As the Party Platter Turns: Supermarket Chefs Bring Evolution to Supermarket Catering

By: Dagmar Farr, Senior Vice President, Member Services, Food Marketing Institute

Today’s shoppers are upping the ante—and opportunity—for grocers with increasingly high-end expectations for supermarket catering. A finalist in the 2015 Supermarket Chef Showdown, Chef Tim Donnelly of Publix notes, “Our customers want variety and cultural flair [from prepared food and catering].”  His customers are looking for prepared options that are “less ordinary.” They’re looking for the types of dishes that will bring them praise from fellow party goers. Chef Donnelly and his fellow finalists, Chef Elizabeth Davis of Hy-Vee and Chef Keoni Chang of Foodland, Hawaii all agree—supermarket catering and prepared food departments have evolved to encompass much more than the cheese platters, vegetable trays and rotisserie chickens of grocery eras past.

Chef Davis attributes these rising consumer expectations in part to mainstream television culture, which now offers viewers an endless stream of food-themed programming to whet appetites, transform palates and inspire culinary curiosities. Recognizing that not all shoppers are epicures, Chef Chang says, “Even if you’re not a foodie, interesting food makes for a more interesting gathering. It sparks conversation.” Chef Donnelly, Chef Chang and Chef Davis will compete against each other in a new competition category featuring prepared holiday party platters. They will each demonstrate how today’s supermarket chefs are taking catering options to the next level.

Supermarkets like Foodland, Hy-Vee and Publix are becoming one-stop shops for people looking to plan events. It’s the ultimate in convenience for customers, and as Chef Chang acknowledges, “If you put the model together right, it can be extremely profitable.” At Hy-Vee, Chef Davis is offering more full-service catering across more occasions—everything from simple picnics to once-in-a-lifetime events. Chef Donnelly sees the same trend at Publix and notes, “We help customers . . . Whatever their event requires, from appetizers to plated fine dining, floral arrangements, beverages—even servers and bartenders.” 

Each chef’s party platter entry delivers on the cultural flair and variety of flavor that today’s customers are looking for from their supermarkets. “One of the biggest trends [Foodland] is seeing is the growth of Mediterranean cuisine,” says Chef Chang, who made the Supermarket Chef Showdown final cut for the third time this year with a distinctively Mediterranean mezze platter. True to his style, his entry fuses Mediterranean with Asian flavors by creating a hummus made from Pictsweet frozen edamame instead of the traditional chickpea. Chef Davis also draws inspiration from traditional Asian flavors, like Chinese 5-spice from McCormick, to create her Yu Sheng Platter for Chinese New Year.

Chef Donnelly answers his catering customers’ cravings by turning familiar favorites into interesting slider combinations. Three of these crave-busting combos—Meatball Marinara, Tex Mex Taco and Black and Blue Buffalo Chicken—will be put to the test on June 10^th in Chicago, Illinois when Chef Donnelly takes on Chef Chang and Chef Davis in a live cook-off event on the FMI Connect expo floor.

To learn more about FMI’s Supermarket Chef Showdown, please visit us at www.supermarketchefshowdown.com and join FMI’s growing culinary community of supermarket chefs. 

The FMI Supermarket Chef Showdown is made possible by sponsors, including McCormick & Company, Campbell Soup Company, The Hershey Company, Hillshire Brands Company, The J.M. Smucker Company, Mondelez International, and The Pictsweet Company. Kitchenware products for this year’s cook off are being donated by Good Cook. Ingredients for this year’s cook off are being donated by Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc.