Food Startup Help features a vegan influencer, Holly Pearce! In this informative blog, Holly talks about different products available to vegan diets, changing trends in the market regarding veganism, its lifestyle, and her new eCookbook!
 
It’s crazy with a 5-year look back to when I started eating a vegan diet from eating a vegetarian diet.  5-years ago, the first vegan cheese available smelled like rotten socks and there were hardly meat alternatives available in the UK.  There were good options for vegan milk, but very few options for any processed products.  Every January here there is a huge launch for Veganuary.  Every January non-vegans sign up for eating vegan during the month of January just to see if they can do it.   So now every Veganuary company introduces new vegan products.  For example, this year M&S (Marks & Spencers) introduced 50 new vegan products.  I bought a Chicken Kiev you cannot tell that it was vegan!   There are now so many options for vegan cheese that it is impossible to know what cheese to want to buy and they’re all pretty much great tasting, good visually, meltable, etc. 
 
Veganizing the Classics.  So more businesses are catching onto creating veganizing classic things.  For example, according to the BBC the Gregg’s supermarket chain experienced a 13.5% increase in their bakery sales after introducing a vegan version of their classic, meaty sausage roll.  Vegans do not necessarily want healthier, vegetable food alternatives because for a majority, that is not driving their decision to eat a vegan, plant based diet. 
 
There are still clear gaps in the market for vegan foods, especially desserts (because producers are mistakenly thinking vegans only eat super restrictive, non-sweet diets).  Producers seem to think all vegans are vegan for their health, but I know from my following that many vegans want vegan versions of foods “without the cruelty.”  For example, a digestive biscuit (cookie) is a nice, mainstream but non vegan product.  Nobody has introduced a vegan version of this classic.  Or, while I can find independent, artisan vegan chocolate – there is no mainstreaming of chocolate bars with a kit kat or snickers bar.  These are still “missing” on the market.  Some food producers are missing a market for sales because they are not making vegan versions of desserts yet – especially biscuits, cake and chocolate if they could be the same price as the non-vegan versions.
 
Markups on Vegan Foods. Unfortunately, what is available usually has a high markup.   Galaxy sells a plain semi sweet bar which is vegan and 3 UK pounds for 100 grams which is much more expensive than a normal Galaxy chocolate bar 1.5 UK pounds for 155 grams.  That comes out to 0.03 pence per gram versus 0.01 pence per gram and that is incredibly more expensive for the vegan chocolate. 
 
The current cost for vegans to shop for prepared foods is more than for the general population.  You would eat mostly starchy vegetables very cheaply but if you want vegan bacon, vegan cheeses, it can easily be double the price of the family shopping bill.  The more prepared foods I buy versus just ingredients, the more the grocery cost increases. For a budget vegan, if you bulk buy vegetables, buy pasta and rice, you can buy products less expensively that are “accidentally” vegan.  It is true that vegan milk is cheaper now because it has become more main-stream.  But if you are not careful you can easily spend a lot more than you would expect at the supermarket.  Also as a group we tend to eat more fruit and fruit costs can add up.
 
These higher price points drives the competition for more vegan product launches and the quality result rises as well.  Beyond Meat is so realistic that my non-vegan parents will happily eat Beyond Meat – It’s pricey and better for the environment, but premium burgers are pricey and not better for the environment.  A large number of vegans do want recyclable packaging and reduced packaging, and seems to also add to the prices. 
 
Vegans as a group are more educated and caring about the environment, so they know about landfill and global warming issues. 
 
Instagram Followers.  I am lucky because as an influencer I am sent a lot of new vegan products to try.   If it’s a paid post or a gift to me – there’s a difference how I share it with my followers.  If a brand pays me to post something, I have to take one photo and 3 stories and the brand approves and edits.   I would like to do more of that, but I will not use it in any posts and it’s a great advertisement for a company without much cost to them.   But most products these days are actually really good quality so I’ve only refused about three – and in that case I’ll just re-gift it.
 
A Balanced Vegan Diet. I originally converted to vegan for Lent from a vegetarian diet. I did not know what I was doing, and only ate stir frys or simple currys all Lent.  In the beginning, I didn’t really research proteins, and vitamins, etc. and I was quite deficient nutritionally.  I was vegetarian again for a few months, did more research and became vegan with a B12 supplement. 
 
