How to Become a Foodie
People are usually surprised to find that I wasn’t born with a wooden spoon in my hand. That I was not interested in cooking — no I actually detested cooking — until I became food editor of Co-Ed, a now-defunct teenage magazine for students in home economics, published by Scholastic in New York City.
It just goes to show, anybody can become a foodie.
In my more than 25 years in the business, I’ve learned specifically what it takes:
- Cook. If you don’t cook, you’ll never understand how food ingredient products work or what they can do. And it you don’t know that, you can’t promote them. Period.
- Read. Newspaper and magazine food sections and Web sites further your knowledge about food and cooking, food trends and the food industry.
- Eat. And experience as wide a variety of foods as you can to broaden your knowledge and appreciation. Try different types of restaurants and different menu items every time.
- Shop. Visiting supermarkets is a great way to see what’s happening in the real world. Having a personal aversion to food shopping, I go only occasionally (my husband is the family grocery shopper) but when I go, I treat it as a fact-finding trip. What’s new on the shelves? What’s being promoted and how? What are in people’s grocery carts? Food shopping is enthralling in foreign countries where you can learn a lot about the lifestyles of the people and preview some of the foodstuffs that are likely to hit our shores eventually, as ethnic foods become more and more popular in this country. Also instructive is shopping in different types of markets at home — from farmers’ markets to ethnic markets to natural foods stores.
- Join. Food organizations like the San Francisco Professional Food Society or The International Association of Culinary Professionals are places where you can learn more about food and network.
- Attend trade shows. The Fancy Food Show, Natural Products Show, Gourmet Products Show, Food Marketing Institute convention, and the International Housewares Association Show are some of the trade shows that will give you an introduction to what’s coming up ahead and help you to see a bigger picture of the industry to anticipate macro trends.
- Watch TV. The Food Network and Public TV cooking shows give a good sense of what the American public is learning about food.
INSIGHT: The once-staid food business has become an attractive field, luring smart, creative people. Be sure you’ve done your marketing homework to be considered a bona fide “foodie.”
