1655 India St, San Diego, CA 92101

Classic Italian comfort food with a chic and cheerful happy hour. 

Member Product Highlight: Good Honey—SD Citrus Honey; BIS—Pomodoro al Basilico Sauce 

Monello

750 West Fir Street, San Diego, CA 92101

House-made pasta and cheese-wheel servings keep customers coming back to this Milanese-inspired Italian favorite. 

Member Product Highlight: Principe—Salami Trio

— Courtesy of the SFA