New takes on tofu, wine at food show

Imagine wandering for hours amid tables of the best cheeses, chocolates, confections, coffees, olives, sauces, dips and chips while friendly fellow foodies beg you to take a taste. Sounds like a dream, right?

It is until about six hours in, when you'd rather have a glass of water and an antacid than another gourmet fruit and spice spread on organic macadamia flax bread.

Still, the feast that was the Global Food and Style Expo, held Sunday through Tuesday at McCormick Place, brought new and truly wonderful discoveries to Chicago restaurateurs and retailers.

Chefs, bakers, importers and artisans big and small proudly presented their goodies, showcasing both responsible practices and wild caloric abandon.

You might want to try a few of these finds:

Feeling a little under the weather? Especially this year's weather? You could try light therapy, moving to Florida, antidepressants or maybe just a Chocolate Prescription.


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Grape expectations

This is where James Loo comes to relax. It is quiet and cool. The smell of pine fills your nostrils. And the rows upon rows of bottles create a pleasing sense of order. This is his wine cellar. The cellar in his Stratton Preserve home holds more than 2,500 bottles, neatly fit into pine racks that stretch from the bamboo floor to the ceiling. The aesthetic is simple - the point is to protect his wine collection, not to impress with fancy woodwork. "The cellar is the investment that protects the real investment," said Loo, whose collection ranges from the inexpensive to the highly coveted (2002 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, anyone?). Loo is not the only one looking to safeguard his liquid investment. Wine cellars are becoming a must-have feature in highend homes. If you took a turn through the Parade of Homes last year, you might have noticed that many of the fancier homes featured a wine cellar - and the bigger, the better.


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