Passion For Foods

NASFT Study Confirms What We Suspected

I read with great interest a recent report by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, www.specialtyfood.com that reveals, among other things, that the recession has induced the majority of consumers of specialty food to cook more often at home and to plan more meals ahead of time.  Despite the ongoing economic downturn, they are also continuing to treat themselves to small indulgences like chocolate and cheese. These are some of the findings presented in “Today’s Specialty Food Consumer 2009,” the NASFT’s annual report on consumer spending habits and trends.  (The research was conducted in July 2009 by Mintel International and Greenfield Online based on a survey of 1,500 adults aged 18 and older.)

There can be no doubt, however, that the slow economy across Canada and America has clearly impacted the $65 billion specialty food industry. According to new research from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc., 57 percent of specialty food consumers say they have cut back or changed their spending over the past year, and 52 percent said they will continue to do so in the next year.  Nearly half of all Canadians and Americans purchase specialty foods, but numbers declined in the past year. In 2009, 46 percent of consumers said they purchased specialty foods within the past six months.

Many of the survey respondents indicated that they have reduced their spending on specialty foods due to job losses and / or pay cuts.  Interestingly, however, they still look to gourmet foods for entertaining, and for gifts. They also indicated that their reluctance to buy specialty foods is temporary and that they are eager to keep these foods as part of their daily food consumption patterns. Overall, an estimated 155 million North American consumers are purchasing specialty food on a regular or quasi-regular basis.

Q4 Holiday Sales Still Critical To Industry Success

Fourth quarter sales have always been absolutely critical to our own company’s growth and ongoing success.  We have always found that regardless of how slow the economy is, people still have to eat and they still want to have some small indulgences.  By enjoying some gourmet foods, they can achieve both.  They may delay purchasing a new car or going on an expensive holiday, bu they still want some “small reward” for their daily travails.  In the report, Ron Tanner, Vice President, Communications and Education for the NASFT, confirms what our own findings at our company, www.epicureanfoods.com indicate.

“With the holidays approaching, specialty foods are in a good position to attract discerning consumers who are looking for new gift ideas and distinctive foods and drinks to share with guests.”

New Opportunities for Gourmet Food Companies

This increase in eating at home creates a unique opportunity for specialty food retailers and manufacturers such as our company, www.epicureanfoods.com. For example, the NASFT survey indicates that approximately 82 percent of gourmet food consumers indicate that they are cooking more often at home. As well, those specialty food purchasers with above-average incomes are more likely to give specialty foods as gifts and to keep on hand at home for unexpected guests.  Interestingly, those specialty food purchasers with lower incomes utilize gourmet foods to impress their friends and families.

Coffee, Cheese, Chocolate & Olive Oil Tops for Gourmet Food Purchases

Again, our own experience at Epicurean Foods is consistent with many of the findings of this highly regarded Association. Coffee, cheese, chocolate and olive oil are among the most popular product categories for specialty food purchasers (both for their own consumption and for gifts for others.)

Here are some of the most interesting findings of the study:

• Gourmet food consumers spend $111 per week on food on average.
• Individuals aged 18 – 34 are most likely to purchase specialty foods.
• 19 percent of specialty food consumers buy specialty food online and this channel is growing.
• The Food Network is by far the most popular cooking show destination, and is viewed by approximately 90 percent of gourmet food purchasers.
• Organic foods have the greatest appeal to consumers aged 35 to 44.
• Women are spending 7% more on weekly gourmet food purchases than in 2007; men are spending about 7 % less.

It is with these interesting facts in mind that we will continue to grow our business by selecting only those products that we believe are excellent value and that have above-average taste profiles.  As always, however, we welcome comments and suggestions on how we can better serve our customers.

Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,

www.epicurean foods.com

Gourmet Food Industry Filled With Passionate People

One of the first things that I noticed when we started our company, www.epicureanfoods.com, way back in 1993, was the passion that many of the company founders and executives have for their companies, their products and the gourmet food industry in general.  This is a genuine passion that quite honestly cannot be “faked“.  One either has it or not.  If you are employed in the gourmet and specialty food business and have a passion for it, going to work every morning is really not a huge chore.  Rather, it is usually a “labor of love” that feels more like a hobby or favorite pastime than a source of income.  If you don’t have it, working in this industry is simply a job, like virtually any other.  One of the best aspects of this industry is the opportunity to work with true specialty food professionals - people who really love what they are doing and share that with everyone they meet.

