Sep 3, 2013

A Spread of Gourmet Tastemakers at the Atlanta Gourmet Market

AmericasMart’s most delicious Market of the year, The Atlanta Gourmet Market, takes place Tuesday, September 17 through Thursday,September 19, 2013. The Market showcases the industry’s taste-making gourmet foods and gourmet housewares lines just in time to place orders for the upcoming holiday shopping season.

The highlight of The Atlanta Gourmet Market, the Best of Atlanta awards recognize top gourmet food products based on taste, overall appeal and packaging/ presentation as selected by industry experts Melissa Libby, founder of Melissa Libby & Associates and gourmet industry public relations specialist; Hil Harper, founder of “Gentleman South” and restaurant critic; and Deborah Geering, columnist and local food expert for “Atlanta Magazine”. Winning products will be announced at the Best of Atlanta Reveal Brunch on Tuesday, September 17 at 11:00 a.m.

New for the 2013 Market, AmericasMart buyers will put their palates to work as they select the Best of Atlanta FAN FAVORITE Award. Buyers are encouraged to sample nominated products and submit a photo of their choice via Twitter (@AmericasMartATL), Facebook (Facebook.com/AmericasMart) and Instagram (AmericasMartATL) using the hash tag#BOAatlmkt. Voting is open from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 17. The FAN FAVORITE will be announced at the Reveal Party at 3:00 p.m.

The Best of Atlanta nominees are selected from Americasmart’s comprehensive PERMANENT gourmet foods collection on Building 2, Floor 8 and its equally intriguing TEMPORARY collection, located on Building 1, Floor 2.

“The timing of The Atlanta Gourmet Market is just right for our gourmet foods and gourmet housewares buyers,” says Kristi Forbes, AmericasMart vice president of gift, resort & gourmet. “They are able to sample and source the popular gourmet food products that their customers want for holiday gifts and entertaining, as well as add to their July Market selections and find impulse-driven goods that supplement their sales.”

Buyers will be treated to demonstrations by two of the region’s culinary leaders, Chef Drew Belline of No. 246 Restaurant and Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch in AmericasMart’s state-of-the-art Demonstration Kitchen on Building 2, Floor 8. Chef Belline presents “Seasonal Italian Favorites” on Tuesday, September 17 at Noon. Chef Hopkins presents “Tailgate Time” on Wednesday, September 18 at Noon.

Visit http://www.americasmart.com/gift/sept-market/events for a full list of Market events and seminars.

The Atlanta Gourmet Market attendees are encouraged to explore AmericasMart’s complete HOME and GIFT collections showcased at the Atlanta Fall Gift & Home Furnishings Market®, also occurring September 17 – 19. AmericasMart’s PERMANENT showrooms as well as 10 TEMPORARY collections will be open for the last major order-writing opportunity of the year.

Additionally, top bridal fashions and accessories are showcased at the VOW | NEW WORLD OF BRIDAL market occurring concurrently in Building 3. Now in its second year, VOW isquickly becoming America’s premier bridal market, highlighted by presentations from celebrity wedding planner David Tutera, and Lara Casey, editor of “Southern Weddings Magazine”, and an Experts Panel of bridal industry thought leaders. For more information about VOW | New World of Bridal visit http://www.americasmart.com/apparel/vow.

ABOUT AMERICASMART

AmericasMart Atlanta is the nation’s only global wholesale marketplace housing the world’s single-largest collection of home, gift, area rug and apparel merchandise. The largest of AmericasMart’s 14 annual Markets and shows, The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and The Atlanta International Area Rug Market in January and July are the ignition switch for global retailing with buyers from every U.S. state and more than 90 countries discovering product in more than 1,400 showrooms and more than 2,500 temporary exhibiting companies.

Located in downtown Atlanta, the AmericasMart complex contains more than seven million square feet of space. It’s a huge global stage on which manufacturers, designers and sales representatives unveil new lines, launch new designs and introduce new categories – all for the benefit of buyers seeking all that is fresh and first in the home, rug, gift and apparel arenas. For more information, please visitwww.AmericasMart.com. Follow us @AmericasMartATL or @AtlantaApparel.