Specialty produce category gains advocate in radio chef
Specialty produce category gains advocate in radio chef
Which came first, the "foodie" movement or the specialty produce category? The question is as debatable as the chicken-or-the egg query. It is certain, however, that newly introduced food products and people who want to enjoy them continue to complement one another, and each thrives by the mutual benefits the other provides.
The food craze has gone far beyond what can be accurately referred to as even a trend. It has become a significant part of the professional culinary culture, and is quickly melding into the essence of the consumer market. It is a crusade, and one with no end, or even slowdown, in sight. And let's face it much worse things could afflict the general public than taking on the hobby of fine food and beverage, especially when it is partnered with the current strong attention to health and nutrition.
Culinary art in all its forms is stirring up many new business opportunities, boiling over with educational formats and adding spice to world trade, and its all happening while those of us caught up in the foodie rage are sitting contentedly at table enjoying a seemingly non-ending supply of exotic and specialty foods from around the world.
As with most new movements, the public needs guidance and direction from the pros, and that is exactly what Chef Jamie Gwen is offering. Her weekly two-hour live radio show, The Chef Jamie Radio Show on Talk Radio 790, KABC, in Los Angeles advises audiences on ways to use products, responds to call-in cooking questions, offers culinary wisdom, restaurant news and reviews, and features guests from all corners of the culinary world. Although her perspective comes from a professional chefs standing, she has segued into the media end of the business, giving her a diversified and well-rounded colorful opinion on what home cooks want from the industry side of things.
I continually attempt to inspire my foodie audience by introducing new items and helping them learn how to use those products, she said. Food has become so much more than a trendsetting concept or fodder for conversation. There are more foodies in the world than ever before, and they are savvy and adventurous. They use new products as opportunities to gather around the table, to entertain one another and share their culinary art with family and friends.
Chef Jamie also appears monthly as a Celebrity Chef Guest Host on the Home Shopping Network with a signature Chef Jamie food line and cookware that she endorses. She became a certified sommelier in 2003, and in 2004 her third cookbook, So Much To Celebrate, was released. She promotes her sponsors with the same energy she applies in other aspects of her business. In the fresh fruit and vegetable category, she is a major proponent of Melissas/World Variety Produce, also headquartered in Los Angeles.
Melissas is a good example of what a progressive company is doing to help the food industry, said Chef Jamie. It consistently introduces new and exciting items, and thats what makes all categories of cooking fun for people from all walks of life.
She is currently singing the praises of Monstera, a unique tropical fruit offered by Melissas. It is about a foot long with green mosaic hexagon scales, also called tiles. It is eaten as it ripens, and that is apparent when the tiles become loose and, in some cases, pop off the fruit. The product is available only through September.
It tastes similar to cherimoya, and is indigenous to Cuba, Chef Jamie said. It looks like corn on the cob. You just leave it on your kitchen counter and eat a little at a time as it ripens. Its such a fun and interesting food item, and it made a perfect item to share with listeners of my show.
These products inspire consumers to be adventurous in their food choices, and motivate people to experiment more in their own kitchens, she contintued, adding that Companies like Melissas makes it possible for us to have the opportunities to experience these products.
As a professional, Chef Jamie also knows what goes on inside of kitchens in the foodservice industry. Asked if competition is driving the desire for specialty foods, she said that chefs exercise a very positive effect through competition.
There is tremendous camaraderie among chefs, she said. They love to share information with one another, be it a new technique or a newly discovered product. I stay connected to this side of the industry as tightly as possible because there is such a wealth of information shared in professional kitchens. Then I take that information back to my radio show and share it with everyone who listens. Foodservice chefs certainly wouldnt want me doing that if they were afraid of having their secrets revealed. They sincerely want to share, and to help people become better home cooks.
She also agreed that consumers who experience new items in restaurants will often buy the product and attempt to duplicate ot improvise a dish in their own kitchens. Or, they may learn about the item on a radio show like hers, a television program or in a magazine. All these levels of exposure are highly beneficial to the food industry.
Callers often want advice on how to use a food product, she said. Sometimes they want to know about the seasonality of foods. They may ask when a certain fruit or vegetable is in season, or what the best time of year is to buy certain products.
Anything we can do to promote the foodie movement is good, she continued. Cooking and dining are healthy, fun and exciting ways to spend time, bring people together, celebrate events and even non-events and to share in the earths bounty.
Chef Jamie is also the food correspondent for Fox 11 Televisions Good Day L.A. show. She also appears regularly on various national television programs, and writes a monthly column for Orange Coast magazine entitled Food For Thought.
