On April 9, 1987, I reported for my first day of work at the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, now Specialty Food Association. It was a 2-plus hour commute each way from my home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. I was excited to be again working in New York City, even though I had two-year-old Seth and six-month-old Scott at home. Fact is, we needed the money and the NASFT offered a 30 percent salary increase over my magazine employer in Stamford, Connecticut.
The NASFT had only six employees. It co-owned the Fancy Food Shows but the shows were managed by Cahners Exposition Group (now Reed). My title was communications director and I was in charge of NASFT Showcase (now Specialty Food magazine), public relations, and member communications. I initially reported to the executive director of NASFT and then to the Communications Committee, chaired by Julee Rosso of The Silver Palate.
Less than three months later, I oversaw the press office at the newly opened Javits Center, doing interviews with CNN, The New York Times, WCBS, and other news organizations that I idolized. I did have a Master of Science degree in Journalism from Columbia University yet was still awestruck.
I have had the honor to be at the forefront of many SFA programs that still continue today. In 1989, we initiated the What’s New, What’s Hot! exhibits in Atlanta, to draw buyers to a distant part of the exhibit floor. We began bringing in noted food personalities such as Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, Jacques Pepin, Martin Yan, and others to bring star personality to the Fancy Food Show, years before today’s “celebrity chefs.” One of my fondest memories is accompanying Julia Child to Good Morning America and coaching her on what to say about our NASFT Product Award winners. She didn’t listen but I tried.
In the mid-1990s, we started the Member Education Conference, to help members learn how to better operate their businesses. (Education had also become one of my responsibilities.) Under the leadership of President John Roberts, we developed a program called “The Basics: The Business of Specialty Food.” That program has been presented more than 60 times; 7,500-plus members and aspiring members have taken the nine-hour class.
We expanded our NASFT Product Awards (now sofi), developing categories which made the program more competitive, so breath mints were not up against dark chocolate. I have had the pleasure of managing sofi for 27 of my 33 years. Getting to know the products and the people behind the products has been a treat. In 2020, we were even able to pull off the sofi competition during the pandemic, with assistance from the Rutgers Food Innovation Center.
In 2014, we started the Specialty Food Foundation to encourage food recovery and lessen food waste. The Foundation has accomplished a lot and I am proud to see it invigorated with a new Board of Directors who understand that the people in the specialty food industry want to make the world a better place.
There are many programs that I have been proud to pioneer, including:
• State of the Specialty Food Industry annual research
• Incubator ViIlage
• Member Candidate Program
• Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Awards
• Leadership Awards
• Outstanding Retailer Awards
• Retailer Summit
• Biz Builders
• Trendspotters
I have represented SFA from Seoul, South Korea to Unicoi, Tennessee, from Casablanca, Morocco to Manhattan, Kansas. As my fellow SFA employees will attest, I never thought the work of the SFA took place in a New York City office. I wanted to be out with the tens of thousands of innovative entrepreneurs who were shaping the future of food.
It’s the people of the specialty food industry that I will remember and treasure. Entrepreneurs who enjoyed business but also cared about people’s health, their communities, and each other. All supported by the employees of the SFA who go to work each day to help members succeed.
While no longer officially employed by the SFA, I will always be part of the industry. I look forward to my reboot and continuing to help people achieve their specialty food dreams.
Ron Tanner
Former vice president of education, content & advocacy
Related: Ron Tanner Departs SFA; 2020 FSMA Roundup.