Official e-Newsletter of the
American Personal & Private Chef Association
March/April 2009
In this edition ...
- From the Executive Director: “Spring” into action, enthused and armed for success!
Click here for more - Upcoming personal-chef training through October
Click here for more - 2009 Personal Chef Summit inspired attendees to “survive and thrive”
Click here for more - Academia Barilla offers APPCA an exclusive BITE
Click here for more - Palate-specific recipe: Idaho Potato Truffle Fries
Click here for more - Chef profile: Passion for cooking-and being organized-made Linda Rosner the chef and teacher she is today
Click here for more - A Day in the Life: “SUPPERMAN” Robert Seibert’s chronology of a delightful dinner for two
Click here for more - “Buy local” is a concept with promise, but not everyone’s clamoring on board
Click here for more - Side Dish
- Open season on Alaska black cod and halibut
- California asparagus in spring glory
- NYC fast-foodies surprised by calorie counts
- Stabilization of consumers’ job-loss fears a precursor to economic growth?
This e-Newsletter was sent to you by American Personal & Private Chef Association. Please add info@personalchef.com or personalchef.com to your address book. This will ensure delivery into your Inbox (not your bulk or junk folders).
From Candy Wallace, Executive Director
Hello everyone!
Today marks the first week of spring, a time of rebirth after having survived a truly severe winter season.
It is also a time and opportunity to experience a rebirth or recommitment to your personal-chef business. Times have been tough, and owning your own business can be stressful, but the other side of that coin is that there are advantages to being able to maneuver quickly to address market conditions rather than sitting and hoping the company that employs you does not succumb to the financial morass that has consumed so many companies of late. You truly control your own fate these days.
What many of us learned at APPCA’s recent Personal Chef Summit in Las Vegas is that those personal chefs who are proactive and are actively marketing and promoting their businesses are working. This is NOT a time to play shrinking violet and sit on the sidelines wringing your hands about the unemployment rate in your area. Get out there and get visible! Potential clients need not only your delicious, palate-specific meals, they need the contributions you make to their well-being. People need to be comforted, re-assured and paid attention to these days, and personal chefs are the perfect, affordable antidote for hungry, stressed-out clients.
The personal-chef industry is here to stay. We grow in numbers each year and have become part of the mainstream rather than still being perceived as a luxury. Those of you out there on the front lines with us are today’s culinary heroes to many individuals and families who choose to eat healthy, eat as a family, and reduce the stress in their lives.
Be proud of what you do, be confident about the value of your services, and be VISIBLE in your communities. People need your services, but if you aren’t out there, they won’t know that they need you and they won’t know how to find you.
If it seems hard these days to project a positive attitude, do what we all did in Las Vegas at the Summit-turn to your fellow personal chefs through the association and feed your hearts by networking with your colleagues. It is amazing what a few days or even a few hours together can create. We all came away from the Summit recharged professionally, creatively and personally after having had access to one another for a few days, and ready to dive back into the marketplace. Do yourselves a favor and get involved in the Forums or by e-mail to your colleagues. It is a gift to yourself that will pay off in renewed enthusiasm for your career choice and a chance to re-charge your personal-chef and small-business-owner batteries.
The financial crisis will eventually pass, like the seasons. Cut your expenses to the bone, market your services daily and take good care of yourselves and your businesses during the downturn so that you can be on your feet and ready to reap the benefits of having survived the “winter” so that you can celebrate the financial “spring” on the other side.
Keep it personal!
P.S. OK, Brent and Denny finally forced me to get on Facebook, and now that I am there, I'm thrilled that we already have so many friends who have joined us. This is going to be a new adventure for all of us, and if you would like to play with us, I'm inviting all of you to be a friend of APPCA on facebook, so please Click Here.
Personal-Chef Training through October 2009
The personal-chef segment of the foodservice industry has expanded enormously and blossomed into a recognized career path, with demand for high-quality food and service growing each year throughout the country. Join us at one of the following scheduled training sessions, where APPCA will deliver a dynamic one- or two-day, high-intensity seminar or Webinar providing the best tools and educational materials in the industry for you to build a successful personal-chef business.
