Some 33,000 industry professionals and tastemakers poured into San Francisco this week for the annual Winter Fancy Food Show, the largest trade show devoted to specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast. For anyone who’s braved the crowds at the Consumer Electronics Show, the rough equivalent for the technology industry, you can probably imagine the chaos. Attendees walk the convention center’s unending halls while nibbling on free samples throughout the roughly 700,000 square feet of exhibit space.
![Most pâté is made of cooked ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. As I learned at the Winter Fancy Foods Show, I much prefer the chocolate version.](http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5887fa1eee14b6a17b8b6a97-1200/most-pt-is-made-of-cooked-ground-meat-and-fat-minced-into-a-spreadable-paste-as-i-learned-at-the-winter-fancy-foods-show-i-much-prefer-the-chocolate-version.jpg)