The Chef Jamie Radio Show airs every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific time.
Chef Jamie also shares a full plate of eat well news on her web site at www.chefjamie.com.
The food craze has gone far beyond what can be accurately referred to as even a trend. It has become a significant part of the professional culinary culture, and is quickly melding into the essence of the consumer market. It is a crusade, and one with no end, or even slowdown, in sight. And let's face it much worse things could afflict the general public than taking on the hobby of fine food and beverage, especially when it is partnered with the current strong attention to health and nutrition.
Culinary art in all its forms is stirring up many new business opportunities, boiling over with educational formats and adding spice to world trade, and its all happening while those of us caught up in the foodie rage are sitting contentedly at table enjoying a seemingly non-ending supply of exotic and specialty foods from around the world.
As with most new movements, the public needs guidance and direction from the pros, and that is exactly what Chef Jamie Gwen is offering. Her weekly two-hour live radio show, The Chef Jamie Radio Show on Talk Radio 790, KABC, in Los Angeles advises audiences on ways to use products, responds to call-in cooking questions, offers culinary wisdom, restaurant news and reviews, and features guests from all corners of the culinary world. Although her perspective comes from a professional chefs standing, she has segued into the media end of the business, giving her a diversified and well-rounded colorful opinion on what home cooks want from the industry side of things.
I continually attempt to inspire my foodie audience by introducing new items and helping them learn how to use those products, she said. Food has become so much more than a trendsetting concept or fodder for conversation. There are more foodies in the world than ever before, and they are savvy and adventurous. They use new products as opportunities to gather around the table, to entertain one another and share their culinary art with family and friends.
Chef Jamie also appears monthly as a Celebrity Chef Guest Host on the Home Shopping Network with a signature Chef Jamie food line and cookware that she endorses. She became a certified sommelier in 2003, and in 2004 her third cookbook, So Much To Celebrate, was released. She promotes her sponsors with the same energy she applies in other aspects of her business. In the fresh fruit and vegetable category, she is a major proponent of Melissas/World Variety Produce, also headquartered in Los Angeles.
Melissas is a good example of what a progressive company is doing to help the food industry, said Chef Jamie. It consistently introduces new and exciting items, and thats what makes all categories of cooking fun for people from all walks of life.
She is currently singing the praises of Monstera, a unique tropical fruit offered by Melissas. It is about a foot long with green mosaic hexagon scales, also called tiles. It is eaten as it ripens, and that is apparent when the tiles become loose and, in some cases, pop off the fruit. The product is available only through September.
It tastes similar to cherimoya, and is indigenous to Cuba, Chef Jamie said. It looks like corn on the cob. You just leave it on your kitchen counter and eat a little at a time as it ripens. Its such a fun and interesting food item, and it made a perfect item to share with listeners of my show.
These products inspire consumers to be adventurous in their food choices, and motivate people to experiment more in their own kitchens, she contintued, adding that Companies like Melissas makes it possible for us to have the opportunities to experience these products.
As a professional, Chef Jamie also knows what goes on inside of kitchens in the foodservice industry. Asked if competition is driving the desire for specialty foods, she said that chefs exercise a very positive effect through competition.
There is tremendous camaraderie among chefs, she said. They love to share information with one another, be it a new technique or a newly discovered product. I stay connected to this side of the industry as tightly as possible because there is such a wealth of information shared in professional kitchens. Then I take that information back to my radio show and share it with everyone who listens. Foodservice chefs certainly wouldnt want me doing that if they were afraid of having their secrets revealed. They sincerely want to share, and to help people become better home cooks.
She also agreed that consumers who experience new items in restaurants will often buy the product and attempt to duplicate ot improvise a dish in their own kitchens. Or, they may learn about the item on a radio show like hers, a television program or in a magazine. All these levels of exposure are highly beneficial to the food industry.
Callers often want advice on how to use a food product, she said. Sometimes they want to know about the seasonality of foods. They may ask when a certain fruit or vegetable is in season, or what the best time of year is to buy certain products.
Anything we can do to promote the foodie movement is good, she continued. Cooking and dining are healthy, fun and exciting ways to spend time, bring people together, celebrate events and even non-events and to share in the earths bounty.
Chef Jamie is also the food correspondent for Fox 11 Televisions Good Day L.A. show. She also appears regularly on various national television programs, and writes a monthly column for Orange Coast magazine entitled Food For Thought.
The Chef Jamie Radio Show airs every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pacific time.
Chef Jamie also shares a full plate of eat well news on her web site at www.chefjamie.com.