- April 25-26, Lexington College, Chicago
- June 6-7, L’Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Md. (greater Washington)
- August 30, Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo San Diego
- September 11, Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show ORLANDO
- October 3-4, L’Academie de Cuisine, Gaithersburg, Md. (greater Washington)
Mayo Inspires Attendees to “Survive and Thrive” at 2009 Personal Chef Summit
Dr. Fred Mayo of New York University led off the 2009 APPCA Personal Chef Summit at the Tuscany Suites and Casino in Las Vegas on Personal Chef Day (Feb. 23) with a speech entitled “Power and Pride-Getting Motivated for Success in your Business These Days.” Building on Thomas Jefferson's famous line, "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude," Mayo pointed out that personal and private chefs have a great opportunity provided by the current economy. “It is a time to look at personal and professional situations and deepen their knowledge, sharpen their skills, and find new ways of doing business,” he said.
Mayo showed the audience the importance of counting their blessings, complimenting others-in real ways for real actions-smiling, and opening conversations wherever possible. The group practiced these skills and talked in small groups about ways they could build their contacts, expand their businesses and increase their options.
Mayo also taught the group to use POWER in this economy. Perspective, Openness, Wishes, Energy and Research are all tools. Then the group worked on setting goals and practicing PRIDE skills: Perseverance, Resourcefulness, Initiative, Determination and Energy.
“The small groups, the energy of the speaker and the excitement of the possibilities opened in everyone's minds made the keynote address a great way to start the conference and to build the motivation to do well and do better regardless of the economy,” says Summit host and APPCA executive director Candy Wallace. “As Fred said, the economy can make people feel caught in a mess .... 'Some days you are the bug', some days you are the windshield or the note left behind.’ After the presentation, everyone felt charged up and ready to take on the world.”
The rest of the conference built on this theme and helped everyone move forward into a bright future, Wallace says. Presenters who followed Mayo included Janet Rouslin of Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., who helped personal chefs discover ways to better market to special-diet clients, and Tom Herndon of Full Fridge in San Francisco, who spoke on alternate revenue streams perfect for personal chefs seeking additional income during slower economic times. The full day of programming concluded with a panel of established, successful personal chefs who answered a variety of questions from newer chefs to the profession.
Academia Barilla Offers APPCA Members Extra $$
APPCA has established an exclusive relationship with Academia Barilla to help APPCA members "survive and thrive" in a shrinking economy. “We're thrilled about this latest development,” says Candy Wallace, APPCA’s executive director.
Due to the overwhelming response to last week's email, please note below e-mail addresses. If you have any interest in this wonderful opportunity, please send an e-mail with your resume and contact information to the correct manager in your area, as listed below.
Academia Barilla, which is launching an aggressive in-store tasting experience called BITE (Branded, Instore, Tasting, Experience) in most of the nation, believes APPCA members are perfect for the jobs. Academia Barilla is part of the Barilla company, Italy's no.1 brand of pasta.
The in-store tastings are three to four hours long, mostly on weekends (and rarely in the evening), and Academia Barilla's goal is 30 tastings per region per week. Barilla will compensate APPCA members for each tasting. The campaign begins immediately and runs through April, with plans to continue the rest of the year.
"This could be an excellent way for APPCA members to earn some extra income in this tight economy," says Wallace.
Depending on which states members live and work in, the following are key individuals to contact to take advantage of this exclusive APPCA opportunity through Academia Barilla:
NORTHEAST (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C.)
Rosario Procino, rprocino@barilla-usa.com
SOUTHEAST (Florida, Georgia, Texas, Puerto Rico)
Costantino Cicchelli, ccicchelli@barilla-usa.com
MIDWEST (Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota)
Mario Rizzotti, mrizzotti@barilla-usa.com
SOUTHWEST (Southern California, Arizona, Nevada)
Francesco Zimone, fzimone@barilla-usa.com
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Gina Romano, (650) 823-6918
COLORADO, NEW MEXICO, OREGON, WASHINGTON
Kim Sayid, ksayid@barilla-usa.com
APPCA will continue to source opportunities such as the above for the betterment of our personal-chef members.
Idaho Potato Truffle Fries
A palate-specific recipe from
Carol Wallack, chef/owner
Sola, Chicago
Yield: 45 - 50 portions
The following recipe is in volume, perfect to impress a large party or catered event. Wallack won First Place in the Idaho Potato Side Dish Challenge, which was conducted as part of the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Burger Bash on February 19. Her prize was a $5,000 donation to Florida International University made by the Idaho Potato Commission in her name.
