Success never tasted so sweet: food retailers stir up new revenues.

• Author: Kennedy, Linda T.

The tall, white chef hat, named the toque, has always been a symbol of culinary expertise and success. Now, Utah's food-related retail stores are using it to fire up new interest in their products and capitalize on the recession-motivated trend toward home cooking. The results are batches of loyal clients and increased revenues.

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Cooking Goes Cosmopolitan

With the increasing popularity of cable TV's Food Network, limitless recipe-related Websites and more chefs, besides Martha Stewart, reaching celebrity status, preparing your own food now has a glam factor.

"Cooking has recently become very cosmopolitan," says Kelsey Nixon, a Brigham Young University graduate and one of the four remaining finalists on the reality T.V. show "The Next Food Network Star" last summer. "It used to be considered a blue collar industry and now chefs are very respected--almost being viewed as artists."

The trend is supported by financial necessity as much as social interest--the recession has more people back in the kitchen and out of expensive restaurants. Many national food authorities, such as Conde Nast's culinary site, Epicurious.com, The Food Channel, Better Homes and Gardens and NPR food commentator Bonny Wolf, say the hottest culinary trend now is nostalgia cooking--taking old recipes and applying a new technique.

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"The recession has brought back home-cooked meals in a big way" says Wolf in a May NPR report. She says, though, that since people haven't been cooking at home for many years, they're turning to cooking classes. And local retailers are meeting the demand, from handing out recipe cards to stepping students through assembling a sushi roll.

Small Town, Big Ideas

The food industry isn't new to the marketing idea of selling through sampling. Grocery stores have always had employees doling out spoonfuls of the latest product. But since last November, Dick's grocery stores in Davis County have elevated the practice.

While the word "chef" has a natural connotation with "gourmet," Chef Matt at Dick's Bountiful location and Chef Kim at the Centerville location keep cooking simple. Donning chef hats and robes everyday they deliver a condiment-size cup of simple common family fare, like sloppy Joes, enchilada casserole and strawberry shortcake.

While the morning shoppers can see how the food is assembled, this is not a gourmet platform for the public to see ongoing demonstrations or have hands-on participation. But Steve Rich, vice president of marketing for Associated Retail stores, says gourmet instruction is not what they are trying to offer. In Davis county, where half of the households have children under the age of 18 living with them (2007 American Mortgage and Investments data), Dick's targets the family-on-the-run audience--those with busy lifestyles who want quick preparation tips. Most of the meals are designed for customers to feed a family of six under $20.

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