Adventures in the Specialty Food Trade: A Unique Culinary Career

In an era of mass production, it's good to know there's still a place for Imperial Reserve caviar from the Caspian sturgeon Acipensur persicus. If you can distinguish Ile de R&eactue; salt from Morton's, you might have a taste for a specialty food career.

Prospects for Adventurous Foodies
According to the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, the demand for 'haute' grocery has soared since 2002. "Specialty foods are a vibrant and growing industry," says Ron Tanner of the NASFT. "People are interested in buying quality food with a certification and with a personality."

This trend is set to expand in the next decade, as today's young people gain purchasing power. Specialty Food Magazine notes that this web-savvy generation "possesses a sense of adventure and interest in other cultures." They gravitate toward exotic cuisines and "innovative, high quality, healthful" products.

Trader Joe's Travels
Joe Coulombe, AKA Trader Joe, built his food career around the theme of culinary adventure. Hoping to "turn a mundane shopping trip into a treasure hunt," he stocked his store's shelves with obscure brands and exotic foods. On the principle that people are more apt to try new things while traveling, he outfitted his staff with Hawaiian shirts and his stores with nautical decor and cedar plank walls.

Earn Your Culinary MBA
Wondering what kind of culinary school training to get for a specialty food career? Many culinary schools offer a business culinary master's program, essentially an MBA for culinary professionals. Be sure to find a business culinary master's program that caters specifically to the food retail industry; many school programs slant toward hospitality careers. A good specialty food business program will offer specialized business training and opportunities to design a business plan and network with industry professionals. If you want to turn culinary school training and food wanderlust into a career, a business culinary master's program can help you get there.

Sources
Dean & Deluca
Specialtyfood.com
Gourmet Retailer
Gourmet News
National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT)
Trader Joe's

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