Baldor Specialty Foods hosted its biennial, Baldor BITE, event on April 21, 2026, at Basketball City at Pier 36 in New York City. The event gathered thousands of chefs, restaurant operators, hospitality professionals, distributors, and specialty food brands from across the country for a full day of culinary experiences, networking, tastings, and industry discussions.
Unlike a traditional trade show, Baldor BITE focused heavily on creating an immersive and energetic atmosphere. The 2026 edition adopted a “boardwalk” theme, transforming the venue into an interactive culinary environment filled with live demonstrations, creative booths, specialty tastings, cocktail bars, and entertainment. The event highlighted not only food products, but also the culture and creativity behind modern hospitality.
More than 200 exhibitors participated in the show, representing categories such as meat, seafood, produce, dairy, bakery, beverages, frozen foods, snacks, and emerging specialty brands. Many exhibitors viewed the event as a valuable opportunity to connect directly with serious foodservice buyers and chefs from premium restaurants throughout the Northeast.
The event also featured appearances and presentations from several well-known culinary personalities, including Matty Matheson, Christian Petroni, Missy Robbins, and Tiffani Faison. Live chef demonstrations, panel discussions, butchering showcases, and tasting experiences added to the event’s dynamic atmosphere.
As one of the leading food distributors serving high-end restaurants and hospitality groups in the Northeast, Baldor Specialty Foods used the event to spotlight innovation, premium ingredients, and emerging trends shaping the foodservice industry. Many attendees described Baldor BITE as one of the more curated and relationship-driven food industry events in New York.
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Featured exhibitors:
Esposito’s Finest Quality Sausage
Esposito’s Finest Quality Sausage is a family-owned New York company founded in 1933, known for its traditional Italian sausages and old-world butcher craftsmanship. Based originally in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, the company has built a strong reputation among chefs, restaurants, and food lovers for its high-quality sweet and hot Italian sausages, specialty blends, and classic recipes passed down through generations. Esposito’s combines authentic heritage with modern distribution, supplying both retail customers and food-service businesses while maintaining its premium, artisanal image rooted in New York food culture.
FAGE
FAGE is a premium Greek yogurt company founded in Athens, Greece in 1926 by the Filippou family and is widely recognized for helping popularize authentic Greek strained yogurt around the world. The brand is especially known for its thick, creamy texture, high protein content, and simple ingredients, with products like FAGE Total becoming staples in the yogurt category. FAGE expanded strongly into the U.S. market and later opened a major production facility in Johnstown, New York, playing a key role in the Greek yogurt boom in America. Today, the company is positioned as a high-quality, authentic Greek dairy brand sold in major retailers such as Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, and Target.
Joyce Farms
Joyce Farms is a family-owned premium meat and poultry company based in Winston-Salem that has been operating since 1962. The company is especially known for its heritage and specialty meats, including its famous Poulet Rouge® heritage chicken, which is slow-grown, pasture-raised, air-chilled, and antibiotic-free. Joyce Farms focuses heavily on flavor, animal welfare, and regenerative farming practices, working with small family farms — many in North Carolina — rather than large industrial factory farms. Their products are widely respected by chefs and high-end restaurants because of their richer texture and old-world flavor compared to conventional poultry. In addition to chicken, they also offer heritage beef, pork, duck, turkey, rabbit, and guinea fowl. The company became particularly well known for bringing authentic French-style “Label Rouge” poultry concepts to the U.S. market and positioning itself as a premium culinary brand focused on quality over mass production.
De La Calle
De La Calle is a beverage company best known for bringing tepache — a traditional fermented pineapple drink from Mexico — into the mainstream U.S. market. Founded in 2020 by Rafael Martin del Campo and Alex Matthews, the brand focuses on probiotic, gut-friendly sparkling beverages made with organic ingredients and inspired by authentic Mexican recipes. Their drinks are typically low in sugar, lightly carbonated, and flavored with combinations like Pineapple Spice, Mango Chili, Tamarind Citrus, and Orange Turmeric. The company positions itself as a healthier alternative to soda and kombucha, emphasizing Mexican cultural heritage, fermentation traditions, and functional wellness benefits such as probiotics and prebiotics. De La Calle has grown quickly and gained distribution in major retailers including Whole Foods, Target, and Kroger.
Galpin Family Farms
Galpin Family Farms is a small family-owned farm based in Reedley, California, run by Anthony and Lisa Galpin, who are second-generation farmers specializing in tree-ripened citrus, stone fruit, grapes, and specialty varieties like blood oranges and mandarins. The farm is known for its “tree-to-table” approach, where fruit is hand-picked and packed directly from the tree to reduce bruising and preserve freshness. They emphasize natural growing practices with minimal chemical use, relying more on pheromone pest control, compost, and integrated pest management rather than conventional pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Their products are popular at California farmers markets and with premium food distributors such as Baldor Specialty Foods and Good Eggs. The company positions itself as a high-quality, artisanal farm focused on flavor, freshness, and sustainable farming values rather than mass production.