I was vegan for a year before I started the @VeganLovingLife account on Instagram because I can show people how to eat a really good vegan diet, improve the flavors, and pull it all together.   I now realize that there is so much more that needs to go into a successful vegan diet, and although there are more and more high quality prepared foods available – I want to help people cook a diverse range of recipes easily.  Being vegan has given me energy, better digestion and feeling healthier.  The foods I am eating are very good for me.   I do think a balance between foods you cook from scratch and buying processed foods are important.  A non-vegan can easily eat only mac and cheese, tater tots and beans – you cannot have a balanced diet any more or less as a non-vegan or vegan.  Eating vegan foods is not complex and it’s a great lifestyle.
 
Order My VeganLovingLife’s Everyday Eats eCookbook! I decided to write a cookbook because I had time and thought it would be a really accessible way for people to see the recipes rather than scroll through a year of photos and my prior Instagram posts.  This way as an ebook they’re all in one place and people can see it on their phone while they’re cooking.  It means people can eat more vegan cooking from these recipes. I get lots of messages with recipe ideas from my followers, and people ask me for advice and tips for going vegan – what do I need to know.  I get my ideas by looking at Instagram for what flavors and foods other people are eating, or I will think of something during the day I want to eat, and plan out the meal.  
 
The Instagram account is a really good way to promote veganism. I have made great connections and friends.  We first started to meet up at the annual VegFest – loads of new vegan brands are introduced there, and it is amazing how realistic and flavorful the new vegan products are. 
 
Veganism is a huge movement in the UK.
 
Order her ebook VeganLovingLife Everyday Eats at linktr.ee/veganlovinglife

Interviewee: Chef Magdalena Wong

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Magdalena Wong, graduate student at the University of London studying Applied Educational Leadership and Management, pastry chef for 18 years, and former Education Leader in Vocational Education and Training (VET), Hong Kong