Cobblestone Kitchens’ Passion for Excellence

Since the late 1990’s, when we first met Kim & Peter Reid, (the husband-and-wife team owners of the fabulously successful Cobblestone Kitchens), we have been impressed with their passion for excellence for all aspects of the company.  Like many of the other husband and wife teams whom we have met in our industry, Kim and Peter have complementary skills that have enabled them to grow their company into an amazing success story.  (Since the early 1990’s, the Toronto-based Cobblestone Kitchens has produced an extensive array of cupcake mixes, cocktail mix kits, cocktail rim trims, gourmet hot cocoa mixes and scone mixes.) They are both exceptionally intelligent and insightful people who are able to assess and overcome the ongoing difficulties that arise from operating a gourmet food company.

“Good Enough” Just Doesn’t Cut it at Cobblestone Kitchens

Over the years, we have watched many other companies that apparently felt comfortable “cutting corners” wherever necessary.  Gross profit margins and bottom line results seemed to be more important than producing a quality product.  This is certainly not the case with either Kim or Peter.  Because they such a “passion” for their business and their products, they are completely focused on producing products that exceed their customers’ expectations every time.  The short-term benefits of cutting corners to save profits never outweigh the long-term benefits of expanding their loyal customer base.  Stated simply, “Good enough doesn’t cut it” at Cobblestone Kitchens.

A “Passion for Food Excellence” Can Sometimes Be Expensive

I have come to understand and respect Kim & Peter’s true commitment to food excellence more and more as we continue to do increased business together.  I have also come to understand that sometimes, this passion for food excellence can be quite expensive…

(Without revealing anything that was told to me in confidence), Peter recently shared with me that they were destroying the equivalent of a truckload of packaging materials that had become obsolete, due to some FDA nutritional labeling requirement changes.   The amount of money involved was significant and would certainly impact their own “bottom line” for the year.  Rather than attempting to sell the products with (the admittedly minor) labeling deficiencies in their labels, they opted to not use them.  They put the health and well-being of their customers (who rely on the accuracy of the nutritional label panel) ahead of profit maximization.  Only those company founders with such a deep-rooted “passion for food excellence” would behave in such a manner.

We Are Fortunate To Have Cobblestone Kitchens As A Partner

It is reassuring for us, as purveyors of some of the world’s finest gourmet and specialty foods, to have a supplier / partner as dedicated to excellence as Kim & Peter Reid of Cobblestone Kitchens are.  It is with this knowledge that we can continue to confidently offer their products to our discerning customers across Canada and America.  We all know of and have dealt with companies where “good enough” is the daily norm.  We are very fortunate to have Cobblestone Kitchens as a supplier who shares our own “passion for food excellence”…

Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,

www.epicureanfoods.com

I have just finished reviewing a report tabled by the National Retail Federation which is projecting that 2009 US Holiday Sales will decline to $437.6 billion, a one percent decrease from 2008 levels.  This is a reasonably significant drop from the average 3.4% annual growth rate (year-over-year) of the past 10 years, but not as steep a decline as the 3.4% drop experienced last year or the 3.0 average drop for 2009 to-date.

I would tend to agree with NRF Chief Economist Rosalind Wells, who stated:

“As the global economy continues to recover from the worst economic crisis most retailers have ever seen, consumers will focus primarily on practical gifts and shop on a budget this holiday season”

As I mentioned in my blog recently, this macro trend is consistent with what we have been seeing as we analyze our sales patterns of the past few weeks and months.  Consumers everywhere are becoming increasingly pragmatic in how they purchase everything, gourmet foods being no exception.  Long gone are the days of “conspicuous consumption”, where it seemed like it was more important to be seen consuming luxury items than to actually be enjoying and appreciating them.

