by Ya-Roo Yang"There isn’t a person in America who hasn’t fantasized about having a business that involves food," Clark Wolf tells me over the phone. "The first thing people do when they make a lot of money is to think about buying a bed-and-breakfast, a vineyard, or trying their hand at a cheese-making place, or running an artisan bakery. Americans do value good food. People want to have something that relates to them, and nothing is more important than food." He should know. As a food and restaurant consultant (Clark Wolf Company) with more than 25 years of experience under his belt, Wolf has worked with a wide range of clients, from institutions such as the California Milk Advisory Board to restaurants like the legendary Russian Tea Room and megahotels like Caesars Palace and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
"As Americans, we try to pretend that food is cheap and easy to get, and we rely on it to make us feel safe," Wolf says philosophically. "We realize the value of a good meal across a warm family table."
Perhaps this sounds a bit esoteric. Then again, Wolf is not your average food and restaurant consultant. He’s sharp and howlingly funny. He writes for several magazines, including Food Arts, Sante and Forbes; designs a line of tableware with Fortessa, and is working on a book about American-made cheese. For someone who has garnered such accolades as the "slam dunk, hit city food consultant" and the "Merchandising Maestro," Wolf seemed to me more like a renaissance man. "In ancient times, you'd study classics -- basic pieces of knowledge -- to become a refined, complete person," Wolf suggests. "The study of food could be the core of a new classic course of study. Through food you can study history, anthropology, chemistry, biology, sociology, economics, and politics. Everything is connected. It’s the only place in the world where I believe in a trickle-down theory."
While one can expound on theories, it takes a lot more than that to make a restaurant successful, so I decided to ask him about the practical aspect of the business. "There are several keys to being a restaurant consultant," Wolf explained. "I have to be able to help nurture a business, acting as if it’s my own and never forgetting that it’s not. I help people learn and help them keep learning. Education allows you to succeed." Another key, according to Wolf, is knowing where to get good food. "Having grown up in California, I have benchmarks for what things taste like. Knowing that puts me ahead of most chefs and restaurateurs."
"My mantra is: not simple, not simple, not simple," he declares. But, aren’t the best things in life the simplest ones? "Really good simplicity is hard to do," he clarifies. "Simple emotional experience -- that I believe in. Once you have that plate of food, it should be a clear, straightforward experience."
Wolf believes that much of the food and restaurant business is common sense. "If a food comes in a package that looks like it should hold tennis balls, don’t eat it! It probably tastes like a tennis ball," he said emphatically. "When I go to a natural food store and see labels that say "conventional" produce, it’s not. It’s industrial food! People get upset about paying two dollars for a peach. I tell them that that two dollars will save you and your family hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical costs later in your life. That two dollars and a brisk walk will save you a bundle."
He’s also of the opinion that there are no hard-and-fast rules to success. "The industry has guidelines, but they're never gospels," he said. "Sometimes redoing something is a bad idea, but sometimes it’s right. It depends."
Going beyond their own sphere of experience tends to happen away from home. "Americans like to learn about new food and drinks on vacation," Wolf says. "And since 9/11, vacation has been closer to home. This has fueled some really really good food in Vegas. It used to be that in Vegas, 90% of money went into gambling. Now it’s 40%. People are spending money on shopping, shows and good restaurants. It’s practically a political act to do a restaurant in Vegas."
I muttered something about Vegas being an arena for celebrity-chef egos. "I prefer to work with chefs in their post-jerk phase," he stated unequivocally. "When they get more confident, and when their other testicle descends, they tend to be better people. I do not need to give my money to talented jerks. Cranky is fine, impatient is fine, but you've got to be kind to people."
Are there any clients he refused to work with? "I have fired a few clients," he replied. "I don’t take clients unless I believe in them. In a few cases, people I've walked away from went on to be successful and I am still glad that I wasn't a part of it."
That raised the question of what inspires him to be a part of a business. "Recognizing magic," he answered definitively. "One of the jobs of a consultant is to recognize and promote alchemy. The whole has to be more than its parts. Consulting is not just about the present. It's about connecting with the past and approaching the future. I feel very fortunate and I work very hard. I love doing stuff that has an impact."
Clark Wolf will be a panelist on the upcoming eG Spotlight Round Table on The Future of Dining, 26-30 September 2005
Ya-Roo Yang (aka Bond Girl) is a New York forum host.
