Returning to school after a relaxing and liberating winter break has never been my definition of fun. Luckily, this semester, there was one experience that eased this transition: a food show.

Specifically, San Francisco’s Winter Fancy Food Show. With over 80,000 specialty foods and beverages being exhibited and over 1,400 exhibitors from around 23 countries around the globe, the Winter Fancy Food Show is the largest specialty food and beverage show on the West Coast.

Like anyone else under the age of 35, I love taking pictures of food (raise your hand if you’re guilty of having a food Instagram). And like anyone else alive, eating is definitely my favorite activity necessary for survival (sorry breathing!). But while I have these credits to my name, I’m not a professional foodie by any means. Walking into this show was like walking into a whole new world.

Luckily, I had a father in the food industry to guide me through the experience. After moving me back into the dorms, we drove to the Moscone Center and met up with brokers and the owners of a packing company. My first lesson: not everyone in the food industry is involved with actual food itself—several companies had booths that touted their labeling, wrapping, and printing services.

Until seeing these companies, I’d never realized how essential packaging was to food. Even at the grocery store, I immediately gravitate towards food with the most attractive outer seals. And, of course, the most aesthetic food makes for a perfect photo. The expression “you eat with your eyes” took on new meaning for me as I appreciated the impact of the presentation.

But enough about packaging. I know you’re thinking, But Mia, what about the food? We eat with our mouths, too!

Well, let me tell you: my mouth was very, very happy.

When finished networking with the packaging company, we finally moved onto the actual food. The show was divided into two rooms: the north hall and the south hall. Each room was incomprehensibly large, a never-ending maze of buyers, vendors, exhibitors, and visitors. Standing on one side of the room, the opposite end was impossible to glimpse, so far away you might as well have been staring across an ocean. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed.

Beginning in the north hall, the brokers instructed us on the best techniques for conquering a show as hectic as this one: start on one end of the room and methodically cover each booth without skipping or repeating any.

However, we didn’t even make it past the first aisle without the brokers stopping to talk to exhibitors they knew. As we waited for them to finish, my dad and I sampled two soups: tortilla soup, and garbanzo bean and lentil. Both were delicious, albeit unexpectedly spicy (not that I’m complaining).

As we slowly wove our way up and down the aisles, certain trends began to emerge. As previously noted, the most visually appealing booths attracted the most visitors, but hot-buzz products also drew the largest crowds. One kombucha booth was so swarmed that we couldn’t even get close to it.

Meat alternatives and plant-based proteins were abundant, with everything from smoothie supplements, protein cookies, and vegetarian shrimp. They even had mushroom jerky and puff pastries made with smoked cashew cheese.

Being a fungi-hater, I opted out of the mushroom jerky (though my dad and the brokers noted it had a satisfactory meaty texture and flavor), but the cashew cheese definitely held its own against actual dairy.

Of course, what trended into my mouth varied slightly from the overarching trends of the show. A proud defender of ice cream as the greatest dessert, I took it upon myself to sample as many types as possible. Beginning with mint chocolate chip mochi ice cream.

I must confess that I’m not the biggest mochi fan (I just want the ice cream! The mochi is only something I must bite through in order to access the real treat), so forgive me if I’m less than enthusiastic in my review. But with a thick outer layer of mochi encasing the creamy, tasty ice cream in the middle, this treat is sure to win over any mochi/and or ice cream lover.

But despite setting the bar for mochi ice cream high, a different company bested this one, with their thinner layer of mochi and high-quality vanilla ice cream more suited towards my preferences.

At the show, you couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a vegan booth. Naturally, I stumbled upon more than a few vegan ice creams. My favorite was the vaguely-named “earth” flavor, colored an unidentifiable lavender purple. Whatever flavor it was, it was delicious. I never would’ve guessed it was vegan—in fact, based off how thick and creamy it was, I could’ve mistaken it for gelato!

Speaking of gelato, I also sampled some blueberry cobbler gelato. The blueberries made this flavor stand out, with their sweetness and slight chewiness mimicking exactly how they’d taste if they’d been baked in a real cobbler.

Alongside a huge set-up, Arctic Zero advertised their new and revised formula. After trying their brand a year ago and finding the ice cream thin, watery, and overall disappointing, I decided to give them another try.

Boy, was I glad I did. This time around was the polar (or arctic?) opposite of the last, with their Mint & Chocolate Cookies flavor as luscious as any other ice cream, finding the perfect balance between cookie dough that melted in your mouth yet avoided overpowering the mint. Even as a hard-core Halo Top devotee, I must admit that their Mint Chip flavor can't hold a candle to Arctic Zero.

Fellow mint chocolate lovers, if choosing a low-calorie ice cream, the decision is simple: Arctic Zero wins any day.

Of course, I didn’t consume solely ice cream at the show (though that would be the dream). Other stand-outs included coconut rolls (delish) and a dark chocolate quinoa bite that tasted just like a Crunch bar, if not more indulgent.

At 5 p.m., the show closed for the day, and my dad and I headed to a salad bar to consume some greens, not of the mint-chip variety. Despite how much my taste-buds loved sampling limitless desserts, all the sweetness was starting to get to me.

After fueling up on some kale, we stopped by a cream puff shop that was calling our name (because #balance) and then drove back to campus, where we said our final goodbyes.

Attending the Winter Fancy Food Show was certainly an eye-opening, fascinating, and (most importantly) delicious experience. But I treasure this day more because it was quality time well-spent with my father, learning about the work he does and enjoying our last moments together before the distractions of a new semester.

If you ever get the chance to attend this show, I highly recommend you do—and maybe bring a family member along for some bonding time that won’t be forgotten.