We sensed this trend of “consumer pragmatism” several months ago and began trying to source what we believe are very good value, practical gourmet food gifts. Such gifts often are an ideal solution for those  “hard-to-buy-for” people we all have on our Christmas Shopping Lists.  Specialty teas, gourmet chocolates, chocolate truffles and even high-end extra virgin olive oils can all be appropriate Holiday Gifts and are often very well received.

While there are some encouraging signs that the economy has begun to improve slightly (such as higher-than-forecast housing sales in August and a steady, upward trend in the stock market), ongoing consumer uncertainty about their own job security and housing values will definitely weigh the market down this holiday season.   This can only translate into a good buying opportunity for savvy consumers as retailers everywhere offer ever-increasingly aggressive prices.

Once again, the savings that can be found on our company’s website, www.epicureanfoods.com, are indicative of this much larger trend.  We have “sharpened our proverbial pencil” to try to cater to our value-seeking, practical customers.  Our own experience this year appears to be consistent with many other vendors, according to NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin, who was quoted in the report as follows:

“Retailers’ focus on the holiday season has been razor-sharp with companies cutting back as much as possible on operating costs in order to pass along aggressive savings and promotions to customers.”

Like so many other gourmet food producers, we have been forced to make rather drastic operating cuts in order to be able to pass these aggressive prices along to our customers.  We are also working with our suppliers to try to get the best possible prices so that we can pass these savings on to our customers.  In summary, it all adds up to be a really great time to be a gourmet and specialty food consumer…

Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,

www.epicureanfoods.com

The entire report can be viewed at www.nrf.com/holidays

Price Not The Biggest Factor In Buying Decision

I read with great interest a recent report done by The Hartman Group (www.hartman-group.com) that indicates that contrary to what many marketers in the gourmet food industry would intuitively believe, price is not the most important factor when purchasing gourmet foods.  In fact,  as part of its study, “The New Value Paradigm: Theatrics of Thrift,” the Bellevue, Wash.-based market research company asked consumers to rank 25 different statements about gourmet food products.  “It works well/tastes good,” came in No. 1,  followed by concerns about waste, such as “Will this product actually be consumed in its entirety by my family?”  Interestingly enough,  “Price” only came ins the sixth most important purchasing criterion.

While a great deal has been written about how  consumers are “watching their pennies” in this economic downturn, it does not necessarily mean that they are willing to compromise quality and / or value for a lower price.  Most consumers of specialty foods would tend to agree that a purchase with a great (low) price that ultimately turns out to be disappointing when it is served is really not a deal at all.

This Isn’t Really A Revelation When You Think About It

Quite honestly, this is not really news to me.  It only stands to reason that a product whose primary feature is a low price point (at the expense of everything else) is likely not a “good value” proposition.  If you decide to purchase a lesser-priced gourmet food, only to get home and be disappointed with its taste profile, you’ll likely regret ever buying it in the first place.   Such a purchase would certainly not qualify as “good value” under any definition.

“Value” is a Balance of Price and Relative Quality

One of the factors on which we base our decision to carry a product or not is its price - quality ratio.  If an item’s cost is comparatively low vis-a-vis similar quality items, we are inclined to consider it for our clients, as it represents excellent value.  Conversely, the if price of a given item is high relative to other competitive offerings available in the market, we are unlikely to add it to our ever-growing portfolio of gourmet foods.  Obviously, there are a myriad of other factors that we consider when listing any new gourmet foods, but price is quite far down the list.

“Good Value” Doesn’t Necessarily Mean “Inexpensive”

Some of the more expensive items that we carry are “excellent value” but are certainly not the least expensive products available in their category.  Two examples of this are the Prospero line of gourmet Salsas and the pasta culinario line of wine-based, gourmet pastas and pasta sauces. Neither of these would be considered inexpensive (they are in the mid-to-high price range) but we have learned over the years that our customers are not necessarily looking for the least expensive alternative.  The old adage of  “you get what you pay for” is true for most products and gourmet foods are no exception.

