Chinese roasted sweet potato ice cream was one concept presented at the 2012 Innovation Roadshow by David Michael & Co.

Chia seed pudding, speculoos-flavored coffee creamer, authentic Mexican cheese flavors and Chinese roasted sweet potato ice cream were some of the ethnic foods and flavors explored at April’s Innovation Roadshow held by David Michael & Co., Philadelphia.

The Roadshow highlights the company’s best ideas in technical creativity, new flavor development and cost-saving technology. Members of the technical staff start working on their projects a year in advance.

Beth Braciszewski’s innovation was Chia Seed Pudding & Milk Alternative. Chia seeds are said to be the richest known plant source of omega-3. Unlike with flax seeds, the human body can easily digest chia seeds, which makes them very easy to incorporate into everyday foods and beverages. She demonstrated the seeds in a mango-strawberry pudding and vanilla cinnamon chia seed milk alternative. The pudding is all-natural, gluten-free and contains calcium, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Her allergen-free, gluten-free vanilla chia seed milk alternative contains only 50 calories per 8-ounce serving.

A team from David Michael Europe presented speculoos flavors in coffee creamer and ice cream. Speculoos cookies are popular in Belgium and the Netherlands where they are traditionally baked to celebrate St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6. Characterized by their caramelized cinnamon and brown sugar notes, the cookies are generally less spicy and sweeter than their gingerbread counterparts. Alain Pillot, Dorine Rodriguez, Iris Vedrenne, Brigitte Vidal were the team members.

Fernando Garcia, Jorge A. Piedad-Zavala, Maria del Rosario Anaya from David Michael’s Mexico office demonstrated two foods with the flavors of popular Mexican cheeses. Oaxaca fresco (fresh) cheese flavors were found in a crepe served with three sauces. The team also introduced a cotija-flavored cheese-free dip served with a shrimp and poblano flavored tortilla chip.

“Kao Hong Shu” Chinese Roasted Sweet Potato Ice Cream came from Grace Gong, Benjamin Jones and Yue Jian Ping of the company’s Beijing office. Tim Webster was also on the team. The team was inspired by roasted sweet potato, a popular street food in China where it is served plain as a dessert.

Another concept included “Some Like It Hot” crème caramel ice cream by Peggy Pellichero. She used a stabilizer blend that allows the ice cream to be enjoyed straight out of the freezer or heated in the microwave for a few minutes which turns it into a hot crème caramel custard drenched in a caramel and rum sauce.