Fancy Food Show 2026 Imported Cheese Finds

Summer Fancy Food Show 2026

Every year, typically in late June, the Specialty Food Association hosts their Summer Fancy Food Show. A three-day trade-only event showcasing a seemingly endless amalgamation of artisan food products from around the globe. While many categories are well represented, this is the day when the cheese industry really struts its stuff, occupying most of the real estate and booths on the vast expanse of the upper level in New York’s Jacob Javits Center. Distributors, importers, and manufacturers large and small all converge, eager to meet prospective buyers for their wares. And while you will invariably come across many tried and true favorites each year, I have found that there’s always something new and different, or simply something I've missed given the scale of the event, providing you know where to look.  Here is a selection of imported standouts that one doesn't often encounter in the US.

Thelma's Original

Thelma’s Original

To visit the beautifully appointed booth of The Fine Cheese Company of Bath, England is to experience both gracious hospitality as well as a tour de force of British farm cheeses. Thelma’s Original, a Caerphilly style cheese, is a shining example of the regal subtlety found in many English cheeses.  A delicate balancing act of crumbly and creamy, with bright tart lemony flavor notes, it can be enjoyed simply as it is any time of day.

Stithians

Stithians photo credit Lynher Dairy

Stithians on the other hand is decidedly a departure from the typical British styles, closer in flavor to aged French and Swiss alpine models with nutty and slightly caramelized flavors and tyrosine crystallization, due in part to the Alpine cheese cultures that are used in its production. 

Tomma della Burtulina

Tomma della Burtulina

Guffanti Formaggi selects and refines cheeses from quality Italian producers, offering an elevated Italian cheese experience. This year I was treated to Toma della Burtulina, a rich and flavorful full fat farm cheese with a pleasant tang, produced in the classic Piemontese Alpine style.

Toma Sant’Uguzzone

Toma Sant’Uguzzone

And from neighboring Lombardy comes the Toma Sant’Uguzzone, a firmer and fuller flavored aged cow’s milk tomme named after the patron saint of cheese Saint Uguzon; it is also the name of an international cheese guild which honors and recognizes distinguished cheese professionals and serves to maintain and increase knowledge and professionalism in the cheese trade.

Blue du Val d'Aillons

Blue du Val d’Aillons

Paccard Cheese in France’s Savoie region is a renowned affineur of the region’s outstanding cheese products. Each year one is treated to their display of regional classics such as Tomme de Savoie fermier ( the raw milk farm version), Abondance, and Beaufort. This year however I spied something that I don't typically associate them with ; a blue cheese. The Blue du Val d’Aillons is a compact wheel bursting with richness and flavor. The paste possesses the same dense and creamy mouth filling texture and cow’s milk richness found in the Raclettes of the region, augmented by a mild blue punch that is more sweet than salty on the palate. And one could think of  Manogodine, a spruce bark wrapped wheel of oozing runny deliciousness, as Savoie’s answer to the Jura’s Vacherin Du Haut Doubs.

Trachitun

Trachitun

Brooklyn’s own Food Matters Again is quality focused importer distributor that can always be counted on for interesting cheeses, as well as an impressive array of other carefully curated items. While their domestic cheese program is indeed robust, I find them to have particularly interesting, diverse , and well rounded imported cheese offerings. One such example is the overlooked (in America at least) Stratchitunt, a centuries old Italian classic from the ValTaleggio (Tallegio valley). Pierced but not inoculated with penicillium molds, it belongs to that family of naturally occurring blue cheeses which also includes Castelmagno from Piedmont and France’s Blue de Termignon, all of which rely on the natural flora of the aging environment rather than added cultures. The overall effect is a smooth and satisfying cheese, accented by the occasional burst of blue assertiveness.

Gourmino Goat

Gourmino Goat

And Gourmino Goat was a pleasant surprise from the namesake Gourmino Co., affineurs and negociants of quality Swiss cheeses. Goats milk cheeses are somewhat of a rarity in Switzerland, and also tend to be of excellent quality. This cheese, produced by a single village dairy is a testament to that fact. The affinage process transforms the otherwise tangy goat's milk into a sweet nutty wheel with herbal and floral overtones that are easily enjoyed by all.

Biloute

Biloute cheese

Belgian cheeses is a category that has become increasingly popular over the years. Historically many of the cheeses are of the cow’s milk semi-soft washed rind family. The Little Cheese Farm is an award winning farmstead producer with a variety of items that depart from that model. Goat and Buffalo milk cheeses are also included in their offerings ,and their Lottenhulle line boasts a variety of flavorings such as chili pepper and curry, as well as edible flowers and spices coatings. That being said I particularly enjoyed their Biloute, a semi firm cheese in the traditional Belgian Abbey style with a full beefy flavor perfectly suited to a Belgian Ale.

Most if not all of these selections will not be found in broadline grocery outlets. For these cheeses, and frankly any others, it is advisable to visit your local cheese shop instead. The cheese selection and quality of product will always be better, and so will the experience.