Gourmet Business April 2014

Spring has sprung? Not so fast. As I write this in the last week of March, the weather forecasters are still predicting snow in New England. They said this was about the 16th-coldest winter on record in my home state. Terms like “polar vortex” and “arctic chill” have been thrown around with far too much regularity for my liking. And the conditions were still never good enough to go Nordic skiing because the snow always seemed to have a frozen top crust. Go figure.

Traditionally, daylight saving time is the calendar event that signifies the transition from winter to spring and always brings
a significant break in the weather. The sun is higher in the sky, making it seem warmer even if there is still a cool breeze in
the air. But, even more significantly, daylight now lasts beyond dinner hour. So it was with great pleasure that I proclaimed, as
I exited the patio door treading carefully over the granulated snow, that this weekend was the grand opening of grilling season! I crossed my fingers as I attempted to spark the Weber after its long winter nap, praying that the little propane left over from the abrupt end to grilling season in the fall was enough to at least bring my rib-eye just this one time to a reasonable medium-rare so I didn’t get scolded by my family over the state of doneness. As I sat and watched the internal grill thermometer battle the outdoor temps to get to a reasonable cooking temperature, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of true relaxation and excitement that better grilling days are not too far off.

The fact is that grilling and outdoor entertaining have become big business. As the business grows, the opportunity for more retailers to effectively participate in the category grows too. This is not an exclusive category for hardware and home centers anymore. Many independent retailers today have successfully developed a barbecue program that extends way beyond spatulas and scrapers. And I personally predict that after a long cold winter, this year will see greater participation and enthusiasm around the grilling category that will lead to stellar sales.

In addition, I have seen more exciting grilling products this year at the IH+HS than I can recall from years prior, giving consumers plenty to get excited about. I took note of the Lotus Grill being distributed by Artland; the propane- fired pizza ovens from the Companion Group; brilliant new grilling baskets from Fox Run; and an amazing selection of cast-iron and black-steel accessories from Lodge (the new basting set with silicone basting brush and small cast- iron saucepan for keeping your favorite mop or sauce warm is a must-have, in my opinion).

Let the grilling begin!

David Spencer
Publisher, Gourmet Business 

President, HousewaresDirect, Inc. 

dspencer@gourmetbusiness.com