35 lbs. fryer oil
30 lbs. rendered beef fat
50 lbs. Idaho russets (60 count)
1 bottle La Truffiere or Urbani white truffle oil, poured into a
spritzer/spray bottle
5 lbs. fresh ground Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 lb. chopped chives
Salt, fine
Method:
Combine fryer oil and rendered beef fat. Heat the fryer to 275 ºF. Cut the potatoes on the fry cutter with a 3/26” blade and place in water. Remove potatoes from water; shake off excess water and dry. Blanch the potatoes in oil. Cool blanched potatoes on sheet pans. (Potatoes may be refrigerated until service) Raise fryer heat to 350 ºF. Drop 2 handfuls of fries at a time into 350 ºF oil. Fry until golden brown. Lift fry basket and let excess oil drain. Place fries into a large mixing bowl. Spritz with truffle oil; sprinkle with fine salt, chives and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Remove from mixing bowl and place on a 15” x 10 ¾ piece of waxed delicatessen paper. Roll up fries in paper and place standing in a pint-sized glass.
Cooking from the Heart
Chef/instructor Linda Rosner has turned what was once an after-school chore-cooking dinner for her family-into a rewarding and successful culinary career.
By Lisa Shames
Linda Rosner may not be a personal chef, but her qualifications (Certified Hospitality Educator, Certified Executive Chef) and varied culinary experiences-manager of a retail/wholesale butcher shop, working in hotel kitchens with Holiday Inns, Inc,. and the Union League Club of Chicago, and manager of three restaurant operations as executive chef-along with her current position as culinary-arts director of Lexington College, give her a unique perspective of the profession. We’re not the only ones who think so-Rosner was recently elected the first female president of Windy City Professional Culinarians, a chapter of the American Culinary Federation.
APPCA: How did you get interested in cooking?
Rosner: When I was small child my parents divorced. When I was 9 my mother gave me the house key and said, “You’re in charge.” My job was to take whatever she pulled out of the freezer and make dinner for the five of us. She worked, and when I would get home from school I would call her and ask, “How do I fix this?” and she would tell me what to do. I would jot down notes and then I would go make dinner. I did this every day Monday through Friday until I went away to college. As I got older, I took over the shopping, so I could plan for the week.
I learned very early on that I had to be organized in order to get things done. My skills developed along the way because I enjoyed it. Some people hate cooking forever even when they learn how and they’re at good at it. But I really enjoyed it because my family always loved everything I made.
When I went away to college, I worked in the dormitory kitchen for two years. At the end of my second year, I moved into an apartment and my two roommates were boys. They didn’t want to cook, but they sure wanted to eat. The deal we made was that I would do all the shopping and cook all the meals, and they would wash all the dishes. My roommates were thrilled since they ate like kings.
APPCA: Why is cooking so important to you?
Rosner: First off, it takes away the pangs of the day-if you don’t eat, you’re crabby. So it makes you feel good. But the other thing is, even when I was in restaurants and cooking for strangers, I always put everything I had into every dish because I just loved food. The people who are receiving it, especially if they are paying for it, can taste and recognize when it is prepared with love, attention and care. It’s also a great way to share who I am and it’s a great way to get to know who they are. It’s a great way to break down walls and make friends.
Just the whole sharing and caring thing, is very much something that I get out of cooking. At the end of the day, my family all sat down for dinner together, and that was the only time when we did that. It was the same with my roommates. We always sat down together and shared the day.
APPCA: Tell me about your culinary background
Rosner: I cooked all the way through college. Every single job I had was food-related. When I got out of college I didn’t have a job, so I came home. One night I was having dinner with my sister, and an old friend stopped by and said, “This food is great. Do you cook like this all the time?” I said, “Yes, whenever I can.” He told me he had a friend who was looking for a cook and suggested I apply. I didn’t think I was good enough, but he convinced me I was.
I went for the interview and three days later I’m working the line by myself, cooking by myself, and I handled it. I knew from the organization skills I had and from loving food as much as I did, I would get the menu down no problem. Everything I made turned out good. When you’re good at something you apparently either like doing it or learn to like doing it, because the results are so good.
