The 6 Most Delicious Finds We Discovered at QVC’s Epic Foodie Fest Event

published Jun 5, 2024
The Kitchn received compensation for this post, which was written and edited independently by our editorial team.
QVC Foodie Fest
Credit: Sarah Vazquez

Did you know QVC sells food? While long-time QVC shoppers may be more familiar with the company’s food offerings, for many, edible items are far from the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the iconic shopping network. So, you may be surprised to learn that QVC is actually home to dozens of delicious food brands, all with dedicated fan bases of their own.

In fact, the love is so strong, it led to the creation of the brands annual Foodie Fest, a gathering of fans from all over the country alongside their favorite chefs and food brands for a weekend of mingling, giveaways, and most importantly, tasting. QVC invited us to come and check out the event firsthand, where we were able to sample a little bit of everything from the numerous brands present at the event, check out new and exciting launches, and chat with some of your favorite celebrity chefs and QVC personalities.

QVC Foodie Fest 2024

After its debut last year, Foodie Fest returned bigger and better than ever, with 15 vendors taking over QVC’s West Chester, Pennsylvania-based Studio Park. The excitement was infectious while we wandered around the compound. Dozens of QVC fans donned Foodie Fest aprons while they waited in line to meet their favorite hosts, including In The Kitchen With David star David Venable, and celeb chefs like Food Network’s Aarti Sequeira.

They also were able to engage with the vendors, who appeared to be just as thrilled to be in attendance when we chatted with them. “I love Foodie Fest,” Cliff Nordquist, vendor and Just Bagels founder, told us. “This is the greatest. I do food shows all the time, but never interacted like this, when the customers come in and they’re so excited to see me and talk about the bagels.” 

Mrs. Prindables’ rep Stephanie — the brand makes delicious caramel-covered apples that we couldn’t get enough of — echoed his sentiments. “We love to engage with the customers because we don’t usually get to do that,” she said. “We’re just back at our homefront making the apples [and] coming up with the flavors, so it’s really nice to engage [and] get to know what the customers want because we want to bring them exactly what they’re into.”

There truly was something for everyone — including us — ranging from barbecue to cookies. When we weren’t getting our hands on as many samples as we could or taking part in the tasty dinner at the end of the night, attendees got a behind-the-scenes tour of the studio, and we even got to sit in on a live taping of QVC’s Foodie Fest broadcast. While it aired, viewers at home could shop all of the brands featured at the event. So which brands caught our eye during the festivities? Check out some of our favorite finds from QVC’s Foodie Fest and shop them below!

Credit: Sarah Vazquez
Inside the live taping at QVC's Foodie Fest 2024.

The Most Exciting Finds at QVC’s Foodie Fest

Rastelli’s

Dubbed “America’s personal butcher,” Rastelli’s has been providing premium meat and seafood delivery to customers for over five decades, and they have over 100 different products that they’ve brought over to QVC, according to founder Ray Rastelli. When chatting with us, he mentioned that one item shoppers “go absolutely crazy over” is the brand’s chicken bites, and we got to see their summer-ready Egg Harbor Seafood Boil in all its glory during the live taping of the show.

Alongside all of the other Foodie Fest attendees, we took part in a sit-down dinner provided by Rastelli’s. Seated in one of QVC’s warehouses that was decorated to the nines — complete with a red carpet entrance where we were greeted by the celeb chefs and QVC hosts in attendance — we received a stunning four-course meal, including their steakhouse-quality filet mignon and Faroe Island salmon.

While we dined, the raffles that guests had entered during the day were drawn, with one attendee even winning a Le Creuset Dutch oven (which is a top-tier prize if you ask us). Once we cleared our plates, we topped off the night with Junior’s Strawberry Cheesecake — which was so delicious that we ignored how full we already were — and were treated to an impromptu musical performance from QVC’s Alberti Popaj.