No Plans To Change Our Product Selection Process Due To Economy

While there can be no doubt that consumers everywhere are spending their hard-earned money very carefully, even this recession, our Sales patterns show us that our customers want value for their money above all else.   The N.A.S.F.T. (National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, www.specialtyfood.com) defines gourmet and specialty foods in the following manner:

“Specialty food products shall mean foods, beverages or confections meant for human use that are of the highest grade, style and/or quality in their category. Their specialty nature derives from a combination of some or all of the following qualities: their uniqueness, exotic origin, particular processing, design, limited supply, unusual application or use, extraordinary packaging or channel of distribution/sale, the common denominator of which is their unusually high quality.”

You will note that the price of  specialty foods is not even mentioned in this description.  Generally speaking, our gourmet food clients who are seeking specialty items (such as pasta sauces and salsas) want excellent quality above all else.  The value proposition, however, remains a very important influence in the buying decision.

Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,

www.epicureanfoods.com

The Recent Downturn May Be Blessing in Disguise

Like virtually all companies in almost every industry on the planet, gourmet food manufacturers have been hit hard by the ongoing downturn in the economy.  Generally sluggish sales across all channels have been exacerbated by the mass delisting of premium quality gourmet food products by many upscale grocers.   While these “de-lists” are always a shock to any gourmet food company’s top and bottom-lines, once the initial shock has passed, it presents an opportunity for specialty food producers to “get back to their roots”.  (At Epicurean Foods, we feel qualified to discuss this growing trend because we have first-hand experience with it.  We recently suffered de-listing of all of the products that we had with two of the county’s leading upscale grocery stores.)

Many Grocery Stores are Struggling To Survive

The grocery store chains are not immune to the downturn in the economy any more than virtually every other type of business (in or out of the food industry.)  As behemoths such as Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club and Target and others continue to expand their presence in the grocery business, traditional grocery stores are forced to operate in an ever-increasingly competitive environment.

Previously (i.e. when the economy was stronger), this competitive environment meant that upscale grocers tried to distinguish themselves from their competition by offering increased product selection and superior service, among other things.  Seafood counters, in-store specialty bakeries, whole international foods sections and broad category offerings of “hard-to-find” gourmet and specialty foods had become the norm for grocery store chains attempting to attract upscale consumers to their store.   (For example, upscale lines like our Small Pleasures Teas, pasta culinario pastas and pasta sauces, Windermere Herb Farm Dip Mixes, Rubbit On! Spice Rubs and Regan Ridge Bread Dippers were all available as a premium quality alternative to the national brands.)  The prevailing logic was that every grocery store carries bread and milk and eggs.  That was a given.  To attract the highly sought-after upscale “yuppie” consumer, there needed to be another “draw” to the store.  The extra cost of offering the convenience of enabling these customers to purchase their gourmet and specialty foods when they did their regular weekly grocery shopping was a price that many upscale grocers were willing to pay.

Back to the Basics

The ongoing downturn in the economy is causing grocers to “get back to the basics”, where all unnecessary costs are being eliminated.  The extra costs of offering the slower-moving gourmet and specialty items have been deemed as unnecessary.  As a result, product selection has been severely reduced, if not eliminated entirely, by many grocers across North America.  In short, grocery stores are focusing exclusively on selling groceries at the cheapest possible price.  There is little emphasis on gourmet.

While the upscale grocery channel was never a central focus of our business strategy, it has now been virtually eliminated as a sales channel.  However, once this new reality was fully processed by us, it became increasingly evident that in a Web 2.0 world, the traditional sales channels that we had been using since we started our company in 1993 have been steadily decreasing in importance to us.  In summary, we have been transitioning from being “Epicurean Foods International Inc.” to “www.epicureanfoods.com” for the past few years anyways.  This latest industry-wide grocery-store product rationalization is just the next step in the transition.

“It’s Not A Problem, It’s An Opportunity”

While it may seem a bit trite to state, this recent industry-wide development is not really a problem for us and for many other resourceful gourmet food companies across Canada and America.  Regardless of what the economy does or what decisions grocers make, the gourmet food business continues to grow steadily.  Upscale consumers everywhere are demanding different, interesting and unique specialties that add “flavor” (if you’ll pardon the pun) to their lives.  Increasingly, the Internet is the channel in which they find these increasingly hard-to-find items.  Since 1998 when we first began offering our gourmet foods online through our website, www.epicureanfoods.com, it has steadily grown to become our primary sales channel.