APPCA: How did you get into teaching?
Rosner: At the time, I was working at a company where I didn’t like the people I was working with. My friend who was teaching here was leaving, and she suggested I interview for her job. I thought I didn’t know anything about teaching, but she said, “Nonsense! You’ve been teaching with every executive chef position you’ve had.” I’ve been here seven years. The students are very responsive and thoughtful and they care about each other. We try to make it a nice environment for them.
APPCA: You are involved in quite a few foodservice projects and organizations [American Culinary Federation, Share Our Strength, Pro-Start Invitational, C-CAP, FENI] in addition to your teaching position. How and why did you start doing this?
ROSNER: I joined the ACF in 1990-I did so because I was unemployed and I needed a job-and recently, after almost 19 years, I was just elected president of my chapter. When I decided food would be my career, because I didn’t have any formal food education, I felt I needed to learn as much as I could. And if I couldn’t do it at a job, I would take whatever opportunities were offered to me, whether it was paid or volunteering. I made quite a career and reputation of volunteering. Every time I went and volunteered for something, I not only learned how to do something-either well or wrong because a lot of times you go somewhere and learned how not to do it-I met someone who made a difference in my career. I made a lot of friends along the way who knew I loved to do this. I tell the students all the time, you’re not going to learn this stuff in books.
APPCA: What are some of the differences between a personal chef and one in a more traditional setting?
Rosner: As a personal chef you have a lot more freedom to do what you want. A lot of people really feel they want to express themselves. They want to feel they are cooking for someone as their family. When you’re in a restaurant with the surrounding pressures and volume, it really changes how you think in those terms. Now you are looking more at revenues, overhead and things that are directly related to money-making, whereas as a personal chef, you are cooking because you love it, and then it’s a joy and not a chore.
As a personal chef, the thing you have to sell to people is you’re not only providing them with a meal, you’re providing them with the shopping they hate to do. Plus, they are getting meals that are custom made for the requirements they have. If you’re making somebody chili and their kids don’t eat onions, you not going to find onions in that chili. And chili takes more than an hour to make. You’re really covering so many things for them. They come home and dinner is ready and it’s not fake food.
APPCA: What are the biggest misconceptions about personal chefs?
Rosner: That it costs too much. People think, “Oh, I’m paying so much money I could do this myself.” I don’t think so. I think a lot of people with two incomes have about a half-hour to make something edible for dinner. So unless they have things that they just have to heat, I think they are using a lot of convenience products.
APPCA: What skills make for a good personal chef?
Rosner: Organization is certainly the biggest key. You have to be super organized and know exactly what you are doing in order to make it work. You have to be really motivated. You also have to be good at going out and soliciting business or have a partner who is going to be your marketer if that’s not your strong point. You have to be driven with the mindset of “I need more business so I’m going to go out and get more customers.”
APPCA: What advice can you offer those seeking to become personal chefs?
Rosner: As much as you think it’s going to be all fun-cooking is very fun, after all-it’s still hard work because of everything that goes along with it. I don’t think students today understand that. You have to be motivated, organized and used to and agreeable to hard work. People think that it’s like the Food Network. Bam and it’s done. It’s not.
You have to seek it, earn it and work for it. And work for it after you get it. Nothing will come easy. But it has such a satisfying result, I can’t see why people wouldn’t want to do it.
A Day in the Life
Chef Robert Seibert of SUPPERMAN Personal Chef Service in central New Jersey specializes in offering the ultimate in Candlelight Dinners for Two.
What began as a part of the Special Services page of my Web site has now become the source of much of my work. Described on my site as Candlelight Dinner for Two, it has evolved into a complete “evening to remember” by satisfied clients. The best part of all is that it's usually as rewarding for me as it is for my clients... go figure. Designing the menu, constantly trying out new amuse-bouche offerings, wine-pairings, multiple roles as producer/chef/waiter, and preparing an appropriate romantic music mix all help fuel the creative process.
From a marketing standpoint, these events promote themselves once you've “produced” a few as the word-of-mouth advertising blossoms. Clients like to brag to their co-workers and friends about the great and unique gift that they received from their husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend. I find that about two-thirds of my new bookings for these dinners are a result of hearing about it from previous “dinner” clients. Financially, these events can be even more profitable than a 5 x 4 meal service when considering the lower food costs and the gratuities usually provided.
