Food Merchandsing in America / Chapter One

Food Merchandising: From Art to Spectacle, Chapter One - It All Began With Dean & Deluca on Prince Street in SoHo

In September 1977, when Joel Dean, Giorgio Deluca and Jack Ceglio opened their first food store on Prince Street in SoHo they set in motion a food revolution that encompassed merchandising, taste and style transforming the way that Americans sold and bought food. At that time, SoHo was the locus of the avant-garde art world in America.  A sizable colony of artists were transforming the surrounding commercial and industrial buildings, some dating back to the Civil War era, into loft living spaces. The works that SoHo artists created remain significant in 20th century art history. These artists were the Dean & Deluca clientele, so it was logical that their neighborhood food store should itself become a work of art.
For a brief period of time, SoHo served as a significant style generator in art, food, clothing and life style. In fact, SoHo became a symbol of what was new and hip. It became so commercial that Bloomingdale's opened a store on Broadway between Prince and Broome.

As I remember it, the Dean & Deluca Prince Street store was about forty feet wide and one hundred and twenty feet deep. Like the nearby galleries, it was a pristine white environment accentuated by stainless steel and glass refrigerated display cases and free-standing metal shelves. As you entered the door, you were greeted by a sculptural display of fruits and vegetables with operatic arias wafting above your head. The employees, young and attractive, were outfitted in pristine white uniforms. They were knowledgeable and passionate about the food  they were selling. The breads, cheeses, olives and prepared meats looked spectacular and their taste was superb. It was a memorable aesthetic experience to enter this space and purchase food.

In 1985, I spent a weekend at Dean & Deluca providing samples of my wife Mary's Grafton Goodjams made in small batches of organically grown fruit and Vermont maple syrup. Based on this experience, I was aware of a transformed clientele. There were more women in pastel clothing than jeans. The pastels were the "bridge and tunnel crowd" from New Jersey and Long Island, as they were disdainfully described by by SoHo residents. It was these suburbanites who expanded the Dean & Deluca audience beyond SoHo.

In 1988, outside investors entered the picture and bank rolled expansion with a move to the corner of Prince and Broadway.

This was more a football field-sized space. Joel Dean and Giorgio Deluca moved their offices from the back of the Prince Street store to the back of the Broadway store. From there, they could maintain a watchful eye on every detail of the store's operation. Both were often seen roaming the aisles to be certain that their standards were maintained. Even though expansion had taken place, there was no diminution of quality.

When Giorgio Deluca saw my wife Mary's Grafton Goodjam vinegars, he ordered some and placed them prominently in the store. Exposure at Dean & Deluca served as a catalyst to expand her market nationwide.

Typical of investors, they wanted to see expansion. Stores were opened in Georgetown, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina and St. Helena, Napa Valley, California. Added to the mix were a number of Dean & Deluca Coffees like this one illustrated below on the ground floor of Renzo Piano's New York Times building.

Fortunately, through the years with a number of different owners and the departure of Giorgio Deluca (who now has his own  restaurant in SoHo) and Joel Dean (who unfortunately died several years ago), the same level of quality has been maintained. Below is a photograph that I took recently at the Prince and Broadway store.

Fortunately for those of us who appreciate this store, the passion and sensitivity for good food that Giorgio Deluca and Joel Dean exuded remains in tact. I have never been disappointed by any purchase that

I made at a Dean & Deluca store over more than thirty years.

From its SoHo art world origins, the Dean & Deluca style has gone mainstream. As one travels around country, you see formulaic imitations, none as good, but these stores offer an enhanced food merchandising experience contributing to the lives of many of us. Whole Foods is probably the most evident example. Every major supermarket chain has its imitation of the Dean & Deluca model. Many of these beneficiaries of enhanced food merchandising might never have heard of Dean & Deluca.

Is the artful presentation of food still a valid style? My answer is yes, but ... there are new winds circulating - Eataly in New York in particular. Eataly will be examined in the next post.

