Expert Opinions

Pavone regularly talks to industry experts to identify food and beverage trends, innovations and changing regulations. The Sound Bites section of our website gives you a quick recap of our conversations with these leaders in the industry.

Talking with Malcolm Halliday

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Pavone Food
Malcolm Halliday, CEC, CFBE

Q:  What is your title?

A:  Business Review Manager and Corporate Chef, Sysco

Q:  What are your primary responsibilities, day-to-day?

A:  I try to make customers as profitable as possible.  I’m on the road most days, visiting with operators at their locations.  I help them with menu engineering.  I help them analyze their menus, improve procedures and profitability.  I show them new products when there’s a need or when that product might offer the operator a solution.

Q:  What are you most proud of?

A:  That we, at Sysco, take care of our customers one at a time.  Each one gets individual attention.  I love that!

Q:  What is the coolest thing you’ve seen lately?

A:  I’ve seen a lot of operators take run-of-the-mill ingredients and jazz them up really effectively.  I’ve seen it especially with comfort food.  Lots of chefs are taking familiar, home-style fare and making it special—more sophisticated.  Those that are doing it well are seeing that customers will spend extra on dishes like this and they’re having a lot of success.  I’m also seeing a lot of sous vide products.  Culinarté has an amazing line—everything from braised short ribs to lamb and pork shanks—that are already vacuum-sealed and ready to go.  These products take cooking time from 20+ hours to 15 or 20 minutes!  Operators just have to drop the sealed package into boiling water and the results are impressive!

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Posted in Expert Opinions, General | Tagged chef, corporate chef, food trends, foodservice, Malcolm Halliday | 2 Comments

Talking with Walter Scheib

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Pavone Food

Walter Scheib, “The American Chef”
White House Chef (1994-2005), speaker, culinary consultant and product developer

Q:  What are your primary responsibilities?  What does your average day look like?

A:  I’m speaking, cooking, marrying cooking with entertainment, hosting culinary tours of exotic and unusual destinations including Russia, Sicily, Sri Lanka and Trinidad.  I’m also consulting on food and beverage product development as well as restaurant concepts.

Q:  What are you most proud of, professionally?

A:  I’m proud that I was able to bring contemporary American cuisine to the White House during my eleven years there.  Before 1994, French cuisine was the norm. I’m also proud that I’ve come to the understanding that the food and beverage business is about making people happy—whether you’re talking about a hot dog cart or a 3 Michelin Star restaurant.  It’s about making great memories and repeat business.

Q:  What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen lately?

A: Blue Hill at Stone Barns.  The executive chef and owner, Dan Barber, really walks the walk when so many others are just talking about it.  I love what he’s doing!  He’s built a spectacular operation and is really doing it right.   He’s even educating in the process.  The place is self-sustaining; they raise their own ingredients, from poultry to livestock to produce.  Read more...

Posted in Expert Opinions, General | Tagged culinary, food, trends, Walter Scheib, White House Chef | 2 Comments

Talking with Danielle Marta

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Pavone Food

Here on the Pavone food blog we take time on a regular basis to chat with some of the people working behind-the-scenes (or very much in the spotlight) of today’s food and beverage marketing industry. For one of our first formal interviews, we spoke with Danielle Marta, who leads strategy and innovation for national accounts in the foodservice division at The Campbell Soup Company. In this Q&A, Danielle offers opinions on social media, food trends and how retailers could learn a thing or two from Wegmans.

Danielle Marta, RD
National Accounts – Strategy & Innovation
The Campbell Soup Company

Q:        What is your primary role?

A:         My primary role at Campbell’s is to create value and indispensable partnerships with innovative solutions and strategies to scale customers in foodservice.

Q:        What do you mean by innovative solutions?

A:         Campbell’s has always been a thought leader in this industry and is constantly looking for ways to deliver innovative solutions to our customers. Campbell’s has core capabilities that lay the foundation for our innovations: Vegetable Nutrition, Maintaining Great Taste, While Reducing Sodium and Whole Grain Goodness.

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Posted in Expert Opinions, General | Tagged Campbell's, Danielle Marta, food trends, foodservice, innovation, Research | 2 Comments