Greg Sprout, Co-Founder,

www.epicureanfoods.com

Cocooning - A 1980’s Trend That Continues Today

In the 1980’s, celebrated futurist, Faith Popcorn, coined the word “cocooning” in her now famous book, The Popcorn Report, to describe the widespread trend of people spending more time in their homes.  She correctly predicted that with the changing demographics and the uncertain economic times experienced in that tumultuous decade, many people would curtail their restaurant dining, exotic holidaying and other outside-the-home activities in favor of family activities that could be conducted at home.

There were many implications of this far-reaching trend, including a new housing and home renovation boom (that lasted until only recently, when the most recent economic recession took hold.)  As well, home entertainment, with wide-screen televisions and surround-sound, became a central part of many households and remains very popular today.  The home renovation boom gave rise to the “weekend warrior”, that brave breed of men (and, increasingly,  women) who wanted to complete at least some of their home improvements themselves.  The Garden Center and Landscaping industries also thrived, as legions of suburbanites wanted to increase their quality of life both inside and outside their homes by improving its aesthetics.

There were many other examples of shifts in consumer demand that also contributed to this trend.  The result, however, is that people across North America have become much more interested in improving the quality of their home lives.  Most futurists and demographers feel that there is no credible reason to believe that this trend will end anytime soon.

Gourmet Home Cooking Grew Rapidly in Popularity

In addition to the industries and past-times noted above, gourmet cooking began to grow in popularity during this time, with the advent of television celebrity chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart and many others.  Increasingly, both men and women were anxious to use their newly renovated designer kitchens and to employ the cooking techniques that they had seen on the Food Channel. For many people, gourmet food became a central part of their daily lives, their social network and their hobbies.  (This cocooning trend continues today and in fact, appears to be growing even faster, with the recent severe downturn in the world economy.)  Stated simply, people are searching for ways to reduce costs, but simultaneously, return to more traditional family values.  By cooking more gourmet foods at home, both of these goals can be achieved.

Gourmet Doesn’t Need to be Difficult!

One of the most common questions about the 1,000’s of gourmet foods that we offer our customers at www.epicureanfoods.com is simply “How can I prepare gourmet foods without spending hours in the kitchen?”  We’ve learned over the past 16 years of working in the gourmet food industry that while people increasingly love to cook and they are definitely searching for a simpler lifestyle (i.e. they are “cocooning”), they also want simple solutions to achieve these goals.  Most people (especially busy Moms!) are not interested in simply replacing the stresses of the “outside world” with new stresses of working for several hours in the kitchen preparing “gourmet meals” for their families and / or friends!  In essence, they don’t want just gourmet, they want “gourmet solutions.”

Even Pasta Can Become “Gourmet” With Almost No Extra Effort

One of the simplest examples that I can provide to illustrate this point of how people today want “gourmet solutions” is a line of pastas and pasta sauces that we’ve created called pasta culinario. (There are four pasta sauces that we have created that turn the everyday into gourmet.  The sauces are all wine-based.  That is, we use different types of wine in each sauce to “marry” with the other more traditional ingredients.)

One of the most popular of these pasta sauces is our Roasted Portobello Mushroom Pasta Sauce With Pinot Noir Wine. The French have an interesting expression for describing how a wine’s taste is indicative of where it was produced.  They call it “le gout de terroir” or literally translated, “the taste of the land“.  Pinot Noir is a wine that enthusiasts will often describe as “having a barn-yard nose”.  (This simply means that the wine itself has an “earthy” aroma and bouquet, reminiscent of freshly turned topsoil.)  Similarly, portobello mushrooms have an earthy aroma.  When the “earthy” taste of the Pinot Noir wine is combined with the “earthy” taste of the portobello mushrooms. a wonderfully unique taste is created.  By simply using a “ready-to-heat-and-serve” jar of gourmet pasta sauce, everyday pasta meals can instantly be enhanced.  When combined with one of our gourmet pastas, a restaurant quality meal can be created in just a few minutes, with almost no “muss and fuss”.  It’s an ideal solution for today’s busy lifestyle that more people are discovering every day.