Food Merchandising in America / 2

Food Merchandising: From Art to Spectacle, Chapter Two - Mario Batali Introduces Eataly to New York in the Toy Building (Fifth & 23rd)





Giorgio Deluca had his Italian inspiration for a glorious food market; it was Peck in Milan,  Mario Batali, seen above at Eataly New York, found his model at Eataly, a group of six food store / restaurants in Asti, Bologna, Milano, Monticello, Pinerolo and Turin. The first Eataly opened in Turin on Janaury 26, 2007. Outside Italy, in addition to New York, there is an Eataly in Japan.

In proclaiming its philosophy, Eataly describes itself as the original model for a market in which products of the highest quality representing traditional Italian agriculture are sold, consumed, and studied. Envisioned as a multifunctional market dedicated to gastronomy, Eataly offers better products while supporting sustainability.



Eataly New York(seen above and below) is vast and variegated. It is a food emporium: a restaurant serving fish, meats and pasta, a bakery, a meat market, a fish market, a fruit and vegetable market, a prepared foods market, a wine shop, a coffee bar and a learning center. There is no question that it hit the New York "food passion" nerve. It is reputed to be the highest grossing restaurant and food store in this country even though it has been open for barely six months.











As such a long term Dean & Deluca aficionado, do I find Mario Batali's Eataly threatening? Absolutely not! Eataly, like Dean & Deluca, is going to create its own transformational niche in American food marketing.

On my first visit to Eataly New York, I loved the experience from the moment that I walked in the door. I entered from Fifth Avenue working my way toward the restaurant areas. In my path, I was confronted by a fifty-year old woman carrying a wine glass as though she were at a cocktail party. I managed to get a seat next to the service area of the seafood kitchen. I enjoy sitting at the counter watching the food preparation and service scene. Since I don't eat meat, I bypassed that one, and since I make better pasta than most restaurants, I skipped that section, too. And I got to know Alex, the chef, as he gyrated through his work. He told me that he had been a sous chef at Le Bernardin for seven years. A theatrical extrovert, he also knew how to prepare delicious food. I had a sensational piece of swordfish - cut as a trapezoid. It seemed strange, but it worked. The next time, Alex told me to allow him to make my choices. My first course was mussels; the second, sea bass. Nothing was overwrought - just right for me.

Open kitchens facing counters with stools are common in New York restaurants; however, it seemed to be different to me at the Eataly food service islands. There was so much activity surrounding food preparation that cooking and eating blended into the generally chaotic ambiance. Did the food suffer as a result? I don't think so.

Although I have never seen Harrods food court in London, it does not appear to have the ambiance of an Eataly, nor does the KaDeWe department store food court in Berlin - which I know.

For me, Eataly New York was "spectacle,"  a kind of theatrical  experience. Cable television is flooded with food and cooking shows and their accompanying "celebrity chefs." It appears that cookbooks are resisting a downturn in the sluggish book market. With the plethora of television and cable cooking shows and the deluge of cookbooks, food preparation is now viewed in a different light - less as art and more as spectacle. In this sense,  Eataly becomes a handmaiden to all of the spectacles associated with food preparation and marketing hype. Does this mean that food as spectacle is better or worse than it was in the heyday of food as art? Not at all. It is just different.

Now to my prediction. The initial impact of Eataly is just being felt. Is it something that can be replicated in other cities? Even though there are Eatalys in smaller towns surrounding Turin and in Bologna and Milan, I doubt that it is a formula that will be replicated readily in the United States. It works in New York because there is a passionate food culture. To my knowledge, there are not many other places in this country for which it is so well suited; it might work in Boston and Chicago. I doubt that it would in LA.

This is not to say that there is no interest in food in LA. There are farmers markets in virtually every neighborhood. There are ethnic restaurants, ethnic markets and critics who evaluate them. For me, interest in food among Angelenos registers as cool and detached. Several years ago, having found myself in a Staten Island Italian neighborhood, I searched for a market. Much to my astonishment, I found a huge food market the equivalent of some that I know in Rome. How could this be? That's New York! Could I make an equivalent discovery in LA? I doubt it.

So what can we expect of Eataly's future? There might not be one in another American city, but we will soon see bastardized versions appearing in some of the tens of thousands of mall food courts blanketing the country. As legions of mall merchandisers search for the latest "hit," they will embrace the Eataly concept by serving franchised junk food that most of its consumers will not be able to distinguish from the Eataly original.

