Chips of the New Block

Last week at the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade's annual Fancy Food Show, more than 2,300 specialty-food makers converged on the Javits Center, all looking to take a bite out of the specialty food market.

Among the sellers of sauces, salsas, candies and sausages, were 62 small businesses marketing snack foods and about 20 selling chips - mostly of the potato variety, but some included pita and polenta chips as well.

Their goal: try to break into the $22 billion U.S. salty snack market with a product compelling enough to grab the attention of consumers, whose choices are dominated by behemoths such as Wise Foods and Frito-Lay.

One of the entrants was Sarah Cohen, a former documentary filmmaker who is now president of Route 11 Chips, based in Middletown, Va.