Scaling-Up Artisan

By Douglas J. Peckenpaugh, Culinary Editor

A mention of the word "artisan" in connection to food likely conjures images of seasoned individuals hand-crafting small batches of foodschiefly breads, cheeses and confections, but also smoked meats, soups, preserves, etc.using Old World and otherwise time-honored, traditional techniques. But of late, an adjective like "artisan" is just as likely to grace the marketing materials and menus for quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and nationally distributed retail products.

As Albert Celentano, consultant, Artisan Food Group, Irving, TX, notes, "the pendulum is swing toward the 'old way' of making food." And as artisan continues to gain ground in foodservice and retail, its definition will continue to evolvebut manufacturers who opt into this market need to avoid stretching use of the term too far to prevent dilution of its meaning and not polarize its target audience.

Artisan momentum

The root meaning of "artisan" comes from the Italian, where artigiano translates as "artist," particularly in relation to handcrafted skill (woodworking, jewelry, etc.). When applied to foodwhere it lacks any formal definitionit maintains that handcrafted connotation, and historically has found ready application by small-scale bakers, cheesemakers and chocolatiers. The ongoing foodie revolution, DIY and farmers' market culture, farm-to-fork (particularly organic), "natural" foods interest, and the diversifying locavore trend are all contributing to the growing market for artisanal foods.

Celentano says that artisan means "bringing a recipe back to the original form that was created at the inception of the dish." He also stipulates that manufactured artisan products should incorporate "little or no automation." For instance, he says that sourcing artisan ingredients and switching from use of impingement ovens to brick helps take pizza into fully artisan territory.

Mainstream artisan baking

A survey of a handful of recent major chain-restaurant appropriations of "artisan" demonstrates just how far its meaning currently stretches:

  "Artisan" and "artisanal-style" are used to describe the select buns at McDonald's and Burger King;

  Domino's Pizza now carries an Artisan Pizza line;

  Jack-in-the-Box calls the bread for its grilled sandwiches "artisan";

  Starbucks brands its breakfast sandwiches as "artisan";

  Some of the buns at Smashburger are described as "artisan."

A common theme here is bread, and Panera Bread and La Brea have been instrumental in spreading "artisan" to the masses. Panera regularly refers to its breads as "artisan." And on its website, La Brea Bakery suggests that when it opened in 1989, it sparked "an artisan bread renaissance in Southern California and ultimately set the standard for artisan bread across the nation." Two large, multimillion-dollar manufacturing facilitiesone on each coast (California and New Jersey)par-bake La Brea's bread and ship it frozen to supermarkets, delis and other wholesale customers nationwide.

"Artisan breadmaking at La Brea Bakery is following traditional Old World baking methodsusing all-natural ingredients with no additives or preservatives, with a proprietary starter as the principal ingredient," says Katie Despard Kelsey, director of marketing, La Brea Bakery, Inc., Van Nuys, CA. She cites "distinctive appearance and aroma, individually selected ingredients, traditional baking methods, and flavor characteristics" as key to communicating "artisan."

Despard Kelsey notes that mass-manufactured bread prides itself on uniform appearance. Visual cues hinting at irregularity are common to QRS sandwich rolls that claim an "artisan" pedigree.

Bacon mania

When it comes to artisanal bacon, "old-fashioned" curing methods are often cited, along with hand-crafted labor techniques, all of which take much longer than approaches to some approaches to mass-produced bacon. Notable differences between the two include use of natural dry curing (which can take a month) and real hardwood smoking (for a day or so at least) for artisanal versus use of speedy liquid cures (which take only a couple of hours) and use of smoke flavoring followed by a quick heating process to kill any bacteria.

"We believe our time-tested attention to detail and the quality of our products, stemming from an old country recipe followed to a 'T,' show that we have a great deal of human attention given to our product," says Tanya Nueske, national sales manager and executive vice president, Nueske's Applewood Smoked Meats, Wittenberg, WI. "Our meats are still hand-trimmed, hung and cured by people, and slowly smoked over logs of applewood for a full 24 hours."

The target audience for artisan products tends to be more interested in the story behind a productits origins, and details related to its manufacture. "The segment of people who believe in consistent quality and care about how their food is prepared," says Nueske, "that's a segment that continues to grow, and we find that a large portion of our customers come from that arena. A large part of what makes artisan meats appealing is the authenticity. People feel that they are treating their bodies better and taking care of their families better by cooking and preparing foods that don't come from mass production."

As Levon Kurkjian, vice president of marketing, Kettle Cuisine, Chelsea, MA, says: "Consumers want to know the story behind their food," noting that "only artisan foods can really deliver a great food story. As such, I think more and more categories will return to artisan."

Soup's on

Scratch-made, handcrafted and all-natural are terms frequently applied to artisan products, including soups. "For us, artisan simply means treating food the way it should be treated at each step of the preparation and cooking process and never taking shortcuts that compromise the food in any way," says Kurkjian. He says this means "making all of our stocks from scratch, hand-preparing raw ingredients, braising meats, sautéing vegetables, blending our own spices and cooking in small batches.

"We believe that artisan should apply to any food that embraces an all-natural, hands-on approach to preparation that is focused exclusively on quality as opposed to production efficiencies," continues Kurkjian.

Cutting corners to yield increased manufacturing throughput is one factor that Celentano says dilutes any claims to "artisan." He says small, artisan manufacturers need to employ "more hands-on work" and take the requisite time to develop flavor.

When it comes to soup, "artisan" conjures images of chefs studiously poring over steaming pots, gingerly bringing original creations to fruition. "It is more than just the use of premium quality, all-natural, unprocessed ingredients, it is also the care and attention to detail in preparing, cooking and packing those ingredients," says Kurkjian, stipulating that "the appeal of truly artisan products are that they are made with only real and very easily recognizable ingredients," and as a result, "the quality is superior in a number of different ways."

Healthy, Premium Artisan Interest

According to the 2011 "Burger Consumer Trend" report from Technomic, Chicago, more than one-third of consumers surveyed say they consider a burger made with artisan or specialty cheese (37%) and bread (37%) to be premium. Its 2010 "Healthy Eating Consumer Trend" report also found that consumers who look for artisan ingredients at restaurants and in retail are willing to pay more for the distinction. That same report also found that 24% of consumers consider artisan food healthier.

Additionally, the "What's Hot in 2011" chef survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, Washington, D.C., cites artisan liquor, cheeses, bacon and ice cream as key categories in this emerging trend.