Many “Gourmet Solutions” Are Available & More Are Coming Every Day!

In my upcoming blog entries, I plan to expand further upon this concept of “gourmet solutions“.  There are so many wonderful gourmet foods that are now available that can make dining a simple, yet elegant and thoroughly enjoyable affair.  More fabulous specialty and gourmet food products are being added every day by producers around the world and it is Phyllis’ and my challenge to continue to discover them and to bring them to our discerning customers!

Greg Sprout,

Co-Founder, www.epicureanfoods.com

In some of our my earlier blog entries, I’ve talked about having a natural passion for foods. Fortunately, for as long as I can remember, I’ve always had this passion, largely as a result of my own upbringing, where food was always such an important part of our daily family life. I have also been very fortunate in that I have worked in the fine wine and fine food industries for over 20 years and have seen, first hand, the passion that other people in our industry have. I find it truly inspiring to witness, firsthand, their commitment to excellence in the production and marketing of their gourmet products. Occasionally, in my blog, I plan to share some of my experiences in dealing with other professionals who are also blessed with this same passion.

Kim & Peter Reid, Cobblestone Kitchens

We have known Kim & Peter Reid since 1995. We had started our business www.epicureanfoods.com, a few years earlier, and they had opened their company, Cobblestone Kitchens, at about the same time. They began producing gingerbread houses for the specialty market and enjoyed almost immediate success. (Peter had been working as a Product Manager for a multi-national company that had begun offering some gingerbread house products to the “Mass Market”. Regretfully, the gingerbread house kits that they were offering were rather mediocre quality and the company seemed uncommitted to them.) Together, Kim & Peter saw an opportunity to start their own business creating high-quality, reasonably priced gingerbread house kits to the specialty market and literally “jumped on the opportunity”. They have never looked back…

Complementary Products Soon Followed:

It didn’t take long for Kim & Peter to realize that there was great market demand for other similar items to their unique premium quality gingerbread house kits. They soon added gourmet hot chocolates, scone mixes, cocktail mixes, and rimming salts & sugars and some fabulous gourmet gift sets. They worked incredibly hard to develop excellent product packaging and taste profiles. They had a true passion for their products and for their vision of where they wanted to take their company. We saw their passion and in 2008 began offering their wonderful gourmet specialties to our customers.

Uncompromising Quality:

During a recent tour / inspection of their plant, I was again impressed with the meticulous attention to every detail of their products. Kim & Peter personally select and approve all of the raw materials that they use in each of their products. It struck me how they have selected raw materials based on their quality, not their cost. For example, they use only the very best cocoa available for their base of their hot chocolate mixes. They also use natural sweeteners (and other natural products) whenever possible. This requirement of using only the highest quality components is reflected in the tastes of their products.

Their commitment to product quality and food safety is also extremely impressive. They operate from a HACCP Certified facility. (HACCP is an anachronism for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point quality control system unique to the food industry. It is the equivalent of the now widespread and highly regarded ISO (International Standards Organization) that documents and regulates quality controls in companies worldwide. Only food companies that have made a very serious commitment to excellence in every aspect of their business are able to achieve HACCP Certification.) Since food safety is so critically important to everyone these days, we were pleased to see their unconditional commitment to quality in this area.

Their Passion Is Evident

Peter & Kim are much like Phyllis and I are in many ways. They both have their comparative strengths and weaknesses, but together, make a wonderful team. In areas that Peter is not as strong, Kim more than compensates and vice versa. However, they both have an uncompromising commitment to develop and offer only the highest quality gourmet and specialty foods with excellent taste profiles. Despite this commitment to the highest quality, their products also represent excellent value to even the most discerning customers.

We Share Their Passion for Excellence

Since the first days of our company, we have always been passionate about the quality of all of the foods that we produce. (Like everyone else, however, there are days when this commitment could easily be challenged!) It would be easy for us and our Associates to simply say ” Oh, it’s good enough - just ship it“, when production and quality problems arise. In working with people like Kim & Peter, and seeing the passion that they have for creating nothing but excellent quality gourmet foods, it helps us to keep our passion for food alive and well…

Greg Sprout,

Co-Founder, www.epicureanfoods.com

What Does “Passion for Food” Mean?

