Q&A with Whole Foods Market
March 28th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
I recently caught up with Russ Benblatt, executive marketing coordinator for Whole Foods Market’s Florida Region, to ask him about how the company’s locally-grown promise is brought to life in its produce sections here in Florida. Regarding the Coral Gables store, 50/1000 produce items are locally-sourced.
KI: The Whole Foods Market website mentions that the Company currently works with over 275 farmers and producers in the South region. What percentage of these farmers are in Florida?
WFM: Well, first I need to clarify, we are not the South Region. We are the Florida Region. The South Region is made up of Georgia, North & South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. Those 275 local farmers/producers include product manufacturers too, not just farmers. As for here in Florida, we work with almost 100 local farmers and product producers. I don’t have a breakout of farmers -vs- producers right now. We’ve had a bunch added recently.
KI: Are farms personally visited by Whole Foods buyers and if so how often?
WFM: Absolutely! In fact, we even have a person who’s job title is “Forager”…and his whole job is to travel from farm to farm working with growers on everything from getting their products into our stores, to helping some convert to organic farming.
KI: What locally-grown product is selling the best? Is there consumer demand for more diversity and abundance of locally-grown product in-store?
WFM: As for best selling products, that really does vary from store to store within Florida, but also by time of year. Locally grown products are always in demand, sometimes even as a replacement or alternative to organic. Many of our customers would rather buy a locally gown conventional ear of corn, than an organic ear of corn that has to be shipped in from California. I think that as more and more people become aware of the benefits of buying local, the demand will continue to rise.
KI: How is Whole Foods working to grow the program in Florida? What are the goals?
WFM: Our search for locally grown produce and products is never ending. We empower every Team Member in our stores to seek out and find new vendors for us. As for goals, all I can say is that we haven’t set any limits, and just focus on finding more local products that our customers want.
KI: Where do you see growth opportunities?
WFM: There are a lot of very small farms here in Florida that don’t grow enough to supply all of our stores in the state. I think one of the best opportunities is to educate those growers that we still want to work with them. If it means that they deliver directly to only one or two stores, then that’s what we’ll do. The other big opportunity is letting the Florida farming community know about our Local Producer Loan Program. As a company, we’ve set aside $10 million per year to fund loans to small local producers in the markets that we serve. These loans are used for growth and expansion…which benefits everyone. They get to grow their “business”, and we get more local products in our stores….it’s a great win win relationship.
KI: How do you educate customers on locally-grown items?
WFM: All locally grown items in our stores are clearly signed as being local, in fact, we even make a point of including the farm name and city where the product was grown. We also produce “profiles” that we display at the product. It tells our customers the story behind that product and includes a picture of the product or the grower themselves. Now, please understand that these are not always possible, but we try to do as many as we can. We’re actually in the middle of a push to create many more of these than we have.
KI: Do farmers do appearances at stores to talk direct to consumers about what they do and their products?
WFM: Appearances like this are always a hit with our customers (and Team Members). The biggest issue is getting them in when their product is at peak season. Many farmers that we work with need to be on their farms when we want them in-store most. We’re looking at ways to increase their presence for the 09-10 growing season.
eat your way through MiMo. and turn off your lights for Earth Hour.
March 27th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Culinary adventures north of 395 rarely disappoint. With MiMo on BiBo, perhaps it’s because of the novelty of the new, er, revitalized.
According to Wikipedia, Miami Modernist Architecture, better known as MiMo, is a style of architecture from the 1950s and 1960s that originated as a resort vernacular unique to Miami and Miami Beach. It was a popular response to the various modernist and post world war architectural movements that were taking place in other parts of the world, adding glamour, fun, and material excess to otherwise stark, minimalist, and efficient styles. Today, the area along Biscayne Boulevard is designated the MiMo Biscayne Boulevard Historic District (aka “MiMo on BiBo,” for “Miami Modern on Biscayne Boulevard”) and is curated and promoted by a nonprofit, the MiMo Biscayne Association, formed in 2007. The MiMo Historic District runs roughly from 50th Street to 77th Street along Biscayne Boulevard, Miami’s Upper East Side, although MiMo can also be found in the Design District and Midtown. I think Plum TV does a great job summing it all up with this video.
Many annual festivals are held to promote MiMo architecture, such as “Cinco de MiMo,” but don’t wait until May 5 to explore its treasures. The following events are a perfect excuse to munch your way through this Saturday, March 28:
Noon – 5:00 p.m. – A Taste of MiMo - As reported in Daily Candy Miami’s Weekend Guide, 11 Upper East Side restaurants will be offering samples for less than $5 during A Taste of MiMo. This year’s participants include Casa Toscana, Ver Daddy’s Taco Shop, Wine 69 and Moshi Moshi. Biscayne Blvd., between 69th & 79th streets. The next festival is Saturday, May 2.