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?
I left the VET sector last year since I am in the planning phase of building a cafe/bakery here in Taipei, Taiwan towards the end of this year/early next year. Since Covid-19, I am now rethinking my business strategies and plans knowing how disruptive pandemics can be. I feel the immense responsibility that I will be undertaking as to ensure that my business will not only grow, but to be able to sustain through tough days, months, and even seasons. Most importantly, my staff and I can remain secure (emotionally and financially) should another pandemic worse than Covid-19 attacks us. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
With great aspirations comes great responsibilities... As a future business cafe/pastry chef owner, I aspire and owe it to my staff and customers to offer consistent and high quality bread and pastries. I have learned from 18 years working in Michelin star rated establishments in New York City, Paris, Yountville/Napa, Hong Kong, and now here in Taiwan that striving daily towards excellence (in food and customer service) always produces rewarding results. F&B is a harsh and unforgiving industry with high turnover so it's not easy to stay afloat but if you persevere, sacrifice, and give back, the relationships/friendships built are everlasting. I believe in and practice transferring my professional experience and knowledge to the next generation of aspiring pastry chefs as a former VET educator and as a future business owner. As I transform through each growing stage of my business, I hope to equip my staff one day to also be an 'edupreneur'. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
Enduring times like the Covid-19 pandemic may have transformed us (hopefully for good) as we are no longer the same especially the way it impacts the food service/hospitality industry. I hope this will strengthen our relationships with friends, family, colleagues, and our local community allowing us to focus on what is most important in our lives: one another. Food takeout, delivery services, and grocery stores ensure that people, especially the vulnerable, are receiving essential needs. I also believe in using technology and social media platforms to streamline food ordering processes for existing and new customers while being connected to learn about their preferences and needs. I hope there will be more resourceful tech developed to enable all of us to stay well connected to serve customers and our communities along the food supply chain amidst challenging times. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What do you think was driving these trends in the food//beverage industry or educational system?  What did people want?
The need to improve communication platforms and being able to stay connected with each other are the driving force to developing new tech and tools in the F&B industry as well as the educational system. Look at 'Zoom' and how it enables us to conduct meetings or teach students online. Relationships (professional or personal) are the most meaningful and valuable assets in our lives and we need to seek ways to maintain and grow them amidst pandemics and other unforeseen circumstances in order to expand our abilities in being selfless.
At the end of the day, we just want to be fed in the stomach and our souls as human beings without discrimination. However, we have become human 'doings' instead of 'beings' by staying busy. I hope we can reprioritize our lives to focus more on our health (mental, spiritual, relational, and physical) with deep intention by feeding and nourish each other's spirits with positivity and our bodies with quality food and exercise.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Do you have any specific hopes or expectations for what will happen when we get through the economic impact from the COVID-19 virus?  What do you think people will want?
I hope everyone will use this time to take stock of their spiritual and physical health and commit to loving themselves and each other by making healthy food and lifestyle choices. Take inventory of what is most important in our own lives and commit to it day after day after day. Most people seek to live each day in the path of least resistance towards comfort and happiness, if I may encourage all of us to not be afraid to seek discomfort, yes, discomfort. This is where growth happens to be equipped to face turbulent times like this. In my opinion...exercising consistently, choosing healthy food options with occasional rewards, and sleeping more are the foundations to longevity and living a joyful life. I suppose we just want to be relevant and purposeful by being connected with others, even introverts like myself need to socialize every so often. 
I would think that we just want to be healthy so we can pursue life with purpose. Working restaurant hours for many years, I didn't have the discipline and commitment to improve my health as I was stuffing my face with pastries daily. I couldn't run a couple miles a few years ago but with the commitment to gradually train daily, I am now racing in marathons and placing on podiums competing in duathlons around the world with my husband who races in Ironman/triathlons. Signing up for races teaches me how to commit to build grit, work through phantom pain, and mental negativity. These are my greatest rewards to living daily life with more energy and hope for the future even in times like this. 
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FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know.
I've come to learn from all the years working in the F&B industry that individuals who gravitate and survive in this industry are true warriors not afraid of hard work, long hours, and inequality. These personal traits and work ethics will enable us in F&B to come back stronger than before when we are able to serve our communities again.
There will be tough times but if we persevere, support each other, and lean on our community, we can get through this together.
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Follow along with Chef Magdalena Wong Instagram: Chefiemag

Interviewee: Chef Michelle Tampakis, Chef/Owner Whipped Pastry Boutique

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Michelle Tampakis.  In this interview, she explains how she is responding to the pandemic and what she looks forward to once this hardship is behind us.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?  
Whipped Pastry Boutique shut down on March 19, 2020, as a result of the Coronavirus. All our hotel/restaurant/catering clients were canceling their orders one after another in rapid succession. Although our supermarket/specialty grocer customers were still placing orders, it was not sufficient to sustain the business.
A note from one of Michelle’s daughters via Facebook, when the virus forced the closure of small businesses, Michelle used up all the ingredients she had on hand at Whipped Pastry Boutique and baked to deliver goods to hospitals for doctors, nurses, hospital staff. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
I don't think the near future is something to count on. I believe it will take many months, maybe more than a year for our hotel/restaurant/catering clients to catch up. Travel will resume eventually, but all the events, (weddings, christenings, bar mitzvahs, etc). that we had orders for will not suddenly all be rescheduled as soon as the shelter in place orders are lifted.
I think people will change the way they live for a few years after this experience, at least until the shock wears off.  People who go weeks without work and have to make do with unemployment checks will be more frugal. There will be many restaurants that never re-open and those employees may have to transition to a new type of work since restaurant jobs will be fewer.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
If the virus had not changed our lives, the trends I was seeing in my bakery were for more and more vegan items, with fewer ingredients. 
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FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know.
Prospective entrepreneurs, students, etc. should expect to really understand the market they are getting into, pay close attention to the regulations (which are only getting stricter and more cumbersome with the Food Safety and Modernization Act) and have a real marketing plan in place, with money budgeted towards that.
Understanding how/why to keep customers coming back is critical. Listen to customer feedback and follow up on it. Don't take your customers for granted.
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Follow along with Chef Michelle Tampakis on Instagram and her hashtags at @WhippedPastryBoutique and look for notifications of her online gluten-free courses on CourseHorse.com
 

