The 2025 editions of the Specialty Food Association Fancy Food Show series concluded on July 1 in New York City after featuring hundreds of FMCG brands on the West Coast and East Coast of the United States.
The MENA region’s culinary heritage was in the spotlight at the final Winter Fancy Food Show held in Las Vegas in January 2025 which will be relocated to Southern California in January 2026 and replaced with SFA’s inaugural Winter FancyFaire* in San Diego.
Two of the brands celebrated by SFA at the Winter Fancy Food Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center exhibitor section and panel series included Maazah chutney cofounders Yasameen Sajady and Sheilla Sajady as well as Yumna Jawad, who launched Feel Good Foodie before creating overnight oats brand Oath.
Both brands based in the Midwest region of the United States have launched products that are featured in nearly 1,000 national stores combined thanks to a creative mix of above-the-line, below-the-line and through-the-line marketing that was highlighted at the Winter Fancy Food Show held simultaneously with the affiliated Tastemaker Conference.
The Sajady sisters are a dynamic duo who are Afghan American entrepreneurs that created a popular flavored chutney product line inspired by their mother’s recipes they grew up enjoying in Minnesota. Thanks to a combination of creative online promotions and in-person events they are now selling Maazah in over 700 stores across the United States following their consistent presence as exhibitors at SFA’s Fancy Food Show series, including this week in New York City.
Jawad transitioned from a career in retail marketing within the food sector to sharing recipes online through her Feel Good Foodie platform reaching millions of subscribers before celebrating the one-year anniversary of her best-selling May 2024 debut cookbook “The Feel Good Foodie Cookbook: 125 Recipes Enhanced with Mediterranean Flavors.”
Cultivating culinary community
The success of Feel Good Foodie and extensive reach that Jawad built through constantly sharing culinary advice to over 10 million subscribers across all major social media platforms promoting her website led to her Oath overnight oats brand being sold in over 114 stores, as she explained at SFA’s Big Idea Stage hosted in collaboration with the Tastemaker Conference.
“I notice a jump in sales when I go online and talk about recipes for my products. It’s been cool to stay connected with my online audience and be inspired by people using the product, trying it in different ways and seeing all the positivity that’s coming out of it. I think one of my biggest inspiring moments was exhibiting at Fancy Food Show last year and actually getting a customer from this show. We had the product, people were tasting it, we had buyers coming up to us and we actually were able to sign up with some of them. Now we’re in 114 stores because of the show,” said Jawad during the Taste Makers: How Food Influencers Shape Culinary Trends panel.
While Jawad concentrated on sharing a substantial ensemble of recipes inspired by her mother’s Lebanese cooking via videos during her own culinary education journey, she also published written instructions for preparing some of her favorite cuisine on FeelGoodFoodie.net.
While sharing the steps she took that led to publishing Mediterranean diet recipes in her first cookbook, she encouraged audience members at the Fancy Food Show to focus on building community and avoid solely considering vanity metrics as the only indicators of success on social media.
“I think the shares are really powerful. Take a look at shares if you’re not getting likes, impressions or clicks. Even if 20 people shared that video with someone, that’s what resonated with 20 people who are now sharing it with 20 other people. So that number is actually doubled. Whatever that number is, is actually double the eyeballs,” said Jawad.
“So I always look at shares and I think that number is really powerful to me. And it tells a story of something happening in connection, happening between two people that they’re sharing privately. That’s a good metric to fall back on.”
Jawad’s journey from promoting products in FMCG marketing roles to providing free recipes online before launching her Oath overnight oats product – which celebrated a product packaging redesign in June 2025 through local in-person events at restaurants – illustrates the importance of community building through genuine efforts.
Jawad ended her panel appearance on SFA main stage with actionable advice for individuals interested in making the same transition that helped her expand in the breakfast category and provide her product on shelves within 114 stores. She underlined long-term partnerships as a 2025 trend and encouraged strategies that involve sharing recipes using products to build excitement, as well as launching product giveaways and providing discount codes to build communities of culinary enthusiasts that become loyal customers.
Regional recipes
Sheilla Sajady also encouraged cultivating community following her transition from a corporate role as a creative director to promoting a wide range of chutney dips created by her mother Fatima Sajady. While the chutney created with healthy ingredients in a blender is a popular item on menus in Afghanistan and other countries across the MENA region, Maazah succeeded by also offering a variety of flavors that feature more ingredients.
Sajady explained that online marketing combined with offering samples of several flavors paved the way for Maazah’s transition from local farmers markets in the Minnesota area to stores on shelves across national grocery store chains.
“Social media is our gateway to share Maazah’s bold flavors and family story through engaging content, community conversations, and visually stunning storytelling, connecting with people who crave authenticity and vibrant experiences” said Sajady.
Sajady, who shared samples of a lemon aioli dip product at the Maazah booth during the Winter Fancy Food Show, recently designed packaging for new Maazah products featuring lentils that complement the award-winning chutney.
Maazah’s line of lentil dips showcased at the Winter Fancy Food Show included MENA region culinary favorites such as lemon tahini and roasted red pepper, as well as basil jalapeño and turmeric ginger.
Along with new products and visual updates shared through Maazah’s social media platforms, content such as recipes are shared through a website and newsletter that Sajady manages.
Maazah also keeps in touch by sharing event invitations with attendees of its previous events to complement a presence at booths at major events on both coasts of the United States such as the Natural Products Expo West held near San Diego and Los Angeles annually.
According to a presentation on global trends delivered by The Food Institute on the Big Idea Stage at the Winter Fancy Food Show, 2025 is expected to be a year where people in the United States take more interest in consuming immunity-boosting functional foods that are already popular in regions outside of North America.
The introduction of FMCG products like Maazah’s new lentil dip prominently featuring ginger and turmeric, a potent combination of antioxidant-rich ingredients utilized in regions like South Asia for many generations, suggests that the second half of 2025 will continue the trend of holistic health gaining popularity within cuisine.
One takeaway is clear as the food sector prepares for major annual events in 2026 such as the inaugural SFA Winter FancyFaire* launching on January 11 at the San Diego Convention Centre and the return of Gulfood to the Dubai World Trade Centre on January 26.
“Health is wealth” is a theme to pay attention to throughout the remainder of 2025 as health-conscious brands such as Oath and Maazah continue to expand in the FMCG space while offering complementary recipes for culinary enthusiasts to enjoy.