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. – Red Light, No Light - Red Light celebrates Earth Hour with dinner service on the river sin electricidad. I was there on Wednesday, chowing down a yummy snapper fish sandwich at a river-facing booth, when two massive manatees cruised by downstream. Chef Kris Wessel explained how when Good Morning America was there earlier in week, they waited patiently for hours, but the manatees came down with a case of camera shyness! Maybe you’ll get lucky like me when you go. Thrillist Miami reports that Wessel has just re-vamped 70% of the menu, so it’s a great time to pay a visit for newbies and regulars alike.
up close and personal at Whisk
March 25th, 2009 § 1 Comment
A week after receiving a tip from two friends who know good food, I found myself pulling up to an unassuming strip mall on the outskirts of Coral Gables. Why had I not heard about Whisk before? I was either living under a rock for two years or this was a place that fans and regulars coveted, wanting the word to get out only just so much. Enough for the place to be successful, but not too much lest its charm be destroyed or the line, already out the door at the peak of lunchtime, snake around the parking lot. If there’s one thing we’re short of south of 395, it’s great neighborhood spots that you can go back to time and time again, without getting bored or disappointed in the food or service. Well, the rock was working, and thus lunching, in Coconut Grove and then commuting home to Brickell. Lame excuse, I know. But hello, finally, Whisk.
Happy accident: Whisk's intimate space is a consequence of its original intention, to serve as a catering outfit. With the seasonality of that business, it soon made sense to offer a lunch and dinner menu, too. And now customers keep coming back, not only for the daily specials and weekly-updated menu full of organic and locally-sourced ingredients, but I suspect for its homey feel.
It’s a little after 11:00 a.m. when I arrive, and Owner Kristin Connor is busy at the computer, taking calls and updating the website with today’s specials. Kristin’s office, from which she runs both the restaurant and catering businesses, forms the border between the kitchen and dining room. Like the shelves of pantry supplies and stacks of cookbooks from her library at home, this work area doubles as decor and is part of the front of the house.
Alright, so my mother used to run a catering company out of our home when I was growing up... But I think you'll find that dining at Whisk feels like home to you, too. Ok, a really wonderful version of it where chefs cook really tasty food to order... The whisk-made-menu-weight is a family heirloom.
All in the fam: Chef Brendan Connor, Kristin's brother and partner, preps for lunch service in back with a team of three. He earned his culinary chops in famous Charleston, North Carolina kitchens such as The Hominy Grill and Anson's. The one at Whisk is suprisingly spacious, perhaps even the same size as the front of the house.
Inside seats about 12, with tables outside for likely 8 more. I grab a stool at the counter-for-two up front and get the lay of the land with Lorena Cosme, the server and hostess, who will be with restaurant one year this April. Things will get a little crazy soon, she hints, when the lunch crowd begins to trickle in at about 11:30.
The calm, then the storm: On the left, a rare glimpse of an empty Whisk before the lunchtime rush. Before Noon, tables both inside and out were full. Folks who had ordered carry out filed in to grab their brown bag lunches and head back to work.
I don’t recall ever being in a restaurant quite like this, but I can draw comparisons with Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune in the East Village of Manhattan. Like Prune, Whisk takes a simple, don’t-mess-with-the-beauty-of-the-natural-ingredient approach. That’s the genious of the place for me. The Connors are very serious about executing and maintaining a high quality of product without being fussy. When you go, I highly recommend the tuna fish sandwich on multigrain bread. It’s one of Kristin’s favorites, and although I didn’t have it this way, she suggests adding sliced avocado. You should know that I don’t like tuna fish. I actually try to avoid it at all costs. But this was really scrumptious. Brendan and his team construct their version with fresh tuna, cubed like tartare and then barely cooked, mixed with the traditional tuna fish fixins. And grab a refreshing jar of cold iced tea or an Arnold Palmer to go with it. There’s a photo of my sandwich in the slideshow below. It did not stay whole for long. Also, I hear from customers, like regular Whisker and FIU Finance Professor Brad Stark, that Friday’s burger days are not to be missed. Save one for me! Fresh, homemade desserts including blondies, brownies and Brendan’s “famous” key lime pie are a perfect accompaniment for your espresso or latte if you’re craving something sweet to finish the meal.
I spoke with Kristin about family dinners at home growing up, her experience in the industry in D.C. and New York City (where she planned private parties at Tribeca Grill for Myriad Restaurant Group,) and how she and Brendan reconnected in Miami where they were both born and raised, to open Whisk. (They attended Coral Gables High School, just down the street.) Check back tomorrow for the interview!
