(EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE) — Anaheim, CA — Every spring, Anaheim becomes a kind of edible city.
The cavernous halls of Expo West hum with energy—thousands of brands, thousands more tasters weaving through aisles of protein bars, sparkling adaptogenic tonics, and the occasional invention that feels more laboratory than kitchen. You walk in with curiosity and leave with sore feet and the vague sensation that you’ve tasted half the grocery store.
Some foods blur together after the third hall. Others linger.
This year, the themes were impossible to miss: high-protein pizza, flavor-packed mayo sauces, and even a resurgence of old-school fats like beef tallow. But trends are one thing. Flavor is another.
And flavor, ultimately, is what separates a booth you pass from one you remember.
These were the five products that made me stop, taste again, and lean in.
I rarely buy salad dressing.
Partly because I’m a dietitian and partly because making your own takes about thirty seconds and avoids the parade of preservatives that tends to accompany bottled varieties.
I will say that the tastier salad dressings I’ve made at home do require more preparation and time – this is why the Gotham Greens’ Green Goddess dressing made a convincing argument.
Creamy, herbaceous, and bright, it tastes startlingly close to something elaborate you’d whisk together at home. The ingredient list reads like a kitchen counter rather than a chemistry lab, and the flavor carries that fresh balance of herbs, acidity, and richness that makes a salad feel like a meal rather than an obligation.
Yes, it costs more than the average bottle. But as with many food decisions, the question becomes simple: do you want to pay for quality now, or consequences later?
Anyone living gluten-free knows the heartbreak of bad bread.
Too dense. Too dry. Too crumbly. Too… everything.
That’s why discovering GB Gluten-Free Bread felt like a small miracle.
Their baguette was shockingly soft, almost pillowy, with a texture that would fool even the most skeptical bread lover. The pretzel roll delivered that familiar chew and warmth that so many gluten-free breads miss.
As someone with celiac disease, I’ve tried countless alternatives over the years, and very few capture the simple pleasure of good bread. When the bread itself is excellent, you don’t need much else—a little butter suddenly feels luxurious again.
The brand focuses on clean, high-quality ingredients, most breads without the top allergens, and the result is something rare in the gluten-free world: bread that tastes like bread.
You can now find GB products at Sprouts Farmers Market, and for the gluten-free community, that’s welcome news.
Some beverages at Expo taste like a chemistry experiment disguised as health. This was not one of them.
Chlorophyll Water—purified mountain spring water infused with essential vitamins and liquid chlorophyll—delivered something unexpectedly refreshing. The flavor had a clean, mint-like finish, not the artificial mint of toothpaste but the gentle brightness of fresh leaves reminiscent of a mocktail mojito minus the lime.
Chlorophyll has been gaining attention for its potential benefits, from antioxidant properties to supporting detoxification and skin health. But the appeal here isn’t just functional—it simply tastes good.
Even better, the drink contains no added sugar, only vitamins, minerals, and naturally derived chlorophyll. It’s the kind of beverage you could imagine reaching for after a long workout—or a long day navigating a convention hall.
If Expo West had an unofficial condiment category this year, it was mayo.
But one brand rose above the rest: AYOH.
Their line of flavored mayonnaises turns the humble sandwich spread into something worth talking about. The standout for me was the Hot Giardinayo—a playful twist on Italian giardiniera with just enough heat to wake up a sandwich without overwhelming it.
The brand also offers flavors like dill pickle and their newest release, miso, each one pushing the idea of what mayonnaise can be.
What sets AYOH apart isn’t just flavor. The mayo is made with avocado oil instead of seed oils, along with cage-free eggs, creating a richer and cleaner profile. The brand itself is still young—barely 15 months old—but it’s already landed on shelves at Target, Whole Foods, and Sprouts, which tells you everything about how quickly people are catching on.
As a dietitian I have been waiting for this product to come out. I knew it was only a matter of time before a company created a packaged good with the ever trending cottage cheese. But who would it be?
The most memorable bite of the entire expo came from an unexpected place—the freezer aisle.
Tattooed Chef’s Cottage Cheese Crust Pizza line stopped me mid-bite. I tried the three of the four pizzas that will be hitting shelves in April – Spicy Vodka, Four Cheese Pizza, & Pizza Bianca; unfortunately, they weren’t sampling the Killer Bee Pizza.
In a convention hall where tasting fatigue is real and flavors start to blur together, this one demanded attention. The sauce is rich and velvety, the kind of spicy vodka sauce that coats the palate with warmth rather than heat, layered beneath a blend of cheeses that melt into each other in perfect balance. Fresh jalapeños punctuate each slice, adding brightness and just enough kick to keep the flavors lively.
What makes it taste different from the average frozen pizza is where it’s made. All Tattooed Chef products are produced in Italy, with many of the ingredients sourced there as well. It’s Italian craftsmanship interpreted through a Los Angeles lens—bold, vibrant, and unapologetically flavorful.
The result is a frozen pizza that feels remarkably close to something you’d order at a neighborhood restaurant. And of course, the dietitian in me loves that it is a great source of protein (FINALLY) with a whopping 40-47 grams per pizza! Not to say this is healthy, heavens no, but if you’re going to choose a pizza that meets at least some of your macros AND tastes phenomenal, this is it.
Of all the products I tasted wandering the endless aisles of Expo West, this was the one I went back to each day; thank god I stumbled upon their booth on Day 1.
Expo West always delivers a flood of innovation, but the products that endure are the ones that combine thoughtful ingredients with unmistakable flavor.
This year, these five did exactly that.
And if the frozen pizza aisle suddenly feels a little more exciting in April, you’ll know why.