Just Bagels

Another stand out that had our mouths watering was Just Bagels. The New York-based company is one of the most popular brands on QVC and after giving its bagels a try it’s easy to see why (we were particularly taken by the Focaccia Parmesan variety). With these bagels, you’re getting everything the name suggests: just bagels, and nothing else. As Nordquist shared, that’s the secret to their success. “When you have a bagel with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, peanut-free, tree nut-free, kosher, non-GMO, boiled, aged… How could it be better? And made in New York? It’s quality goods. Not many people do those, very few — and you have to be in New York!” Needless to say, the brand added two more fans to the roster.

Zakarian by Dash

One of the best parts of QVC’s Foodie Fest is that it gives you a chance to connect with some of your favorite food personalities. We had a chance to sit down with Michelin Star chef Geoffrey Zakarian to chat a little about cookware, and when it comes to the one thing every aspiring Iron Chef in needs in their kitchen, he had one rec: a solid cast iron pan. ” I think if you’re going to start getting serious about cooking, you want to get a really good cast iron pan — nonstick. You can do just about everything with that one pan,” says Zakarian.

In fact, his love for the staple is what inspired his very own version, the Zakarian by Dash Nonstick Deep Cast Iron Skillet. The best thing about this cast iron pan? It’s designed to be user-friendly. “It’s real cast iron, it doesn’t have to be washed, and you can use it for anything. And you don’t have to season it. So all the rules are gone with cast iron. Everybody was like, oh, my God, I can really actually use this.” We love a tool that’ll inspire any level of chef to get in the kitchen!

Aarti Sequeira

With her QVC cookware collection, The Next Food Network Star winner Sequeira wanted to bring joy into the kitchen, and after seeing her pieces in-person, we can assuredly say she accomplished that goal. The floral design — featured on items like her two-in-one baker and mini pressure cooker — was inspired by the Indian house dresses that she and her mother wear “when [they] have some serious work to do” in the kitchen.

We were particularly drawn to the pressure cooker, which Sequeira designed to handle small batches. “I think it makes it approachable for people who might find the giant pressure cookers a little off-putting,” she told us. “[Cooking] can feel like a chore, and you want something that’s going to perform for you, but also communicate to you [that] there’s beauty in every mundane task that we’re doing.”

Kansas City Steaks

With one of us hailing from Texas — aka the number one state in beef cattle production — you can imagine that we were happy to stumble upon Kansas City Steak Company. Our mouths were watering the minute we laid eyes on the two-ounce steak medallions, twice-baked potatoes, and all-beef hot dogs (our personal favorite), and we only became more impressed after we got a chance to try them out for ourselves and hear more about the offerings from chef Ralph Pallarino.

“Instead of your traditional hotdog which usually has lots of scraps and inexpensive cuts of meat, we go with all our great cuts of meat and put it in a hot dog,” he said. “People really love these, and they’re double the size of normal hot dogs. People don’t realize that, but when we do that side by side comparison, it really tells the whole story.”

Le Creuset

While food brands dominated the festival, it’s important to note that there’s also something there for the cookware obsessed. One of our favorite brands, Le Creuset, was on site and there, we got to see the brand’s latest color launch — Pêche — live and in person. With everything from staples like the iconic dutch oven and the fan-favorite bread oven to smaller everyday items, we’re calling it now: this color is bound to become an iconic hue.

And the brand is not only a fan (and Kitchn) favorite — it’s a personality favorite, too. Longtime QVC fans have invited QVC host Venable into their homes for 30 years now, so they know he knows a thing or two about cookware. When we spoke with David, he shared that he too is a Le Creuset devotee. “I love Le Creuset — that is one of my favorite go-to brands,” he shared. “In the fall I love to cook in my Le Creuset [Dutch oven]. I braise a lot of short ribs and pot roasts, and I really don’t mind the season — I’ll do it in the heat of summer!”

New to QVC? Save $20 Off Your First Order of $40 with the code HELLO20 now through June 16!