The following account is the chronology of a recent Candlelight Dinner for Two that I presented as a gift from a wife to her husband for his birthday dinner.
Several weeks before the event I presented the client (via PDF file attached to an email) with a proposed menu based on the only restriction being no pork or red meat. After reading the menu she replied with an e-mail that said, “Yum! Yes!” Here was the menu:
Amuse Bouche Trinity
Extra-Aged Pecorino Toscano Cheese w/ Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Blossom Honey
Deconstructed Mission Fig & Greek Olive Tapanade w/ Goat Cheese on Crostini
Red Pepper Jelly, Mascarpone, and Mint on Toasted Crostini
Appetizer
Shrimp Cocktail w/ Spicy Chesapeake Cocktail Sauce
Complimentary Aperitif
Lustau Dry Amontillado Sherry
Soup
Fire-Roasted Red Pepper Soup w/ Basil Crème Fraîche
Salad
Baby Arugula Salad w/ Shaved Extra-Aged Gouda & Ginger-Shallot Mirin Vinaigrette
Entrée & Side Dish
Pan-Seared Sea Scallops w/ Ruby Port Reduction with Okra, Roasted Corn, and Cherry Tomato Skillet Salsa
Wine Pairing
Oreka Getariako Txakolina from the Basque region of Spain
Dessert
Dark Chocolate Mousse w/ Lingonberries & Burnt Sugar Pecans
After Dinner Beverage
Cappuccino
Our previous e-mail communications also established my arrival time (5 p.m.), the actual dinner time (7 p.m.), where I would set the table (their living room by the fireplace), and the kind of music her husband enjoyed (jazz). It was clearly established what is included in the all-inclusive package.
Here is what they're provided with the Candlelight Dinner for Two:
The complete dinner as described in the menu (except they buy the wine that's paired with the entrée, based on an agreed-upon wine budget...which I'll pick up for them- A 4' x 2' table (and chairs if needed) for their living room
- All the linens, dishes, glassware and silverware
- Candles and fresh flowers (tiny and simple)
- Romantic music mix based on the “recipient's” musical preferences (played from an i-Pod and portable docking speakers)
- After-dinner photos of the couple sitting together at the table (to be e-mailed the next day)
- A clean, trash-free kitchen when I leave
Several days before the dinner I pick-up the complimentary sherry and wine that will be paired with the entrée and label it with the client's name and date of the event. Make playlist on i-Pod for the romantic music mix.
On the day of the dinner...
9:00 a.m. Buy the groceries needed for entire menu (minus those items that I stock as pantry items).
10:00 a.m. Return home and refrigerate perishables, portion out ingredients by recipe where possible.
11:00 a.m. Pack from checklist: linens, dishes, glassware, silverware, flowers, vase, candles, travel cooking kit, folding table, two padded folding chairs, Tassimo coffee maker, handled kitchen trash can, garbage bags, paper towels, foil, etc.
Noon. Have some lunch & relax
3:00 p.m. Using checklist for each recipe: Pack all spices, pantry items, dry ingredients and non-perishable fresh ingredients.
3:30 p.m. Pack rolling cooler with ice, proteins, wines and perishables.
3:45 p.m. Finish loading van. Put on chef coat and pants. Load briefcase with i-Pod, speakers, camera and any paperwork needed (menu, recipes that may be needed, directions, contact info).
4:15 p.m. Depart for client's home
5:00 p.m. Arrive at client's home
And the fun begins...
5:00 p.m. The husband answers the doorbell looking bewildered (one eye half-squinting... the opposite eyebrow raised). I say his name, he says, “Yes?” I say, “Happy birthday... I'm making you dinner... your wife wanted you to have a really great evening together... let me unload what I need.”
5:15 p.m. I bring in everything and immediately set the table by the fireplace while the couple is still giggling over the surprise the wife has orchestrated. I also find a location for the i-Pod and speakers.
5:30 p.m. Cover stovetop and surrounding counter space with foil; turn oven to 350 °F (for crostini); slice onion and garlic for soup; slice baguette into thin slices and brush w/ oil; start caramelizing onion for soup; put crostini on baking sheet into oven.