Instagram #Whipped Pastry Boutique www.whippedpastryboutique.com

Interviewee: Chef Claire Stewart

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Claire Stewart, Associate Professor in the Hospitality Department at New York City College of Technology, CUNY.  In this interview, she explains how the city and university are responding to the pandemic and what he looks forward to once this hardship is behind us.
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FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?  
I am able to work because I work for a large institution and am fortunate to have tenure and am in a teacher’s union. All my courses have been converted on-line.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
I have two edited book chapters for two different books under peer review right now, hoping that both will be published in 2021.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
The boundaries between haute cuisine and comfort food have shifted irreversibly. 
Upcoming chefs are not insecure about not speaking French or working in “starred” restaurants. Contemporary cuisine looks to cultures beyond Europe for inspiration. Nordic and Atlantic cuisine are very popular, and their popularity lends itself to the sustainability movement.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What do you think was driving these trends in the food//beverage industry or educational system?  What did people want?
The internet and social media have made it increasingly challenging to present customers with something new and Instagram-ready. Boundaries keep getting pushed in order to offer more colorful, photo-ready food for an audience that wants to be a part of the process. Millennials and Gen Zers want to customize their food; to be involved in its sourcing, and to photograph it. Hunting and foraging are rising in popularity with this cohort for these reasons as well. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Do you have any specific hopes or expectations for what will happen when we get through the economic impact from the COVID-19 virus?  What do you think people will want?
I think any activity that involves people gathering in numbers will continue to be affected. Surely restaurants will ramp up their take-out selections. Service jobs (wait staff, bartenders, etc.) will continue to be threatened by automation. My hope is that businesses are able to recover, but it will be a hard road.  

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know.
I have been trying to convey to my students 2 important things.

1. There is opportunity in disaster. The cream will always rise to the top.
In 2008 during the recession there was an out-of-work house painter. He had no education and had spent a lot of money on purchasing industrial paint equipment. No one was getting their house painted during bad economic times, so he was suffering.  One day, driving through a depressed housing development, he was startled by all the empty foreclosed houses, given over to the bank and left abandoned. Every house had “for sale” signs in front, but the houses looked terrible from the outside because all their lawns were dry and brown.  He used his equipment to spray one of the lawns dark green, making the lawn look alive and much better than the lawns of the houses around them. A realtor saw this and contacted him. He ended up “painting” all the lawns in the development and ended up hiring staff to keep up with demand as other companies contacted him.      
I shared this story with my class last week and asked them to inventory what they had, and how could they use it?  Students wrote that they could teach dance, or paint nails, or deliver food, act as a Spanish translator, etc.  Everyone has something they can use to create revenue. 

​2. Employees (or budding entrepreneurs) must be able to follow directions. Before the epidemic jobs were flush. Now they are not. So workers need to reassess how they bring value to their employers or to their clients. One talent that makes a good employee is the ability to follow instructions. Without verbal or physical clues (doing on-line work) this is more important than ever.
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Follow along with Chef Claire Stewart on http://www.aslongaswebothshalleat.com/

Interviewee: Chef Nouel Omamalin

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Nouel Omamalin, Innovation Pastry Chef/Owner of food consultancy Nifty Chef, LLC. In this interview he explains how UAE is responding to the pandemic and what he looks forward to once this hardship is behind us.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?  
My business has taken a sudden and steep dive indefinitely wiping out my calendar of activities for the next six months. As weeks progressed and the quarantine repeatedly extended, it was becoming more uncertain. 
 
As an immediate solution, I have strategized two things:

1.  Focus on the immediate market
2.  Encourage clients to engage in online and distance learning sessions

 
I am still able to provide deliverables to a few of my long-term partners in the business.
 
However, there is still that element of fear things may halt for some time if the lockdown crosses over a period of two months.
 
I need to be able to do quick changes and be more malleable to new situations cushioning the impact of the pandemic.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
The food industry is a very resilient industry. Hence, it will always be a bright future ahead. 
 
I am still excited for what the future holds because, if anything, this pandemic or any seemingly cathartic episode for that matter will usher in new business models and new industry paradigms. In short, there is something to learn from it and companies will come up with new ideas.
 
