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KITCHENWARE NEWS Housewares Review
publisher’s
note
In reflecting back on what we saw at this year’s IH+HS Show, it occurs to me that perhaps the kitchenware and housewares industry has a part to play in solving America’s obesity problem. There’s also reason to think that the kitchenware and housewares industry can help solve America’s education and juvenile delinquency problems. I can hear you thinking, Say what? But follow along with me here, and you’ll see the connection. I call your attention to some comments by Chef Fabio Viviani, who was at IH+HS to talk about Bialetti’s new Aeternum line of cookware. Viviani explained in charmingly fractured English that American home cooks need better tools more than they need more recipes. “I got recipes. I’m a chef, of course I got recipes. You got recipes. The Internet has recipes. You don’t need recipes,” he said. “What you need is tools because if you got good tools, you can make good food.” He went on to say that good tools are more important to home cooks now than in decades past because home cooks are more rushed now. “You got lives. You got careers. You got kids to look after. You got husbands. You know. You got lives,” he said. “You don’t got time to cook like grandma did.” He went on to say that better cookware makes it possible for home cooks to produce better food in less time, and of course, the Bialetti Aeternum pans were exactly what he was recommending.
w w w. k i t c h e n w a r e n e w s . c o m PUBLISHER
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
EDITOR
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lorrie Baumann lorrie_b@oser.com Joanne Friedrick joanne_f@oser.com [tel] 207.780.8656 Danielle D’Adamo danielle_d@oser.com
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Valerie Wilson ads@oser.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Yasmine Brown art@oser.com
TRAFFIC MANAGER
Selene Pinuelas deadline@oser.com
Well, fine, but what does this have to do with obesity, America’s schools, and juvenile delinquency, you’re asking. It goes like this. There’s a theory out there that one reason why America is so fat is that Americans eat too much flavorless food. Since our food isn’t satisfying us with its flavors, we’re trying to satisfy our hunger with quantity instead, says that theory. And where are we getting this flavorless food? We’re eating too much fast food and food that’s had the flavor processed out of it. And why are we doing that? It’s because we don’t have time or the energy to cook real meals. And how do we solve that problem? Ask Viviani, and then work backward from there.
Lee M. Oser
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
SUBSCRIBER SERVICES
1877 N. Kolb Road Tucson, Arizona 85715 [tel] 520.721.1300 [fax] 520.721.6300
KITCHENWARE/HOUSEWARES ADVERTISING
And now that we’ve solved the obesity problem, how does this help us with the education and delinquency issues, you ask. Well, I’m glad you did, because I’m going to point you to a 2009 study that concluded that drinking, violence, property-destruction, stealing and running away decrease for adolescent males as the frequency of family meals increases. For females, the study showed that substance use and running away decrease as the frequency of family meals increases. Frequent family meals are also correlated with better nutritional intake and better school performance, and there’s even evidence that kids who eat with their families more often are less likely to be depressed and to have suicidal thoughts. All that being the case, it makes sense that making it easier for home cooks to put meals on the table will increase the likelihood that families will sit down around that table more often. And from there, the logic is inexorable—if good kitchenware gets more meals on the family table, then it also has an influence on a whole array of social problems that afflict American children today. Judging by what we saw at IH+HS this year, the housewares and kitchenware industry is doing its part to seduce Americans back into the kitchen to prepare and present healthful meals to their families. And with new energy-efficient appliances, the industry is even helping combat climate change as well! Lee M. Oser, Publisher
editor’s
note
Upon returning from the International Home + Housewares Show, one of the first questions people ask is: “What was the best thing you saw?” Or maybe it’s a variation on that, such as “What was the mostinteresting product there?” or “What is the latest trend?” It’s not easy to pick out one product or even a group of them from the thousands of items you get to see at this major show. Even looking at it on a category-by-category basis, you’re still talking about dozens to hundreds of products from which to choose. So rather than focus on one or two things, I like to tell people how impressed I am by the breadth and depth of the housewares industry. How there is always something new to see, as well as improvements upon and variations of old favorites. And where once there were a handful of colors, now the palette is a wide as the imagination. For some companies, the introduction of a new color or color family is as important as creating something never before seen in the world of kitchenware or tabletop. I’m both envious of and in awe of retailers who methodically travel the aisles at this and other trade shows, looking for products to add to their stores. Envious because I would love to stock a store with fun and practical products and watch my customers’ reactions when they see what I picked. But I’m also in awe of them because they have the ability to narrow their selection from the multitude of items available. Does a store exist that can take on one of everything? That’s highly doubtful, even in the Internet age when stores aren’t limited by physical space.
SENIOR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Kate Seymour kate_s@oser.com [tel] 520.721.1300 Lyle Sapp lyle_s@oser.com [tel] 520.721.1300
Kitchenware News & Housewares Review is a publication of ELM Communications, a division of Oser Communications Group, Inc. 1877 N. Kolb Road Tucson, AZ 85715 www.oser.com
PRESIDENT
Lee M. Oser
Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ and additional mailing office. Kitchenware News & Housewares Review (USPS012-625) is published 12 times per year (Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.) by Oser Communications Group, 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ, 85715 (520) 721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of proprietary classified information. ©2011 by Oser Communications Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $8 each within the past 12 months. Back issue orders must be paid in advance by check. Kitchenware News & Housewares Review is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and distribution channels of the upscale kitchenware and tabletop trade. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call (520) 721.1300. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Kitchenware News & Housewares Review, 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715.
So now I’m interested to see what makes its way onto the shelves of the kitchenware retailers around the country. Maybe what we find in stock will be the real answer to those questions about the best and most-interesting products at the show. Joanne Friedrick, Editor joanne_f@oser.com
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Kitchenware News & Housewares Review • MAY 2011
www.kitchenwarenews.com