5:45 p.m. Continue preparing fire-roasted red-pepper soup; check on crostini; make vinaigrette; put together basil-infused crème fraîche into squeeze bottle.
6:00 p.m. Crostini have been taken out of oven; melt dark chocolate; whip egg whites and add sugar; whip cream; put mousse together and refrigerate; use immersion blender to get soup to smooth consistency; put roasted-corn salsa ingredients together and refrigerate.
6:40 p.m. Assemble amuse-bouche plates with assembled crostini and chunks of cheese with honey.
6:55 p.m. Start the music; put ice in water glasses; pour San Pellegrino water; invite clients to the table; take all previously set plates back to kitchen.
7:00 p.m. Bring out amuse-bouche plates and explain what they'll be enjoying. Present the complimentary Lustau Dry Sherry aperitif; return to kitchen.
7:05 p.m. Assemble shrimp cocktail and sauce in martini glasses and garnish with lemon.
7:15 p.m. Remove amuse-bouche plates from table; bring out shrimp cocktails; return to kitchen.
7:20 p.m. Plate the soup in flat bowls and garnish with crème fraîche just before presentation.
7:25 p.m. Clear shrimp-cocktail glasses; bring out soup; return to kitchen; clean.
7:30 p.m. Assemble salads (Earthbound Farms pre-washed baby arugula, shaved Gouda, a few slices of fresh strawberry); add vinaigrette just before presentation.
7:40 p.m. Clear soup bowls; bring out salads; do the “pepper thing”; return to kitchen; clean.
7:45 p.m. Plate roasted-corn salsa on dinner plates; put sea scallops on a triple layer of paper towels and top with another triple layer, pressed down to dry as much as possible; clean.
7:55 p.m. Remove salad plates and sherry glasses; present Txakolina wine; ask if they’re ready for the main course.
8:00 p.m. Pan sear the scallops and add to dinner plates; garnish with port reduction.
8:05 p.m. Bring out dinner plates; return to kitchen; wash and dry pots and pans; remove foil from stove; do as many dishes as possible. Assemble dark-chocolate mousse and garnish with lingonberry preserves and extra whipped cream.
8:25 p.m. Clear dinner plates; bring out dessert; return to kitchen.
8:30 p.m. Make cappuccino in Tassimo coffee maker (I always bring this...it's easy to pack, simple to use disks, even easier to clean, and fast)
8:35 p.m. Bring out cappuccino; set up a couple of poses for photos; clear anything from the table that’s not still being used; return to kitchen.
8:40 p.m. Clean up and pack as much as possible-a couple of trips to the van.
8:55 p.m. Join the party. Chat with the clients some more. Ask them if they’re still hungry!
9:15 p.m. Kitchen is clean; van is packed. (Clients ALWAYS help without being asked!) I've left some brochures, cards and a fridge magnet; handshakes and hugs; gladly accept a 30% gratuity; a promise to e-mail them the photos I took and a keepsake menu the next day.
9:20 p.m. Depart for home.
9:40 p.m. Stop at 7-Eleven for a tuna sandwich and iced tea because I'm really hungry!
10:05 p.m. Arrive home; unpack anything that can spoil or needs further cleaning
What's not part of the account above is the interaction with the clients throughout the dinner: questions about the food or its preparation, compliments on the previous dish, questions about the music, and just getting to know each other a little bit better. All of these things, aside from being enjoyable, help build a relationship that will promote future marketing.
When I got home from this day of work it felt great to get off my feet. It was also satisfying to know that what I did for my clients provided them with some great memories, bragging rights to impress their friends, and future work because of a job well done. What a great profession! Cooking, entertaining, making clients smile... AND get paid to do it.
“Buy Local” Has Global Appeal, but Needs More Local Support
The concept of purchasing goods and services from the vendor around the block has a quaint, nostalgic appeal, but new research from Mintel shows that "buying local" still has many fans to earn in America.
According to Mintel's exclusive consumer survey on local shopping, just one in six adults (17%) buy local products and services as often as possible. These "True Locals" are willing to pay a higher price and they'll even buy local if competitive products are better.
