Book by Cornell food-concepts expert shows how to bring specialty food products to market

If you have ever entertained the idea of bottling, branding and selling your special sauce, salsa, spice blend or salad dressing, a new book by Barbara Lang, director of restaurants and food concepts at Cornell's Statler Hotel, shows you how to do it successfully.

"From Restaurant to Retail: A Handbook for Food and Hospitality Professionals" (Ronjon Publishing Inc.) offers a step-by-step guide on how to transform specialty foods into branded retail products, whether you are an aspiring food entrepreneur or an experienced restaurateur with an established clientele.

Indeed, prior restaurant success is no guarantee that customers will buy your product once it hits retail shelves, cautions Lang. "Often the path to success is bumpy because the strengths needed to succeed in the food-service business are not the same as those in the food manufacturing world," she writes.

Some differences: in food manufacturing, recipes must be as precise as scientific formulas, and costs need to include shipping, broker fees, distribution and retail markups. Because you are now selling to "elusive strangers" in a marketplace venue instead of familiar customers, you must learn about "couponing, discounting and giving substantial amounts of free product to retailers," writes Lang.

The book smoothes the way for aspiring food-product entrepreneurs, however, by offering essential, easy-to-follow information on branding, pricing, manufacturing, distributing, marketing and managing legal aspects of specialty foods. It contains tips on ensuring food quality, developing new recipes, controlling costs and measuring customer satisfaction.

Aimed at farmers-market entrepreneurs, caterers, chefs and proprietors of restaurants, inns and wineries, the book contains insights, recommendations and hands-on experiences from more than three dozen industry professionals. Twenty exercises are included to help readers develop a plan for their specific food products.

A lecturer in food and beverage management at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration for 18 years, Lang also has been a winery culinary director in the Napa Valley, a restaurant owner, professional baker and chef, and the writer and host of an award-winning children's cooking video. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell's Hotel School and a Master of Professional Studies degree in food industry management from Cornell.

Lang's book will be available at the Cornell Store or via this Web site: http://www.restauranttoretail.com. For information contact her at bl28@cornell.edu.

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Nicola Pytell