In the meantime, Eataly New York will bring joy to those who dig it.

High School Jouralism at the LA Times

14th Council District Contenders: José Huizar vs Rudy Martinez

The Incumbent





Quoted from Councilman Huizar's Campaign
Literature

"Council Member José Huizar is really getting things done for our neighborhoods"
- The New Hollenbeck Police Station

Making our community safer
- Ascot Hills Park in El Sereno

Preserving Open Space
- DWP Headquarters

Taking on the DWP
- Mendez Learning Center

Great new schools
- The Gold Line light rail

Working for good jobs
- Eagle Rock Park

The Challenger




"Rudy is the loving father of two children Marty (11) and Mia (7)"

-Quoted from Rudy Martinez's Campaign Literature

"I am running because I want to make a positive difference in our Council District and accomplish the following objectives:
- Create jobs and streamlining the bureaucratic process
- Bring accountability and transparency to elected offices and City Departments
- Find innovative ways to improve our roads, sidewalks and recreation areas
- Work with police and fire departments to improve public safety"

My evaluation of the incumbent:

Having attended José Huizar's campaign kick off and reporting it on my blog dated January 16, 2011, I have confirmed my support for the incumbent. That day, I
witnessed a a parade of politicians (including the mayor), civic and business leaders testify to the outstanding service that Councilman Huizar offered to his district and the city at large.

As a new resident in Boyle Heights and having no previous associations with Los Angeles, the Mariachi Plaza Farmers Market (Boyle Heights Farmers Market), for which I credit Councilman Huizar as being largely responsible, has provided both me and my wife with an opportunity to connect with our neighborhood and to feel that we belong here.

On February 8, I attended the goLAstreetcar release of the project's economic benefits study. Here there were different faces: politicians, business leaders, and civic leaders, all of whom testified to the significant role that Councilman
Huizar played in moving this project forward. They praised his vision and his ability of secure the necessary funding for this project which will bring: "$1.1billion in new development; 675,000 ft of new office space; 2,600 new housing units; 9,300 new jobs; 3,600 new residents' $24.5 million in  new annual spending; 5,800 new hotel room bookings per year; and $47 million in new city revenue."

From my perspective, Councilman Huizar is an intelligent dedicated public servant who knows how to work the levers of government in order to bring dollars that will benefit our neighborhood. He is tuned to the needs and desires of his constituents using them as guidelines for actions. He is a tireless worker who is known to answer emails at 3:00am.

My evaluation of the challenger:

On February 9, I attended his campaign stop in Boyle Heights. Although I was already convinced that Huizar was my choice,I wanted to find out who his opponent was and what his qualifications might be. There is no question that Rudy Martinez exudes personal charm accompanied by demonstrable naivete regarding the complexities of governmental affairs. Although he brags about his evident commercial successes, he cannot make convincing arguments that he would be able to translate those skills into the realm of governmental affairs. He offers simplistic solutions for the "evils" of an entrenched and obdurate municipal bureaucracy.

With justifiable pride accompanied by praise for his mother,he tells of his up from the depths transformation. The level of his formal education was not made apparent; however,he takes pride in being a graduate of the school of hard knocks.

At the Boyle Heights campaign stop, a member of the audience lamented what she deemed to be excessive mud slinging being practiced by both candidates. Rudy Martinez responded that both candidates agreed to end their campaigns of personal vilification at the "quorum" he attended the previous day.(KPCC Candidate Forum) He later acknowledged that he meant to say "forum."

Although there is no party affiliation indicated on his campaign literature, his pro-business, anti-government, and anti-labor rhetoric suggests that he is either a Republican or a Blue Dog Democrat.



On February 4, 2011, there was an endorsement of Martinez on the editorial page which reads like a high school newspaper student council candidate endorsement. I quote it in part:

"They offer voters notably different backgrounds and approaches to serving. The Times endorses Martinez.

"... Bright, articulate and well educated, he (Huizar) can point to a list of minor achievements — a bridge improvement here, protection of open space there, support for a Department of Water and Power ratepayer advocate and opposition to the 710 Freeway extension. Although his record is not exactly inspiring, it's hardly a failure.

