In Print » December 2011 » Features » 2011 Cookware series - Part 3

The Kitchen Gallery in Madison, Wis., cross-merchandizes tagines with Les Moulins Mahjoub Tunisian food line.

Globally Inspired Cookware Comes Home
According to Chicago-based market research firm Mintel, lesser-known ethnic foods have experienced robust growth in recent years. Its Global New Products Database (GNPD) found that Japanese food product launches increased more than 230 percent between 2009 and 2010. New foods with the word "Caribbean" in the product description were up 150 percent for that time period, while Thai food products jumped 68 percent.

As we're also a nation of do-it-yourselfers, the heightened interest in ethnic food products and restaurant fare has translated to home chefs whipping up everything from sushi to abelskivers in the comfort of their own kitchens. "In keeping with Mintel's 'professionalization of the amateur' CPG trend, consumers are becoming more interested in trying out complicated ethnic dishes at home that would usually be prepared by a chef in a restaurant," notes David Lockwood, Mintel senior analyst.

The International Housewares Association Vice President of Marketing and Trade Development Perry Reynolds agrees. "There appears to be increased attention paid to alternative or ethnically inspired cooking methods and tools," he says. What's spurring this interest? Reynolds sees a few powerful drivers converging in the cazuela. "Among them are global travel, which creates viral culinary buzz the old fashioned way, enhanced interest in chefs, especially those willing to explore non-traditional cooking techniques and the globalization of many of the world's cities, which juxtaposes the cuisines of each group with those of other cultures," he observes.

Casablanca Cooks
It began, as some great romances do, with a love triangle. Tom Christensen, owner of The Kitchen Gallery in Madison, Wis., was a successful businessman. Store Manager Stephanie Kessenich was a self-proclaimed foodie with a flair for ethnic cuisine. Their shared passion for cookware sales eventually sparked a proposal (the two are now engaged) along with strong sales of tagines, tortilla presses and carbon steel woks.

"I've been here at the store for a little over two years and in that time we've doubled our SKUs in the ethnic cookware category," notes Kessenich. Business is going so well, the store tripled in size when it moved to its new location a half-block from the Capitol Square in Madison in October. When asked the secret to their success with ethnic cookware, accessories, foods and cookbooks, Kessenich says, "It could be because it's my passion. I don't go home and cook all-American grilled cheese. Even if I'm making barbecue, it's with an ethnic flair like Greek or Spanish. That's just the way I roll."

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Fast Fact

Sales of casserole dishes were up
53
percent for the 12 months ending June 2011.
Source: NPD Group

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Her enthusiasm for ethnic food and cookware has inspired an immersion approach to merchandising. Take The Kitchen Gallery's North African-themed offerings, for example. "We're heavy into tagines," says Kessenich, who carries Le Souk's hand-painted versions and pottery, along with Emile Henri tagines in eight different colors. All are merchandised together with a line of food from Tunisia and cookbooks.

"People want to walk away with something new and be immersed in it," asserts Kessenich. "A visual presentation that is attractive and comprehensive captures the customer's interest and creativity. We engage the customer with passion."

At Mrs. Cook's in Seattle, tagines are part of the ethnic cookware offerings.

The strategy is working beautifully. "Not a day goes by that a customer doesn't comment on it," says Kessenich of the tagine display. Now that she's tickled her customers' fancies with tagines, she is preparing to take on their tastebuds. A cooking school is in the works, and plans are already underway to work with a local Moroccan chef who will do instructional cooking in North African cuisine.

The Kitchen Gallery is not only going the distance with global cookware, it is also bringing its unique offerings home. Its August newsletter featured an employee's family recipes for paella, tapas and sangria, along with product photography and shots of the store. "From now on we're focusing on local chef's recipes and in-house recipes. We want to be new and different," notes Kessenich.

Tagines are equally hot at Mrs. Cook's in Seattle. Owner Carol Bromel stocks both Emile Henri and Le Creuset. "What surprises me is how many we sell. Two years ago, when we first brought in tagines, we might sell one every couple of months. Now it's unusual if we don't sell two or three a month," says Bromel.

The versatility of the tagine is part of its allure, continues Bromel. "Tagines are new and distinctive and the foods that come out of them are healthy, moist, full of flavor and more interesting to the palate," she notes. "Tagines also allow you to make something delicious with whatever you have on hand, like meat and vegetables or fish and vegetables."

