The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, which will be held May 20-23, 2023 in Chicago, has announced the 42 recipients of the 2023 Food and Beverage (FABI) Awards. Each year, the FABI Awards program celebrates industry-altering products that shape what’s new and next for the future of food and beverage. New this year, eight of the FABI Awardees have been selected by the judges as FABI Favorites as the most groundbreaking and influential of the year.
“This year is truly an exceptional year for food and beverage originality as evidenced by a record-breaking 42 FABI Awardees,” says Tom Cindric, president of Winsight Exhibitions. “These 42 products are breaking new barriers in flavor, taste, creativity and packaging and are shaping the future of food and beverage. As the world’s largest and most-trusted foodservice event, the National Restaurant Association Show continues to be where the next big industry trends are born and serves as a launching pad for companies to showcase new products.”
Each FABI Award submission was evaluated by an independent panel of judges from across the foodservice industry who represent some of the most well-known brands and organizations. Recipients were selected for their exciting new tastes, uniqueness in the market, appeal to the operator community, creative approach to operator challenges or introduction of new opportunities and profit potential.
“The 2023 FABI awardees are prime examples of the delicious creativity and innovation that drives the industry forward,” says Chef Marion Gibson, director of culinary innovation at Aramark and FABI judge. “I’m honored to have been part of the selection process and excited for the foodservice community to get a taste of the judges’ top picks, with the new FABI Favorites category.”
The 2023 FABI Favorites include:
Boba Bam
BobaBam is the first-to-market, all-natural boba that allows operators to diversify menus or upsell consumers without significant investment in special equipment or training. Vegan, gluten-free and caffeine-free, BobaBam is perfect for beverages and toppings.
Current Foods
Current Foods Plant-Based Tuna goes toe-to-toe with traditional raw tuna. Every ingredient is derived from earth with zero artificial ingredients, no allergens and no mercury or microplastics. Current Foods uses peas for protein, algae oil for taste and Omega-3’s, radish and tomato for color and potato and bamboo for texture.
La Tourangelle
La Tourangelle 16oz Non-Stick Cooking Spray is a propellant-free cooking spray made with non-GMO canola oil and sunflower lecithin. It is free of preservatives or flammable propellants, soy-free, gluten-free, vegan, kosher and fully recyclable.
V’DGZ Plant and Vegetable Shareables - Corn R’bz
McCain Foods
V’DGZ are crispy, pre-cooked plant and vegetable appetizers that are both quick and easy to prepare and simple to customize into signature dishes. V’DGZ currently features three varieties – Corn R’bz, Bruss’lz and Cauli W’ngz.
Meati
Meati is a new, animal-free meat made from whole-food mushroom root. It offers the protein of beef or chicken and the fiber and micronutrients of vegetables with taste and texture beloved by some of the world’s best chefs. Meati’s first product line currently includes “Classic Cutlet” as well as three other cuts, including steak.
Nounos Creamery LLC
This handcrafted, small-batch Greek yogurt is made with farm-fresh whole milk and strained three times longer than conventional brands, resulting in a thicker product with twice the milk fat and a flavor profile that’s out of this world.
Wölffer Estate Vineyard
Spring in a Bottle—an exquisite, alcohol-free, low-calorie, dry rosé sparkling wine—is the perfect choice for a fun-filled evening, long lunch, afternoon entertaining at the pool or long multi-course dinner. Beautiful and vibrant, this wine features great acidity and an elegant fruitiness that gives it a stand-out taste.
Yo Plant-Based Sunny-Side Up Egg
Yo Foods, Inc.
Yo Egg's Plant-Based Sunny-Side Up Egg is a delicious, heat-and-eat product that delivers a perfectly runny yolk every time. It has no cholesterol and is vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO. It enables chefs to create plant-based options that wow.
All FABI Awardees (the full list can be found online) will receive additional industry-wide exposure throughout the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show’s media channels and its media partners. Awarded products will be acknowledged throughout the Show floor with prominent signage and featured in demos at The Culinary Experience at the Show and in tastings held at the new Connections space.