I think that it’s entirely appropriate that one of the first posts to my blog is to share what exactly it is when I talk about “passion for food“.  I suppose that this phrase could mean many different things to different people.  I also think it’s important that I outline exactly what it means to me (and my wife and business partner Phyllis), as it is so much a part of our lives, both personally and professionally.

Began At An Early Age

I’m not entirely sure where my passion for foods began exactly.  I just know that for as long as I can remember, I’ve had it.  Even as a kid growing up, I have memories of being “very particular” about what we ate for our family meals and, just as importantly, how these meals were “presented”.  It was always very important in our family that what we were eating was extremely good quality and that, when the preparation was at last completed, the food looked fabulous on the plate when it was served.  (”Presentation is everything!” was the standard line, used jokingly on a daily basis.)  My parents and my siblings all felt this way as well.  The unspoken consensus always seemed to be that “we all needed to eat to survive, so we may as well take the time to do it well.” If eating and food are such an important part of our very existence,  why would we not take a keen daily interest in what we ingest every day?  It seems obvious that since food is so critical to life itself, we would want to make it as enjoyable as possible…

This Passion Is Contagious!

When I first began my business career and had the opportunity to meet and do business with people over lunch or dinner, I was very fortunate that I met many people who shared this passion for fine food and fine wine.  Particularly when I was in the fine wine industry, I did business with many people who had traveled the world extensively and who, in the course of their own business and personal lives, had experienced the opportunity to enjoy some of the world’s best foods and wines.  They had eaten in the best restaurants, had savored the world’s best wines and appreciated the best foods.  While admittedly, there were a few who were quite pretentious their experiences, they were, thankfully, a tiny minority.  Most of these people also sincerely and genuinely loved what they were doing with their careers.  They enjoyed “the finer things in life“, without being arrogant or ostentatious.  They had a passion for food…

We Carry That Passion Today

It’s been few more years than I ‘d like to admit since I first began my career in the fine food and wine business, but, fortunately, this passion that I first discovered as a kid is still burning strong.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there are few things that Phyllis and I (and now, our kids) enjoy more than preparing and eating a good meal with family and friends.  (Good food, good wine, good friends…what more could we possibly ask for ??!!)

We are also very fortunate that we are able to earn a living sharing our passion for fine foods with so many of our customers. (Through our business, www.epicureanfoods.com, we produce and distribute some of the world’s finest gourmet and specialty foods.)  Interestingly, many of our gourmet food suppliers are also owned and operated by people who share our passion for fine foods. (Also interestingly, many of these owners are husband and wife teams as well.)   On a daily basis, we see their dedication to excellence.  We see how they work so incredibly hard to produce their own truly superb truffles or coffees or chocolates or pastas or scone mixes or wine jellies or teas or gourmet spice rubs or a whole host of other fabulous foods.  Their passion for their life’s work (i.e. the creation of their own wonderfully unique, superb quality gourmet and specialty foods) is contagious.  It makes us realize that we are very lucky that we’re in such a fun business…

Greg Sprout,

Co-Founder, www.epicureanfoods.com

How Do You Match the Food  and the Wine?

One of the things that people often tell me that they find a little intimidating is how to match a wine to a particular food dish that they are planning.  They say that they really have no idea to try to find a wine that will match the food(s) and fret that they will perhaps ruin the food and /or the wine by pairing them together.  While they may have some legitimate concerns in this area, they can largely solve this small problem by following a few simple guidelines:

The Wine & The Food Should Never “Compete”

Probably the single-most most important thing to remember when you’re trying to marry a food and a wine is to ensure that the style of the wine is similar to the style of the food.  Wine is a food - it is meant to complement the other foods that are being eaten at the time.  The wine in your glass should never “compete” with the foods on your plate.

Match The “Style” of The Food To The “Style” of The Wine:

If you’re serving a pasta dish with a spicy pasta sauce, consider serving a “spicy” wine, like a Zinfandel from California or a Chateau Neuf du Pape from France.  These wines have what some wine drinkers describe as having a “big, full-bodied” taste.  Similarly, the taste of the thick, rich pasta sauce will likely be full bodied and perhaps, a little spicy.  These are perfect matches.

