Fresh Thinking - Blog

Remember Gourmet magazine? Everything imported; if it wasn’t French or Italian, it pretended to be. Today the magazine – as well as that kind of thinking – have gone the way of Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat. Since Alice Walker opened Chez Pannise in Berkeley in 1971, restaurants have moved away from the Gourmet idea of fine dining – toward the newer, healthier local food movement. Case in point: The Farmhouse restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee. Chef and entrepreneur Trey Cioccia opened The Farm House, his first restaurant, in the SoBro neighborhood in 2013. His concept focuses on traditional Southern cuisine and

By Hannah Thompson Educator & Trainer for ANCO Fine Cheese Looks like the word “artisan” has been hijacked! Subway sandwich shops now offer artisan sandwiches, and Domino’s offers artisan pizza. What does “artisan” really mean? It’s meant to refer to foods that are hand-crafted in smaller batches and made with high-quality ingredients, such as ice cream, cheese and bacon. The dairy farmer was once the producer, processor, distributor and marketer of his own milk; that trend is returning as today’s consumers ask for farmstead-made cheeses and other dairy products produced locally with minimal processing. Beyond the cheese, fresh fruits and

By Mark DiDomenico Datassential, Inc. Today’s consumer is much more engaged with the foods and beverages they consume. Subsequently, they are driving faster adoption of trends. Nowhere is this more evident than in the restaurant channel, where operators are challenged with developing new and enticing menu options for their patrons’ ever evolving tastes. Those trends are also providing great challenges and opportunities for supermarkets, which are increasingly competing with restaurants. Datassential recently published an in-depth analysis of how supermarkets can grow their prepared food departments and become popular and profitable food service destinations in their own right. Here are some

By Henry Pellerin Hillphoenix Vice President of Marketing As traditional food-selling lines crisscross and blur — think grocerant — retailers increasingly seek insights from vendors with a view across multiple environments. At Hillphoenix, we have that broad view because our people are on the ground in traditional supermarkets, convenience stores and meal-oriented small-format operations. We transform what we learn in the field into institutional expertise and strategic intelligence for customers. Our people have deep knowledge about merchandising, store design, lighting, food safety, meal programs, shopper engagement and more. You can meet some of our experts at the upcoming Supermarket Sense,

By Kim Camp, Learning Center Programs Manager and Justin Webster, Hillphoenix Design Center Specialist Grocery shoppers love the convenience and variety of ready-to-eat meals. In response, about 75% of food retailers plan to set up self-service bars by early next year, according to a Supermarket News survey published in April. But hot food program newbies have a few things to learn — like the fact that a high-quality hot foods program involves both art and science. Displays must be attractive. Food should look moist and freshly prepared, and also be safe and healthy. At our upcoming Supermarket Sense conference, Sept.