NYC flexes its muscles with return of New York Produce Show — in person

NEW YORK — To anyone who knows and loves New York City, it’s no surprise there are more than 92,300 #nystrong and 67,650 #newyorkstrong hashtags on Instagram.

This phrase and its sentiment became popular when the city was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. in April 2020.

The city — with its trademark crush of people on sidewalks, subway cars, stores and streets — was a ghost town for months as restaurants shuttered and people quarantined inside their cramped apartments. The only sound was ambulance sirens.

There was an exodus of NYC residents fleeing to the surrounding suburbs and countryside.

But those who stayed, prevailed.

Residents opened their apartment windows or stepped out onto their balconies at 7 p.m. nightly to ring bells, bang pots and clap as a show of solidarity and appreciation for medical and other essential workers as they changed shifts.

There are rainbow-colored banners saying, “We Are Open: #NYSTRONG.”

And now, the New York Produce Show & Conference returns Dec. 13-16, to the Javits Center in Manhattan.

In 2020, the show continued but in a virtual format, as many conference organizers nationwide chose to do instead of canceling their events entirely.

“We’re thrilled to be back live at the Javits Center, and that seems to be the buzz,” said Susan McAleavey Sarlund, executive director of the Eastern Produce Council, one of the organizations presenting the conference. “Yes, we had a virtual show last year, which was the best we could do under the circumstances, but this year could be bigger and better than ever.”

Organizers are seeing pent-up demand for gatherings and good ol’ handshakes, a hallmark of the way business is done in the produce industry.

Coming up on 20 months since large gatherings were prohibited in the Big Apple, people are ready to see each other again.

Paul Manfre, general manager Top Katz LLC based at Hunts Point Produce Market in the Bronx, said he’s been attending the New York show since its inception.

“I’m a big fan of regional shows. It seems like the people there really want to be there,” he said. “But this is New York. People come from all around the country for this show.”

The draw may be that in this city of more than 8 million people, you have about 9% of the U.S. population within a 50-mile radius.

And like the city’s multitude of microcosms within each neighborhood, the conference is filled with mini conferences.

The show’s official main day is midweek Dec. 15, but there’s a Foundational Excellence program for Cornell University’s Future Leaders in Produce on Dec. 13 at the New York Hilton.

On Dec. 14, there’s another pre-show event, the Global Trade Symposium, also at the Hilton.

On the main day, Dec. 15, the Keynote Breakfast with a Thought-Leader Panel will kick off the events. The 2021 EPC Leadership Program participants will be honored during the breakfast event, Sarlund said.

“They’ll be recognized as our 2021 class, which was really our 2020 class because, really, so much of the program is hands on and being together in the field,” she said. “In 2020, we had a webinar all about Food Safety Modernization Act, and then we invited general membership too. But all the other elements they did in 2021.”

Thought-leader panelists at the breakfast and in micro-session discussions during the expo include, according to show organizers:

• Jeff Cady, director of produce and floral at Tops Markets;
• Kelly Davis, director of produce and floral at Allegiance Retail Services;
• Robin Fisher, category manager at PF Chang’s;
• Marc Goldman, produce director at Morton Williams Supermarkets;
• Jim Hancock, vice president of DMM, produce and floral at Sam’s Club;
• Chris Keetch, director of produce and floral at The Giant Co.;
• Mary Mitchell, vegetable merchant at FreshDirect;
• Tony Mitchell, vice president of corporate produce at Associated Wholesale Grocers;
• Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods;
• Julie Olivarria, vice president of produce at Sysco;
• Marianne Santo, senior category manager of produce and floral at Wakefern Food Corp.;
• Victor Savanello, vice president of produce and floral merchandising at SpartanNash;
• Jay Schneider, head of buying and marketplace U.S at Gorillas; and
• Caitlin Tierney, senior director of produce innovation at Sprouts Farmers Market.

On the trade show floor, there will be chef demonstrations too.

And on Dec. 16, a post-show event is Ideation Fresh, a foodservice forum at the New York Hilton.

That’s also the day for five fresh produce industry bus tours:

• Manhattan retailers;
• New Jersey retailers;
• Brooklyn retailers and urban agriculture;
• Hunts Point Produce Market; and
• Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market.

Manfre said he plans to attend most of the events, starting with networking the first evening. Top Katz is an exhibitor as well.

“I’m all-in on the show,” he said. “It is the show to be at. If you have to pick a regional show, put this on your calendar.”