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High-Quality Products, Value, and Trust are the Keys to Loyal Customers, Says Celebrity Chef Tyler Florence
CHICAGO, IL (March 22, 2009)—A quality product is the key to being a celebrity chef in a day and age when there is an endless list of them, Tyler Florence, professional chef and star of the Food Network, said today at the 2009 International Home + Housewares Show.
In his keynote presentation, "Beyond the Stovetop: The Business of Being a Celebrity Chef," Florence said that the chef and retail spaces are looking very similar and the field has never been more crowded. "It’s competition, competition, competition," he said. "But ultimately, it comes down to personal relationships."
Thus, Florence strives every day to gain and to keep the trust of his customers. "What does it mean to be trusted by your customer?" he asked Show attendees. "How do you stay on top and make it through the worst economic crisis since the Depression? Be there for them, have good relationships, certainty, duty, care and above all else, quality. That is what customers are looking for and when they find it, they will repay you with loyalty."
Owned and operated by the International Housewares Association (www.housewares.org), the Show is being held March 21-24 at McCormick Place here, and features nearly 2,000 exhibitors from five continents, including over 400 new companies introducing thousands of new products.
Florence is the star of numerous Food Network shows: "How to Boil Water," a cooking show for novices; "Food 911," a popular recipe rescue show; and "Tyler Ultimate," his newest show. He also is a frequent contributor to national television, radio and Internet programs, and is the author of several recipe books.
Florence graduated with honors from the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales
University in South Carolina, where he was later awarded an honorary doctorate (2004) and had a scholarship established in his name.
"My brand is built to last and does not compromise quality just to meet the bottom line," Florence told Show attendees. "Again, it’s built around trust. You never want to let down the consumer because you will quickly lose their trust. You can have a consumer for five minutes, but when you lose their trust, you have lost them forever. Unfortunately, that’s the road that celebrity chefs are going down. But my philosophy is that more is not more; less is more."
Florence discussed the history of the celebrity chef, including Julia Child, whose beginnings and successful career he said was "an ingenious idea...she taught techniques in your living room, became an icon, and wrote 10 bestselling cookbooks. And she had trust: her recipes always worked," he said. "She had the trust of consumers for more than 40 years."
In 1966, Child was featured on the cover of Time magazine, Florence said, and the celebrity chef industry was born. "PBS had 1 million sets tuned in each Saturday afternoon to celebrity cooking. Julia Child’s book deals were small, and she only received $200 for her first cookbook advance, but celebrity chefs becoming a business was on the horizon and the kitchen smelled like a great place to be in business," he explained.
Florence also commended chef Paul Bocuses, and called him, "arguably the world’s first super chef," he said. "He took blue collar cooks to white collar chefs and drafted a diversification business model. How does he still stay on top today? Trust."
Florence recently launched a line of high-quality anodized cookware, gadgets and kitchen tools that are tri-ply stainless with even heat distribution and are dishwasher safe. "The project took more than two years to develop, and it feels like a brand that will be around for a long time," he said. He’s also coming out with a line of titanium, black-on-black cutlery, and has future plans to launch a line of food. He says he is looking at many retail distribution channels for the products. And his retail store in the San Francisco area will celebrate its 1-year-anniversary in June.
"This new course for me, in retail, has been an interesting journey," he noted. "I have carefully plotted my course and put my customers first, and I feel very good about that. When retailers talk about celebrity chef cookware, they talk about price. Emeril has a great product and Rachel Ray has a strong consistent brand. My brand is not Emeril and it is not Rachel, and while I’m concerned with price, I’m more concerned with value," he stressed.
He concluded by telling Show attendees that "It’s a crucial time for all of us to put our heads together and find ways to remain together. My story is one of being flexible, dynamic and relevant. My story is one of quality, value and trust. That’s what will pull anyone through in this tough economy."
The International Home + Housewares Show features thousands of housewares and homegoods products for every room in the house, apartment or condo — and outdoor living, too. From high-end international design to trend-setting basics, products range from kitchen electrics and small appliances to gourmet specialty foods and cookware, from bakeware and kitchen tools to home decor, space organizers and storage systems, home healthcare and home-office to pet supplies and lawn and garden decor.
The International Housewares Association is the 70-year-old voice of the housewares industry, which accounted for (US)$306 billion at retail worldwide in 2007. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world's premier exposition of products for the home, the International Home + Housewares Show, and offers its 1,700 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, State-of-the-Industry reports, point-of-sale and consumer panel data through Housewares MarketWatch, executive management peer groups, a unique Web-based community at www.housewares.org and group buying discounts on business solutions services.
