Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2015 www.gourmetnews.com FROM THE PUBLIHER 4 As we go to print, our Oser Communications Group editorial team is just back from the Na- tional Restaurant Asso- ciation's annual trade show, where the indus- try was celebrating its sixth year of growth and looking to find even more ways to persuade consumers to buy their food from restaurants in- stead of grocery stores and, perhaps, never to cook in their own homes at all. Consumers are following along, but only part of the way. Restaurateurs are affected by some of the same consumer trends that affect both the specialty foods and housewares industries. All of us are hearing con- sumers say that they want to eat nutri- tious foods that will keep them healthy, they want transparency about what's in the food they're eating, and they're deeply concerned about our culture's conflicting messages about food and deeply suspicious of food that comes to them in packages. They want to eat local food, and they'd like to be able to trust their food and the people who provide it to them – they just aren't sure they can. Restaurateurs are exploring ways to meet those needs while also persuading their guests that eating out is just more fun than cooking at home. It is our job to convince our customers that as much fun as it might be to eat out occasionally, we don't want to be dependent on some- one else to cook all of our food for us. That might involve becoming involved with a local food program or farmers market to hand out recipes for seasonal produce and perhaps put on a cooking demonstration. It might involve volun- teering at a school that has a garden proj- ect to teach kids how to turn the vegetables from their garden into a deli- cious salad. It might involve finding new opportunities for children to join us for a cooking class and watch their enthusi- asm spill over to their parents. Many of our readers are doing some of these things already, and they're finding for themselves what restaurateurs are also learning: that the businesses that are most involved in their communities tend to be successful in terms of their sales volume too. Above all, while we respect profes- sional chefs and their skills and their pas- sion for food, it's time to stop assigning all authority in food matters to them and make sure that our customers know that they can have the knowledge, the skills, the kitchen tools and the groceries to feed themselves and their families. Chefs might be the professional cooks of the world, but our customers are the home cooks who do it for love. It's always a good thing to share a little more love. GN — Lee M. Oser Publisher WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Lee M. Oser ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS Kim Forrester Jules Denton jules_d@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Richard Thompson ASSISTANT EDITOR Micah Cheek CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Amber Gallegos GRAPHIC DESIGNER Yasmine Brown ACCOUNT MANAGER Lynn Hilton Cathy Newman CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Caitlyn Roach caitlyn_r@oser.com CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Product Wrap-up & Classified Sales Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300 G OURMET N EWS ® OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP PRESIDENT Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of pro- prietary classified information. ©2015 by Oser Communications Group. All rights re- served. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without writ- ten permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and dis- tribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 annu- ally to cover air delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520.721.1300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715. FROM THE PUBLISHER

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