"Martinez is energetic and engaging, and thoroughly immersed in the civic life of the district. A successful restaurateur and house flipper — he starred in the cable series "Flip This House" — he is campaigning in precisely the opposite of Huizar's fashion.

" ... Martinez says the FBI has interviewed him about Huizar's long delay in paying for some home repairs. One Huizar line of attack has been to remind voters that Martinez had a few arrests as a young person — for loitering, a DUI and a couple of scuffles. That's true, but all were minor offenses and occurred when Martinez was a young man going through a tough time. None offers any insight into the man or candidate he is today."

Recognizing that the Los Angeles Times is a pathetic shadow of the once great paper that it had been, the editorial, with unsubstantiated rumors, confirms its decline as a viable community voice. Having lived in Los Angeles for one year, I am increasingly cognizant of some issues and perplexed by others.

As a relatively new blogger, I realize that I, as well as the Los Angeles Times, can editorialize. Below is my first editorial.

I would like to see a retraction of the Los Angeles Times' editorial endorsing Rudy Martinez with mine replacing it as the paper's  endorsement of  José Huizar.

EDITORIAL

Los Angeles City Council District 14 is one of our city's most bifurcated political entities. It reaches from Boyle Heights in the heart of East Los Angeles across the Los Angeles River encompassing pieces of Downtown, Eagle Rock and El Sereno, representing a smorgasbord of residential, commercial, and industrial areas with diverse personalities and populations.With its 98 per cent Mexican American population, Boyle Heights has served as a baptismal font for Mexican American politicians.

Currently, two Mexican Americans, one a seasoned politician and the other a complete novice, are competing to represent this district. At one point, they were close personal friends.Many find the public acrimony that has erupted distasteful.
On a neighborhood level, it mimics the kind of character assassination that has become epidemic in national politics.

The two candidates represents totally different Mexican American trajectories. Rudy Martinez appears to be a street kid who cleaned up his act and has become a very successful businessman. He has dabbled in public service, mostly associated with the police department. He is charming and engaging which might explain the popularity of his restaurants.

When asked why he is running for public office and spending hundreds of thousands of his own money, he admits that he can't provide a convincing answer. José Huizar is a serious dedicated public servant. His educational credentials include: UCLA, UC Berkeley and Princeton. Prior to politics, law was his profession. Before being elected to City Council, he served Board President of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Since becoming a councilman, he has mastered manipulating the levers of local, state and national governments to obtain funding for a number of significant district projects. He has been the unquestioned motivational force behind the goLAstreetcar project which will generate significant economic benefits for the entire Downtown area.

How does one decide between an affable novice and a dedicated public servant? The choice is clear. We prefer solid experience rather than gamble on naivete and inexperience. We endorse
José Huizar for councilman in the 14th District.

DISCOVERING MY NEIGHBORHOOD

Boyle Heights

Having lived at 573 S. Boyle Avenue for a year, I have driven up and down Boyle Avenue hundreds of times and walked by the buildings on both sides of the street less often; however, to me, they appeared to be wallpaper because I never had the opportunity to penetrate below the surface. On January 15, the anniversary of our arrival in Boyle Heights, Survey LA, the Los Angeles Historic

Resources Survey in association with the Los Angeles Conservancy, the office of Councilman José Huizar and the Boyle Heights Historical Society organized a walking tour of S. Boyle Avenue in which we were able to visit eight sites. There were docents at each.

For me, this was a revelation because I saw these buildings in a totally different light. After meeting some of the residents, these buildings will some degree of familiarity when I drive or walk by them.

Cities have played a major role in my life. I have lived and worked in many and am most familiar with New York, Paris and Rome. It has taken a lifetime to build my reservoir of knowledge and experience related to each of these cities. In Los Angeles and Boyle Heights, I am still at the starting point; however, this walking tour awakened a new sense of identity on which I hope to expand.

S. Boyle Avenue is the western edge of Boyle Heights which reaches into East LA housing nearly one hundred thousand people with supporting industrial, commercial, educational and recreational resources. I travel through these streets on a regular basis making excursions to a supermarket, the post office, and the cash machine hosted by the local police precinct. I need to find similar opportunities to become familiar with the rest of my neighborhood. Until then, I will remain a half citizen in my community.


