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V O L U M E 1 9 , N U M B E R 1 0 News ..............................................3 Ad Index .......................................23 www.kitchenwarenews.com VOLUME 21, NUMBER 11 NOVEMBER 2015 n $7.00 BY AMBER GALLEGOS Impulse buys can make the difference between a good and a great holiday season for retailers. W hile customers are in the gifting mood, independent gourmet kitchen stores can seize the opportunity and encourage impulse buys with a few tricks that add up to higher sales tickets. A broad definition of impulse buys is that they 're simply an unplanned purchase. It is a shifting of a customer's mindset f rom an interest to the strong urge to buy, says Doug Fleener, President and Managing Partner of Dynamic Experiences Group, BY AMBER GALLEGOS Habitat in Lincoln, Nebraska just celebrated 40 years in business with a bang. The kitchen, home and gift store's celebration included both John and Jana Clark, who currently own and run the store, and John's parents, Mar y and Ken Clark who initially started the business decades ago in 1975. Mary Clark began the business in downtown Lincoln with the approach that one's home is more than just where you live; it is a Habitat in Lincoln, Nebraska Celebrates 40 Years of Contemporary Style Continued on PAGE 12 Continued on PAGE 6 Continued on PAGE 10 Continued on PAGE 16 habitat that should reflect personal style, be comfortable and make you want to spend time there. She was followed into the business by her son John, who took on the management role in 2006, after having grown up in and around Habitat, working here and there throughout high school, and summers back home f rom college. Mary did the buying until 2012, when John took on full ownership of the store. "That's when kitchen expanded to the point where it is today because I really wanted to aggressively add more kitchen items at that point," says Clark. "I've always had an interest in BY MICAH CHEEK Small plate dining is a winning formula in restaurants around the country and can be a fun way to entertain at home as well. One advantage to serving in this style is the opportunity to showcase many different types of food in small portions. Chef Hosea Rosenberg, Top Chef winner and Chef O wner of Blackbelly Market, has used this style to his advantage in dining and catering. "If you've got a bunch of people and want to tr y a bunch of things, small plates is the way to go," Rosenberg says. Small Plates For Big Tastes Encouraging the Impulse Buy Small plate presentation can be as simple as making a charcuterie board available, with little plates that guests can fill. "I love wooden boards; different shaped cutting boards work great for this style of dining," says Rosenberg. Guests can pluck charcuterie and cheese directly off the board and make use of small side dishes of sauces. Long or oval medium sized platters offer an attractive way to line up bite-sized servings. To reduce the amount of stress on the host, Rosenberg suggests starting with cold or room temperature foods and doing hot selections all at once towards the end of the meal. This way, a host can lessen the amount of time spent cooking while entertaining. Attention should also be paid to the number of guests attending, to ensure the host is not over whelmed by ser ving responsibilities. "If you're a little green in the kitchen, I would keep it to 10 or less," says Rosenberg. Bowls of hummus and dips are a great first round choice. They can be ser ved alongside pieces of flatbread and small bowls of a retail and customer experience consulting firm based in Massachusetts. This definition is further refined by David Goodwin, O wner of Retail Training Services in Pennsylvania, which provides training and consulting services for retailers, large and small, in person and through online training courses. Goodwin identifies three aspects of a product that make for a good impulse item. One is that it solves a problem for the customer. Think about how batteries are always in check out lines; cookie cutters might be the kitchenware equivalent during the holidays. Whereas they might not be so prominently featured throughout the rest of the year, the fourth quarter is the time to remind customers that they just might need some. Two is that it is a consumable product. This is a season for cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice as well as for beautiful pepper grinders to decorate the holiday table, and a retailer can act on this by making sure those special gourmet meal components are readily available. The third is that there is some novelty or excitement around the product. BY RICHARD THOMPSON New home cooking services like Earthivore are providing locally produced ingredients and healthy meal plans to busy consumers and new foodies. Earthivore, a Colorado-based home cooking and meal planning company, provides Paleo meal plans and culinar y classes for home cooks right in their own kitchen. Katie Kuiter, O wner of Earthivore, shows customers how to achieve healthier eating habits and understand cooking techniques through home lessons, cooking classes and health coaching. Starting out as a business to support busy people and provide them help to become more efficient home cooks, Kuiter says that having the proper cookware in the kitchen is as essential as the ingredients being used. "Personally I love the Cuisinart brand. A food processor is indispensable," says Kuiter, "Also, a slow cooker that has a digital timer is every home cook's best f riend." Kuiter uses a KitchenAid vegetable peeler and the Santoku knife at home for all of her chopping and dicing. Measuring cups and spoons are a necessity for any home cook, and Kuiter recommends stainless steel due to its durability. For that added confidence in the kitchen, having cooking items like a silicon spatula, a garlic press and KitchenAid kitchen shears make for a quality investment. Using any kind of cutting board that is made of wood is not preferred since liquids will soak into the board, so she uses the Epicurean Cutting Board that's made of materials that are green and environmentally conscientious. "I love that board the best," says Kuiter. Stressing the importance of having proper baking equipment to aid in home cooking success, Kuiter finds that having a three- LAST MINUTE ITEMS n Impulse Buys 12 SMALL ELECTRICS n Food Processors 18 BUYERS GUIDE n Serverware 16 GOURMET GOODIES n Savory Sauces, Spices and Snacks 20 THE KNIFE RACK n Steak Knives 21 TRADESHOW CALENDAR n Upcoming Shows 23 UPDATE : ONEIDA COOKWARE SEE PAGE 5 IMPULSE ITEMS: 15 UNDER $15 SEE PAGE 14 GADGET OF THE MONTH: SPIRAL SLICER SEE PAGE 22 H o u s e w a r e s R e v i e w KITCHENWARE NEWS S E R V I N G K I T C H E N W A R E, H O M E D E C O R A N D G I F T W A R E M A R K E T S Home Cooking the Artisan Way

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