Gourmet Business February 2014

When we added Retailer Profiles to the editorial calendar this year, our retail advisory board asked us to promise only
to feature innovative and cutting-edge concepts – operators who are stepping outside the lines and stretching into new and perhaps uncharted waters. In this issue, we bring you one such profile about a store in Brooklyn, N.Y., called The Walk-In Cookbook.

Sound unusual? Well, it is, and the owners just might be onto something with their new grocery store concept aimed at busy professionals who want turnkey solutions for delicious and creative home-cooked meals. The store offers pre- portioned ingredients designed for 14 recipes daily, from orecchiette with butternut squash to Asian grilled salmon. The idea is to spare shoppers the time-intensive tasks associated with creating appealing and interesting menus, and the drudgery of shopping for all the ingredients. But they still get to do the fun stuff – cook a restaurant-inspired meal.

Before opening, the owners surveyed more than 400 people in the New York city area on their cooking and eating habits, and discovered that “people don’t like to go to the supermarket, and they’re tired of eating the same things,” said Filip Nuytemans, one of the owners. “There’s a lot of interest in cooking, but that hasn’t necessarily translated into people cooking themselves. We found there’s a barrier to cooking, and we want to lower that barrier.” Turn to page 11 to learn more.

Another new element you may notice is that we’ve added Editor’s Picks to the New Products section (page 27), where Gourmet Business editors highlight some of what they believe are the more inter- esting and innovative products of the month that will have legs at retail. Freezie Friendz by Evriholder, Vinaigrettes by Terrapin Ridge Farms and Wholesome Goat Fresh Chèvre by Woolwich Dairy earned the designation this month.

And be sure to participate in our first annual Window Display Contest and share your creative merchandising display ideas with us so that we can share them with the industry. Turn to page 19 for entry rules and guidelines.

Best of luck!

Maureen Azzato
Managing Editor, Gourmet Business 

mazzato@gourmetbusiness.com