In my case, I have realized how important it is to capitalize on the long-term rather than taking in projects for short-lived gains. I have already begun investing in certain projects where I have a stake in that business. When that business grows you grow, too! It’s a way of earning passively. The pandemic has made it clear the way to survive the uncertain future is to be prepared NOW. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
As far as the Middle East is concerned, I believe businesses here will continuously capitalize on two things:

1. A rapidly evolving menu as opposed to a more controlled cycle as in Europe or the West.
2. A sustained boom in the F&B business, majority of which will be mirroring other proven brands for a shortcut to “success.”

 
Food trends will remain driven by social media, most especially Instagram. Consumers will always look for the next best instagrammable moment and businesses will unceasingly be challenged to come up with more clever ideas to outdo the competition.
 
The need for menus catering to niche markets such as vegan, keto, paleo or low-calorie food will steadily grow and eventually push conventional operations to accommodate these dining lifestyle metamorphoses.
 
Cafes offering specialty coffees will hit a plateau in certain regions. However, this will not stop entrepreneurs and coffee connoisseurs from coming up with new ideas and concoctions to keep the market alive. In response to a tightening competition, more and more roasteries will open.
 
Lastly, old favorites will resurface such as doughnuts, cookies and soft serve ice creams. New twists on these nostalgic items will keep the market entertained.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What do you think was driving these trends in the food//beverage industry or educational system?  What did people want?
Social media and the prevalence of wireless technology.
 
Life is at our fingertips. It challenges businesses to be highly creative and quick-witted. The market will rely heavily on the visuals they see online and this pushes business owners to innovate 24/7.
 
People want to be entertained and they want to experience new things. For businesses to survive, they must keep their market share excited or they risk being abandoned because there is a better dining place next door that is more unique and fun.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Do you have any specific hopes or expectations for what will happen when we get through the economic impact from the COVID-19 virus?  What do you think people will want?
Firstly, business owners need to realize they need to have a strong conviction in what they are investing in. If they’re simply opening a shop because they have the means to open one, this won’t be sustainable. There will be a series of bad decisions resulting from the lack of basic understanding or “love” for the F&B business. This results in a weak structure that can be easily swept away by any similar gigantic event in the economy. Even before the pandemic struck, it was already clear how feeble these copycat businesses have become. 
 
Secondly, businesses need to strike a balance with the inventory of their menu. I always advise new investors to limit their range of products to give them room to continuously surprise the market while also keeping their stocks minimal. As a corollary, the manpower requirements will also be much less making it easier to manage setbacks avoiding having to do a laying en masse.
 
Thirdly, it is imperative business owners learn how to manage expansions via franchising or otherwise. Again, this connects to that tempting choice to haphazardly expand to capture a larger market without realizing this can be detrimental to the brand’s future if the first outlet is not yet mature or strong enough to stand as a brand.
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FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know.
In regards to the market, people will be more keen to order online more than ever. There will also be an increased demand for healthier items - in the real sense of it. Focus is more on organic items from fruits to vegetables to sweeteners.
 
Vegan or vegetarian dining may gain an increased following as more animal rights activists will use COVID-19 as the main agenda in discouraging people from consuming animal products.
 
There may also be that remnant stigma to crowded places. Design-wise, restaurants or cafes may need to provide a more spacious seating arrangement providing “social distancing” amongst their patrons.
  
 
Nouel Omamalin
Innovation Chef/Owner, Nifty Chef LLC
Instagram - @chefnouel
+971 4 587 4313 | +971 56 847 7400 | [email protected]

https://www.chefnouel.com

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd., Downtown Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Follow along with Chef Nouel Omamalin on Instagram and his hashtags at @chefnouel

