A look at food startup Paradise Expo West in Anaheim

YesYesterday afternoon at Expo West, a playground for natural products and specialty foods, I began to drag under the weight of two enormous sample bags. Then I discovered this actor Michael B. Jordan had just unveiled a line of sea foam drinks, called Moss, and I’ve never been more thrilled. As an occasional sea moss, this “water” actually solved a problem for me. Namely, not having to grind your teeth while swallowing a spoonful of this gel rich in antioxidants each time.

Sipping on a bottle of Moss’ mango ginger drink, my energy returned. I’ve tried Minnow’s canned fish, Whipnotic’s strawberry whipped cream, and the herb vinaigrette just launched by greenhouse grower Gotham Greens. It’s a year filled with millennial-fueled hot fry nostalgiapickle brines, vegetable eggs in all their potential forms, honeys, pistachio butters and lots of other weird stuff.

I’ve been one of thousands to meet founders and try out samples this year, and, although I’m pretty exhausted after a keynote interview and a round of meetings, I also return to the pits today, revitalized and inspired.. After all, this is the show where dreams can come true. Chobani’s billionaire founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya reminded me of this yesterday.

More on this interview, and many others, as well as many other takeaways when I return from Anaheim. If you see me walking today, say “hello” to the ground!

— Chloé Sorvino, editor

Order my book, Raw Deal: Hidden corruption, corporate greed and the fight for the future of meatnow available from Atria Books by Simon & Schuster.

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Field notes

Maya Kaimal simmered sauces have long been a staple in my pantry. Their Expo West booth is still my go-to place for a healthy and tasty fuel stop between meetings.

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Chloe Sorvino leads food and agriculture coverage as an editor on Forbes’ business team. His book, Raw Deal: Hidden corruption, corporate greed and the fight for the future of meat, published December 6, 2022 with Atria Books by Simon & Schuster. Her nearly nine years of reporting at Forbes took her to In-N-Out Burger’s secret test kitchen, drought-stricken farms in California’s Central Valley, burned-out national forests logged by a lumber billionaire, a century-old slaughterhouse in Omaha and even a chocolate croissant factory designed like a medieval castle in northern France.