Conversely, if you are serving a delicately flavored dish with subtle tastes, a full bodied wine will simply overpower them.  A simple shrimp cocktail appetizer would be dominated completely by a big, oak-aged Chardonnay.  A lighter, dry Riesling from Canada’s Niagara Region or Pinot Gris from Italy would be a much better pairing.

You Have To Serve Red Wine With Red Meats & White Wine With White Meats NOT!)

If there ever was an oversimplification, this is likely it.  Again, bearing in mind what we just talked about, this old rule is just too general to be of much help.  (In fact, a few years ago, there was a best-selling book dedicated to this very topic.  It was aptly named “Red Wine With Fish“.)  Don’t limit your selections using this outdated rule-of-thumb.

If All Else Fails, Serve a Sparkling Wine:

Not that drinking champagne (or sparkling wine) should ever be considered a hardship, if you’re  in “a bit of a pinch”, it’s almost impossible to go wrong by serving a glass of bubbly.  If nothing else, the festive nature of champagne adds an incomparable charm to virtually any table and any dish!

Bon appetit

Greg Sprout

Co-Founder, www.epicureanfoods.com

Welcome!

I’d like to welcome you to my personal blog.  I’m glad and thankful that you’re taking a minute to visit.  I hope that you find my opinions, insights, experiences and my passion for fine wine and fine food to be helpful, entertaining, occasionally somewhat provocative but most importantly interesting.  I will be discussing a wide range of topics related to my life’s passion (and for the past 20+ years) my work: namely fine foods and fine wines.

Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself:

First, by way of personal background:

Since 1989, I have been married to my wife, Phyllis.  Together, we have been blessed with six beautiful, healthy children, currently aged from 17 to 5 years old.  (We brag that we really did some “excellent planning”, as we have three girls and three boys.  We apparently perfectly planned their arrivals, as they alternate between male and female with each successive child.)  As of today’s date, they range in age from 17 to 5.  They are all actively involved in sports of every kind and regularly help us in our family business, Epicurean Foods.  They take up much of our so-called “leisure” time.

Business Background

The remainder of most of our days is spent running our business that we started in 1992.  At Epicurean Foods, we produce and distribute several hundred of our own gourmet foods and distribute over 1,000 more.  We wholesale them to specialty retailers (such as gourmet food stores, gift stores and gift basket packers) across North America.  We also have a thriving retail business, where consumers can purchase these wonderful foods direct, for their own consumption.  This is done through our website, www.epicureanfoods.com and through our retail store at the front of our warehouse.

A Brief History

Phyllis and I have always been keenly interested in fine food and fine wines.  (Before we were married, entertainment for a Saturday often included scouring through numerous cookbooks to find interesting recipes.  Much of the rest of the day would then be spent at several specialty stores sourcing all of the ingredients required to make the  3 or 4 (or 5 or 6!) course dinner that we had planned.  Much time and care was always taken to ensure that the wines that we had chosen for each course were “perfect marriages” with the food.  The actual preparation of the food would often take hours, but it was all part of the fun and the ritual.  Only after several hours of “hustle and bustle” and many hours after we had decided what the “bill of fare” would be for that evening would we actually sit down to eat and drink.

It was then that the serious critiquing of what we had done well and what we would do better next time seriously began.  (I think that often, some of our family and friends who were eating with us, truly believed that we had lost all sense of reality by this point.)  No aspect of the meal went “un-analyzed”…nothing was ever so good that it could have been done slightly better the next time…

Despite being our own harshest critics, we always loved the entire process (that could easily take 15 hours from planning to shopping to preparation to actually eating and critiquing).  We truly adored creating a lovely meal for our family and friends and our selves, as this was our hobby and our passion…

Turn A Hobby Into A Business

In a nutshell, that is exactly what we did we started Epicurean Foods.  After a five year stint in the Ontario fine wine industry, it was time for a change.   We channelled our passion for fine food and fine wines into our start-up company.