Detail of a drawing of Boyle Heights, 1877. In the foreground, looking west toward the Los Angeles River is Downtown Los Angeles. In the background, looking east are the vineyard covered hills of Boyle Heights. Collection: Los Angeles Public Library.


South Boyle Avenue, 500 block, facing north toward Mariachi Plaza. 2011.


504 S. Boyle Avenue. Elmer O. Simmons House. Plant Number One of the Simons Brick Company was located in Boyle Heights; it produced many of the bricks used in the construction of Downtown Los Angeles.


432 S. Boyle Avenue. "Max Factor House." Max Factor, a Polish Jewish immigrant, lived in this house in the 1920s. He developed cosmetics for the film industry which he later transformed into commercial products for a mass market.


Hollenbeck Park, lying to the east of S. Boyle Avenue, was created in memory of John Edward Hollenbeck by his widow and Mayor William Workman in 1892.


The ubiquitous freeways have left their mark on Boyle Heights. The 101, 5 and 10 all traverse the neighborhood. Here, the 5 stradles the lake in Hollenbeck Park.


Breed Street Shul, 247 N. Breed Street. Built between 1914 and 1923, then the largest synagogue west of Chicago. It was one of many synagogues serving the large Jewish community. Currently unoccupied, there is group raising funds for its restoration and eventual conversion into a community cultural center.




Mariachi Plaza, First and S. Boyle. Boyle Heights is now a predominantly Mexican American community. According to the 2000 Census, there were 92,786 residents of whom 94.78% were Latino, 2.3% Asian, 2.0 Caucasian - Non Hispanic, 0.9% African American and 0.8% other.


St. Mary's Roman Catholic Elementary School, Boyle Heights, Third Grade, 1936.In all global cities, of which Los Angeles is one, there is a neighborhood that has traditionally served as the entry point for the uninvited. In Los Angeles, it was Boyle Heights.

While reminiscing about the past, long time residents always emphasize the fact that people of different nationalities and religions: Japanese, Jews, Italians, Russians, Mexicans and others, lived in harmony. While immigrants might have been welcomed to Boyle Heights, they were excluded in the rest of Los Angeles where restrictive covenants controlling the entrance of new residents were operative. These restrictions remained in place until the end of World War II, when all such discriminatory practices were outlawed by the U.S. Congress. As a consequence, ethnic communities emerged across Los Angeles where they had previously been excluded. In comparison with New York, London, Paris and Rome, Los Angeles is a relatively new city lacking layers of history upon which to draw. However, there is no question that Boyle Heights has been its immigrant portal comparable to those in
New York, London, Paris and Rome.

In New York, the immigrant portal was The Lower East Side.

http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Lower_East_Side 

In London, it was Brick Lane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Lane

In Paris, it was the 20th Arrondissement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_arrondissement_of_Paris

In Rome, it was Trastevere

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trastevere

Throughout human history, the influx of immigrants has been seen as vital to the life of great cities. In the Ancient Near East, trading centers emerged in which multiple languages and ethnic diversity were common. In the First Century AD, Seneca The Elder, a Roman statesman of Spanish origin, estimated that foreigners constituted half of Ancient Rome's population. He said that "From their towns and colonies, from the whole world in fact they have flocked here (Rome). Every class of person swarmed into the city ..." With an estimated population of a million, imperial Rome required an influx of 10,000 immigrants annually to maintain its population density.

Better to Live in Boyle Heights or Beverly Hills?

Several weeks ago, I was invited to a Yale event in Beverly Hills. Having no familiarity with the area, I printed a Google map as my guide. Allowing myself an extra half hour to get lost, I found later that I needed at least an extra hour. My Google map indicated that my destination was in proximity to Sunset Boulevard. Having entered Beverly Hills, I moved cautiously looking for one of the street names on my map. None appeared. So, I decided to turn around. To complete this manouver, I entered a dead end street, the name of which escapes me. I thought that I had been suddenly air lifted to East Jerusaem. I was surrounded by eight to ten foot solid walls on both sides with surveillance cameras craning their necks above the top. Back on Sunset Boulevard, I headed in the opposite direction. Then, I saw a group of people playing games in what appeared to be a public park. I approached them with my request for directions. They were on an outing from East LA and had no familiarity with the area. Continuing further on Sunset, I did not see another human being from whom I might obtain information nor were there any gas stations or commercial stores. Checking my iphone for my location and comparing it with my Google map, I began to recognize names appearing on visible street signs.