Interviewee: Chef Roberto Loi

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Roberto Loi. Chef Roberto Loi works in two restaurants in Genoa, Italy called Trattoria dell’ Acciughetta and Quelli dell’ Acciughetta. In this interview, he explains how Italy is responding to the pandemic and what he looks forward to once this hardship is behind us.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?  
In Italy legislation made it mandatory to stay closed until the end of the pandemic, it’s a difficult situation, but for the good of our customers and ourselves, this was the best decision to limit the infection between citizens.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
In the future, I hope to turn back to work as soon as the situation becomes better.
I also wish everyone can open back up without any problem. Opening for the first time since the pandemic could be difficult because there will still be fear of public places, but I'm positive that everything is going to turn back to normal before the COVID-19.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
I think that a lot of people are open to new concepts of cuisine, more elastic and innovative, we are trying to experiment with new versions of traditional dishes and recipes always paired with wine. 
Regarding beverages, our wine cave is always new, with small producers, always following quality and innovation, and trying to search the best quality/price.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What do you think was driving these trends in the food//beverage industry or educational system?  What did people want?
I believe social media is teaching a lot about new food, cultures, and trends. We are always more connected; we learn new ways to prepare food and always new wine producers to try!
People want someone who can describe and teach how to prepare a recipe in the easiest way, someone who can teach without crazy difficult ways.
 
 FOOD STARTUP HELP: Do you have any specific hopes or expectations for what will happen when we get through the economic impact from the COVID-19 virus?  What do you think people will want?
Of course, there are going to be hard times, we will need to be prepared, in summer we usually work with tourists and we already know that will not be possible this season. Like, everyone, we will need a new plan with new ideas.
Right now, there's a lot of solidarity, we are working together to have a better life after this pandemic. Personally, I cannot wait to eat in a new restaurant after this is behind us!

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know?
I would like to thank Food Startup Help for this interview and for everything they are sharing on Instagram and Facebook. I also would like to greet my colleagues all over the world, hoping to see them as soon as possible and hope that we will be able to cook together again soon.
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Follow along with Chef Roberto on Instagram and his hashtags at #bob.wine.chef  #quellidellacciughetta  #trattoriadellacciughetta 

Interviewee: Chef Jimmy Griffin

Food Startup Help has reached out to several business owners, chefs, and experts in the food industry to see how they’re adjusting to the changes that coronavirus has imposed on this industry. We have conducted an interview in a Q&A format.

For today Food Startup Help is featuring Chef Jimmy Griffin, Lecturer to Culinary Arts degree students at 3rd Level, Technological University Dublin.  In this interview, he explains how Ireland is responding to the pandemic and what he looks forward to once this hardship is behind us.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What is happening in your business now given the COVID-19 virus?  Are you still able to work?  
I closed my business down last September and was concentrating now on education and consultancy. All of the international teaching classes I had organized have been canceled as a result of the virus for the foreseeable future.
My work as a lecturer ceased Friday 13th March as the University was closed due to COVID-19. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What are your hopes for the near future in terms of your work?
Hopefully, when things get back to normal, many of my canceled appointments will be rescheduled. At this stage, I do not see the University opening up until September.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: If we had not had the virus change our lives, what had you been seeing as the most important food/beverage related trend(s) in what you do?
Food on the go/snacking was the fastest growing trend up to recently. Over the years, I have seen the worlds of culinary and bakery merge ever closer, great bread from bakers and creative fillings from chefs fused together to create interesting food to go.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: What do you think was driving these trends in the food//beverage industry or educational system?  What did people want?
Consumer-driven, time shy and busy workers.
We are always playing catch up as there is a long process to implement module changes and seek approval. Often, trends peak before new products can be introduced into the syllabus for students at government schools. 
Trends/fads are constantly changing. I am of the opinion that while tastes/demands change and evolve, in times of crisis, people revert back to comfort foods they are familiar with as can be seen with bread shortage in supermarkets. 

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Do you have any specific hopes or expectations for what will happen when we get through the economic impact from the COVID-19 virus?  What do you think people will want?
I think this virus has changed the global landscape in terms of human frailty and has educated us all on how important hygiene is in our daily lives. 

I think that embracing communication technology is paramount, the virus is forcing people to use online meeting apps such as teams/zoom as tools to teach remotely. For example, my wife joins an online class for Yoga now several times per week.

FOOD STARTUP HELP: Is there anything else you would like to add, or for potential food industry professionals, entrepreneurs, students, and/or your customers to know.
Trends/fads/food delivery will be the key to startups getting both messages and products out to the market.
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Follow along with Chef Jimmy Griffin @jimmyg52/  https://www.facebook.com/jimmy.griffin.378