But the overwhelming majority of American shoppers don't feel so strongly. Mintel identified 30% of survey respondents as "Aspirational Locals;" they say they would purchase local goods and services, but don't know where to find them. And more than a quarter of adults (27%) are "No Locals," not caring where their food and services come from.
"We found that although the 'buy local' mantra has gotten strong media coverage and government support, most Americans haven't yet incorporated it into their lifestyles," says Krista Faron, senior analyst at Mintel. "Nonetheless, local products offer unique benefits and are more accessible than ever before, so we think the local movement has relevance with today's consumer."
Mintel's survey found that people who purchase local goods most frequently purchase food. Local fruits and vegetables are by far the most common: Three in 10 adults (31%) say they purchase them once a week or more. Approximately one in four shoppers buys local baked goods, meats or cheese/dairy products once a week or more, reports Mintel.
Mintel's Global New Products Database (GNPD) tracked several new local food and drink launches in the United States last year. One was Natural Directions Organic Flour, milled at a small mill in Utah. Blue Chair Fruit Company launched Meyer Lemon Marmalade with Mandarins & Lavender, claiming to use local, sustainable ingredients and support local farms. Even alcoholic beverages caught on: Peak Organic Brewing Company's Maple Oat Ale is brewed from Maine-grown organic oats and Vermont-produced organic maple syrup.
"Local is becoming a desirable product claim, as people try to save money, support their communities and preserve the environment," says Faron. "We found that over half of local shoppers are trying to help their local economy, but they also buy local products for convenience, better taste and the environment. Companies should use these motivations to craft marketing messages that appeal to locally conscious consumers."
Mintel views 25- to 34-year-olds and families with children as the most zealous local shoppers.
SIDE DISH
On the Line NOW: Alaska Black Cod and Halibut. Alaska black cod (also known as sablefish) is revered by chefs and consumers for its high omega-3s content and rich, luxurious flavor and texture. Alaska halibut is known for its hearty texture and mild sweet flavor. “I get pretty excited about the fresh halibut and black-cod season, as they are such wonderful products to work with,” says Chef Naomi Everett of Anchorage. “I believe our natural food resources here in Alaska are a unique and special gift we all share.” The wild Alaska halibut and black-cod season opened March 21, and will extend into mid-November, with frozen product available year-round. Visit www.alaskaseafood.org/recipes/index.cfm for recipes like Oven Roasted Stuffed Wild Alaska Halibut with Beurre Blanc.
Coming up Asparagus.With the help of some of the finest early-spring growing conditions in years, California farmers are gearing up for the harvest of one of the season’s greatest culinary delights: elegant and healthful California asparagus. Starting in March and continuing through June, chefs can bank on the delicate taste, pleasing texture and emerald green color to add widespread appeal to their menus. For colorful, flavorful and profitable menu creations, visit the California Asparagus Commission Web site at www.calasparagus.com/foodservice.
NYC Diners Surprised by Calorie Contents. A recent survey conducted by foodservice consultants Technomic, Inc., revealed that the mandated calorie disclosure for New York City restaurants with 15 or more units is affecting what items consumers order and which restaurants they visit. Technomic found that 86% of restaurant-goers were surprised by the calorie count information now listed on menus or menu boards, with 90% of them claiming that the calorie count was higher than expected. As a consequence, 82% say that calorie disclosure is affecting what they order and 60% say it is affecting where they visit. The researchers also found evidence that suggests a high level of consumer support for mandated disclosure of fat and sodium content in restaurant foods.
Hope for the Economy? New information from The NPD Group, Inc., a leading market research company, shows consumer attitudes toward the economy and intentions to shop at their lowest point since October. Despite consumers’ fading confidence regarding the economy in general, NPD did find evidence of a potentially positive sign in the leveling off of consumers’ concern regarding job security. According to chief industry analyst Marshal Cohen, “Of all the data I look at, this measure provides one of the best indications of how consumers are going to behave. February’s results show consumers feeling better on this front and could signal consumer stabilization, a point at which consumers catch their breath, reassess and prioritize their purchase needs in preparation to begin spending again. Stabilization is a pre-cursor to growth. While I think it’s premature to talk “recovery,’ I think if we are able to spot signs of stabilization, we’ll be better positioned for recovery and then the return to growth.”
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