Turning on to one of them, I was greeted by a "Stars Tour Bus," with the driver stopping and pointing out significant addresses. I questioned whether I should ask him for directions because he obviously knew all of the streets and decided against doing that.So, I turned my car around again. Then, this sign loomed large in my windshield. Behold, I saw:



I entered the drive and pulled up alongside a black limo with its driver leaning on the hood. When asked for assistance, he checked his iphone and said that my destination was two blocks away. I had to make a right at the end of the drive then make a left at the second street, and I would be there. He was right. I finally arrived at my destination.

The event's host lived in one of a long line of pseudo mansions of no particular architectural merit situated in this verdant paradise. No eight foot walls here, just lawns. No human beings to be seen either. Obviously, there were no stars on our host's street because the bus did not appear here. I walked up the steps entering an opulent den of bad taste: an imitation Warhol with the head of Marilyn Monroe looming from a stainless steel background caught my attention. Next, I was cofronted by a dangling piece of sculpture that looked  like a stuffed cobra. Finally, the de rigueur swimming pool.

Last night, Mary and I ate street food in Mariachi Plaza while a dj plied his trade from the stage. We loved it and felt comfortable in our neighborhood where urban grit predominates.

ON GETTING INTO LOCAL POLITICS

In my blog of August 10, I reported my dialogue with Councilman
Jose Huizar in answering his question about how a transplanted New
York Jew feels about living in a largely Latino neighborhood. Since
then, I have become a Huizar groupie, in the sense that I monitor and
support his neighborhood initiatives which are many.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Huizar

Although one would hope that Huizar would run unopposed, that is not
the case. He is being opposed by Rudy Martinez of A&E's "Flip this House"
fame.  Martinez describes himself as a "self-made businessman" approaching
the race as an outsider.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/10/businessman-rudy-martinez-donates-150000-to-campaign-to-unseat-la-councilman-jose-huizar.html

I have heard that polls indicate that Huizar is leading by 95%.

Since there are approximately two hundred residents and two hundred
employees at Hollenbeck Palms, I told Councilman Huizar that I hoped
to deliver two hundred votes. Grateful, he said, "That's a precinct."

On January 8, I attended the campaign kick off. It was held in the side yard
of a house that appears to serve as a Democratic Party neighborhood
headquarters. There must have been at least 500 people standing and listening
attentively to a parade of civic officials singing Councilman Huizar's praises.
The audience was primarily Mexican American reflecting the neighborhood's
dominant ehnic group.

 
From left to right: Myself, Councilman Jose Huizar, Nissim Leon.



From left to right: Myself, Nissim Leon, founder of Boyle Heights Wolfpack
football support organization, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Aba Ramirez, UC Davis Extension, nutritionist.

Hardly knowing anyone, I did my best to strike up conversations with
congenial and friendly fellow standees. I met the coach of the local high
school's football team. I met a woman who shared her aspirations of
seeing one of her sons attend an Ivy League college. As I asked another
stranger what he did, he said: "I'm the mayor!"

BLOGGING AGAIN!

THIS IS MY FIRST POST SINCE NOVEMBER. PERHAPS
I HAVE SOME VIABLE EXCUSES? PERHAPS NOT! IN 
ANY CASE THIS POST WILL SIGNAL MY RETURN TO
BLOGGING.
TODAY ALSO MARKS THE FIRST ANNIVERARY OF
OUR MOVING TO LA.

Changes

Dear Readers,

I wanted to let you know about some changes to the blog. I have decided to rename the blog and changed the address. The blog has been renamed THE RELUCTANT ANGELENO (http://the-reluctant-angeleno.blogspot.com/).

Please make a note of the address change and change the RSS feed if necessary.

Thanks for reading. I've got some good posts in the works.

all the best,
Allon