Mediterranean Merchandising
The Spanish Table, also headquartered in Seattle, has been selling cookware, bakeware, food, wines and more from Spain and its neighbors along the Mediterranean for more than 15 years. The concept has been embraced by scores of paella and Rioja lovers, and today there are three additional locations — two in California and one in Santa Fe, N.M. Last October, the retailer expanded with a fifth store called Paris Grocery in Seattle. The new concept is focused on tagines from Tunisia, Tunisian and French ceramics, fondue pots, raclette machines and the like.

The Spanish Table Deli Manager/Buyer George Calvo describes the store as more of a destination for people interested in Spanish cooking and wine than a place where customers need to be introduced to the concept of paella before they buy. That said, the retailer draws considerable attention to its offerings beginning with a 200-person paella pan. "It's kind of a spectacle," says Calvo of the pan. "It really attracts attention and people can see that it's a cost-effective way to feed a crowd."

True to a destination store, The Spanish Table's paella pan selection has depth and breadth. The store offers pans in four different varieties: carbon steel, enamel-coated, stainless steel and a flat-bottomed version specifically for glass-top stoves. The comprehensive array of paella pans is complemented by the best paella rice. "You can't sell pans without the rice. Paella is all about the rice," asserts Calvo.

The Spanish Table makes an equally impressive statement with its cazuelas. As consumers have returned in greater numbers to the comforts of home cooking in recent years, casserole dishes in all shapes, sizes and ethnicities have made a comeback. According to the NPD Group, sales of casserole dishes were up 53 percent for the 12 months ending June 2011, versus the previous 12 months. The market research company headquartered in Port Washington, N.Y., puts total casserole sales for June 2010 to June 2011 at more than $19.5 million.

Cazuelas, the quintessential Spanish casserole dish, is well loved by Calvo and his customers. The Spanish Table carries a diverse selection that runs the gamut in sizes from large enough for a feast to small enough for an intimate meal. "If we had a smaller collection, the presentation wouldn't be as impressive," notes Calvo.

"Cookware trends tend to follow food."
— Hugh Rushing, executive vice president, Cookware Manufacturers Association in Birmingham, Ala.

Asian Invasion
"Cookware trends tend to follow food," asserts Hugh Rushing, executive vice president of the Cookware Manufacturers Association in Birmingham, Ala. "As you see more ethnic restaurants, cookbooks and the ability to procure ethnic ingredients with ease, this has propelled interest in specialty cookware and bakeware designed to allow consumers to cook authentic dishes from around the globe."

A look at the National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot in 2011," serves up a global smorgasbord of flavors. The annual survey, which polled more than 1,500 chefs in the U.S. about the hottest food trends on restaurant menus this year, put ethnic street food as the No. 1 appetizer trend in the nation. Ethnic fusion cuisine, Southeast Asian cuisine, Asian noodles and Latin American/nuevo Latino cuisine all made the top 100-list of hot menu trends.

At Kitchen Art in West Lafayette, Ind., Owner Larry Oates has seen his customers delve into a variety of Asian cuisines from Japanese to Vietnamese. "Stir fry continues to be popular, but not necessarily Chinese stir fry. Now the interest is on Thai and Vietnamese stir fry or noodles," he observes.

Once a cuisine left purely to the experts, sushi is now a home-prepared dish enjoyed by many Kitchen Art customers. "More and more people are interested in rolling their own sushi," says Oates. "I think part of that is the number of grocery stores carrying it. People look at that and think it's not that many ingredients, 'I bet I could make that at home less expensively.' "

The Kitchen Gallery includes ethnic food recipes in its monthly newsletter.

Kitchen Art is encouraging the trend with regular cooking classes that showcase a variety of ethnic flavors. Among the classes they have offered was a Vietnamese noodles class, a sushi lesson, a North African tagine how-to, and a quick and easy stir fry class led by Chinese culinary expert Helen Chen.

In terms of merchandising, Oates's vision is to put all of the tools, gadgets and cookware for a particular cuisine in one accessible location. "It's so important to merchandise all the materials together — the sushi mats with the rice cookers and sushi molds. Put all the ingredients in one place so customers can pick them up and go," he says.

When it comes to ethnic cookware and accessories, Oates believes providing choices at a variety of price points "is absolutely imperative." "Some customers want the best quality, they've been into the cuisine for a while, as opposed to someone who is trying a particular cuisine for the first time and doesn't want to spend a fortune."

While selection is critical, Oates also cautions against trying to be all things to all people. His advice: Determine which ethnic cuisines you want to focus on and make a statement. "If you decide to go in to something, stock all of the necessary items for the home chef to be successful. If you just have woks and no bamboo tools or steamers, you're not going to become a destination for ethnic cooking."

Lovers of Latin/Nuevo Latin Flavors
Ever since salsa outpaced ketchup as the leading condiment in the country, Mexican food has become so mainstream it easily overlooked as an ethnic cuisine. But while we've adopted many Mexican foods as our own, the realm of Hispanic cooking and cookware is wonderfully diverse. Understanding these differences can be the key to substantial cookware sales.

"The core Hispanic consumer cooks a hot meal four to six times a week," says Manny Gaunaurd, president and CEO of IMUSA USA, in Doral, Fla. Knowing that home cooking plays such an important role in the Hispanic family lifestyle, five years ago Gaunaurd identified an untapped market for this under-represented housewares shopper. In 2006, Gaunaurd, who had been working in his family's wholesale housewares business in Miami, partnered with Colombian housewares brand, IMUSA to bring the brand's small appliances, cookware and gadgets to the U.S.

In its first four years in business, IMUSA's sales grew by 200 percent. Today, IMUSA is the leading Hispanic housewares brand in the U.S. market. Gaunaurd attributes his success, at least in part, to the company's knowledge of what he calls "the two distinct cultures in the Hispanic market. It's not one size fits all," he explains. The Caribbean/Hispanic consumer hailing from Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and South America prepares a similar style of cuisine, while the Central American/Mexican consumer makes another type of food.

From The NPD Group Cookware & Bakeware Trends Overall, sales of both cookware and bakeware declined in the 12 months ending October 2011, down two percent and 19 percent respectively. Although lower on the list of most important reasons for purchasing stovetop cookware, recommendation and store display two motivating factors that consumers said are more important than a year ago. Value and appearance are two areas consumers are putting additional emphasis on when it comes to shopping for oven or microwave bakeware. These offer alternative avenues of getting the attention of consumers, and ultimately their dollars, rather than just playing the price game. Top Purchase Motivators Nov. 2010-Oct 2011 Dollar Share Stovetop Cookware Good Value Price Easy to Clean On Sale/Promotion Brand Oven or Microwave Bakeware Price Good Value Easy to Clean Brand Appearance

"Retailers need to understand that while some cookware, gadgets and appliances overlap, there are also differences depending on someone's country of origin," explains Gaunaurd. He points to calderos, which are used by Caribbean influenced Hispanics to make rice or deep-fried dishes and by those of Mexican descent to make rice or stews. A tamale steamer might be an everyday tool for a Mexican shopper, whereas Caribbean-rooted consumers will use it seasonally for Thanksgiving and Christmas or to steam fish.

As the Hispanic market evolves in this country, there are new and exciting opportunities for retailers of cookware, notes Gaunaurd. In addition to the two distinct culinary cultures in the Hispanic market, he also identifies differences between the traditional Hispanic shopper and the modern Hispanic shopper.

The new generation of Hispanics, who were born and raised in the U.S., has embraced the melting pot mentality. Many of them enjoy pizza and Indian food as much as home cooked Latin dishes.

Gaunaurd sees continued growth in the ethnic cookware category, as consumers representing a United Nations of backgrounds embrace traditional and Nuevo Latin cooking. "We've seen a great deal of interest from non-Hispanics in these foods and food preparations," he says. "It used to be that Hispanic dishes were the foods of take-out, but now consumers want to prepare these dishes at home."

New Products

Chicago Metallic Split Decision Pie Pan Chicago Metallic Chicago 800-323-7164 www.chicagometallic.com This 9-inch pan from Chicago Metallic makes it easy to bake two different pies in one pan. This 3-piece set includes two inserts for creating either a full-size pie or two halves. Insert with divider bakers to create two kinds of pies at once. Both inserts fit into pie outer ring so serving is easy — just push up from the bottom without damaging the crust. SRP: $17.99.

DoStix Des Moines, Iowa 515-778-4949 www.dostixonline.com Designed by a food stylist, DoStix are a new baking tool used to consistently roll dough to an even thickness. Each set comes with six sticks: two ½-inch-thick sticks, two ¼-inch-thick sticks, and two 1/8-inch-thick sticks. All the sticks are 14-inch long and 1-inch wide. To use, place the dough between the two sticks of the desired thickness, make sure the rolling pin contacts the sticks on both ends and roll. The DoStix will stop the rolling pin when the dough has reached the right thickness. DoStix are packaged in a clear plastic bag with a cardboard hangtag. DoStix and their packaging are made in the USA. SRP: $18.

Revolution Revol USA 888-337-3865, 678-456-8671 Cumming, Ga. www.revol-usa.com Revol USA is shipping its new Revolution cookware that can be used on every type of heat source. Simmer, bake and serve from a single dish. It's made from a new proprietary material that, according to the French cookware company, has a higher thermal shock and mechanical properties than other types of ceramic. The completely non-porous material will not absorb odors, scratch or rust. It is made from natural materials and is 100 percent recyclable. Five designs that include round, oval and a tagine shapes are available in seven colors.

Love Collection Welcome Home Brands Purchase, N.Y. 914-205-3040 www.welcomehomebrands.com The Love Collection from Welcome Home Brands is a collection of oven-safe paper and plastic bakeware is ideal for anniversaries, Valentine's Day gifts or romantic get-togethers. Home bakers can bake, serve and give in the decorative form, and it is freezer safe too. The Love Collection includes Heart Shaped Paper Baking Pans, Free-Standing Scalloped Paper Baking Cups and Free-Standing Plastic Dessert Baking Cups. The Heart Shaped Paper Baking Pans come in a 3-piece set, with a suggested retail price of $6.50 in plastic bag packaging, and $7.50 in clear box packaging. The 12-piece Free-Standing Scalloped Baking Cups set retails for a suggested price of $6 in plastic bag packaging, and $6.70 in clear box packaging. The Free-Standing Plastic Dessert Baking Cups come in a 12-piece set, with a suggested retail price of $7 in plastic bag packaging, and $7.70 in clear box packaging.

Punch. Cut. Decorate! Wilton Enterprises Woodridge, Ill. 630-810-2211 www.wilton.com Wilton Enterprises will expand its line of scrapbook-inspired cake decorating tools in 2012. Wilton's Punch. Cut. Decorate! line, which was introduced in May, includes Sugar Sheets! Edible Decorating Paper They have a light sweet flavor and are available in solid colors, patterns, and the alphabet is available. The edible paper is reminiscent of scrapbooking options for paper crafting projects, and the new Punch. Cut. Decorate! tools have the same look and feel as those used for similar projects. Cakes, cookies, and other treats can be decorated with borders, bouquets, bows and more. SRPs range from $5.99 for a single border cutting insert to $29.99 for Slide-N-Cut Edge Cutter.

Diamond Plus Woll Cookware USA Parsippany, N.J. 800-969-2518 Email info@wollusa.com Woll Cookware USA is now shipping Diamond Plus, its new diamond reinforced nonstick on 7 mm cast aluminum cookware that features an additional application for extreme durability. There are three introductory price points: a 9.5-inch fry pan at $49.99, a 9.5-inch crepe at $69.99, and an 11-inch open sauté pan at $79.99. All have fixed phenolic handles. Versions with patented, detachable handles and stainless steel handles are also available. The line is PFOA free, metal utensil and dishwasher safe, plus it is oven safe to 500 degrees. It features a limited lifetime warranty.

EXTRA NEW PRODUCTS. Double Oval Roaster/Steamer Beka North America 631-501-1057 www.bekanorthamerica.com Beka Cookware called the Thermico stainless steel casserole. The Beka Thermico saves energy by using a drop in ceramic outer bowl to keep food warm for up to two hours. It goes from cooktop to table utilizing the fitted ceramic bowl. After cooking the stainless steel casserole drops into the ceramic bowl that keeps the contents warm, but won't harm kitchen surfaces. Another recent introduction is the Double Oval Roaster/Steamer that's comprised of four different pieces each with its own pair of ergonomically designed handles. At the bottom is an oval shaped pan onto which the two steamer trays stack followed by the lid which can double as a roaster or serving piece. When all the pieces are stacked together it creates a steamer with the capacity to handle the cooking of an entire meal at one time. For roasting simply add the included rack the steamer/roaster's inverted lid to create a roaster that can go directly from the oven to the table. SRP: $249.95