Obtaining Items Not Available to Home Cooks

[Pontormo]

Every now and then I have been frustrated in attempts to purchase food items locally that cannot be found at major supermarkets or specialty stores.

For example, I was on a quest for cardoons during the height of their growing season in California. Chardgirl showed us photographs of hers. EGullet members in Texas spoke of theirs. I don't recall the presence of anything resembling over-grown, pale celery at the farmer's market during harvest season. Living in a big, cosmopolitan city with lots of great restaurants and specialty stores did not prove an advantage in this case. Since the vegetable is exotic for many who work in produce sections, conversations were educational for both parties whenever there was enough time to hold one...but fruitless. I even called an Italian restaurant whose chef boasts of his Piemontese heritage and cooks many dishes that feature cardoons. One of his cooks swore they were sold at stores where staff do not recall selling them.

I had a similar experience looking for guanciale, though it is available through mail-order businesses and Mario Batali offers instructions for making one's own...as long as you can purchase hog's jowls. I had better success finding Montasio, simply because the cheese was still on the inventory at Whole Foods. One department head was convinced by a very kind employee to order something he initially refused to buy since it did not sell terribly well. His customers didn't know what it was or what to do with it. Hell, I never heard about it until Kevin72, Hathor and others in the Italian cooking thread introduced me to the pleasures of frico.

Ordering food by mail is often possible. However, we're told by chefs and food writers to ask for things you would like, otherwise we'd all be mincing curly parsley still. How?

What are the most effective ways to convince stores to stock items they don't? Do you have any success stories to report? Advice from food professionals who field such questions or make decisions are encouraged.

Finally, is there any way to approach a chef or kitchen staff under such circumstances if you are not a recognized, regular patron of the establishment? Or is that simply really bad manners?

[nwyles]

Become a regular, recognized patron and you will find that it is very easy to get those hard to find items. I do it all the time for some of local forum members ( not because they are forum members, but they are regulars ) I also do it for it for heathens ( non eG members ).

good luck

[Pontormo]

Thanks for replying and offering an implicit response to the final question in my original post.

I lack the financial resources to become a regular at the one restaurant that I had in mind, although I might have the shoes.

However, I am mostly interested in exploring ways to increase or change inventories in retail stores. Cf. comment about curly parsley in the original post. I remember what it was like at age 15 when a friend and I read a recipe calling for Chinese parsley (no one said "cilantro" & a few said "coriander" back then) and we managed to find only a sad, limp, yellowed bunch in a tiny Asian or Health Food store. Now it is ubiquitous. What can an individual consumer do in advance of a new food trend or major shift in demographics?

[lperry]

You may have better luck at small, locally owned stores than with larger chains. I was a regular customer at a small, international market while I was in grad school. I shopped once a week on delivery day without fail. After a few months, the owner noticed and started to ask me if I found everything I needed. Every time I said, "no" and mentioned an item, he either started stocking it or offered me a special order. I don't know if you have a local grocer, but it might be worth a shot.

Good luck.

-Linda

[Pontormo]

Both of you uphold the importance of a personal relationship with the individual who makes the decisions. I am a regular customer at one branch of Whole Foods and converse frequently enough with some of the staff. There, it seems, it is difficult to effect change when customer requests are channeled through the regional office and then headquarters of a large corporation.

[lperry]

Herein lies the problem with DC and, trust me, I feel your pain . I have yet to locate a small business type produce stand or grocery. Maybe talking with people at the farmers markets would help?

Edited to say: Can eGulleters organize a letter writing campaign?

Edited April 10, 2006 by lperry (log)

[francois]

There are different ways to go about it. At least they worked for me a few times.

If you live in a large city, there are probably a few specialised shops around. Go and ask the person in charge. Also, you can ask in restaurant that feature what you are looking for. They might accept to sell you what you need (even if you are not a regular client). They might also give you the name of their supplier. If the supplier is a small producer, call him (even if from out of town). Ask him if you can buy directly from him. If he only sells in large quatities (or too large for an individual's needs), aks if you can give if name to a shop. If it is a nice item, there are probably other people who would also like it. A shop owner would be delighted to feature some hard to find things. I got a fruit & vegetable market in Ottawa to get mini-mesclun that way. It is now a regular item. It comes from north of Montreal (a couple of hour's drive away). It was only available in 2 stores in Montreal and in some of the best restaurant. The funny thing is that he sells it cheaper than in Montreal.

Also, make it a habit to look in your local newspaper, either in the add section or in the food/living section. There are often articles about producers or others little knowned products. Very often the name of the producer is mentioned. Call. It is surprising how people are often open, receptive and apparently genuinly pleased when they hear about someone interested and enthousiastic in what they produce. I was able to get great produces that way. One of the producer even would come to deliver it at my office!

Good luck

[SuzySushi]

I share your frustration! Several tactics I've used successfully at various times:

Ask a store clerk/manager/owner if the item can be special ordered. Some stores (even one of my local supermarkets) have a policy of special-ordering hard-to-find items; others won't do it under any circumstances.

If the ingredient is featured in a restaurant, ask if you can buy some of it from them for home use. Again, some will sell it to you, some won't.

If it's a packaged product, contact the manufacturer. Sometimes they'll sell it to you directly or put you in touch with an online supplier or local distributor. I've even gotten generous free samples this way.

For produce items, check with a farmers' market or the local agriculture extension agent (often at a local college) to see if anyone in your area is growing it or is willing to grow it.

Contact the food editor of your local newspaper, if there is one. S/he may know of a source.

[fou de Bassan]

I agree with all of suzy's suggestions. I've also had success with splitting orders. If you want a store to stock something offer to buy a case if there is a minimum order. You have to be ready to deal with a case of stuff, but it shows the manager that you're serious and (s)he's not going to end up with cases of weird unwanted stock. You can go in with others to split the case and offset the cost. Or, you could start or join a co-op.

[nwyles]

You are reading too much into developng a relationship.

A handshake and a look in the eye at your local neighbourhood ( this is how it is spelled in Canada ) eatery might be all that you need. Chefs are like anyone else : Ask them for their expertise and treat them with kindness and respect and you never know what you might get.

if all else fails, try this line :

Oh , great Wizard of all things Food, please bestow upon me, your lowly subject, some of your vast knowledge.

It never fails to stroke their ego

[Malawry]

I agree with Neil. Chefs are generous sorts in my experience. You don't have to drop a few $250 checks on dinner to get to know them or to ask them for this sort of favor. If they don't know you, try stopping by during afternoon lull and asking for a second of their time. Offer to pre-pay for the goods if they'll let you buy some off their next order and chances are they'll trust you (and probably decline your prepayment, at that). If you want to get to know the people at the restaurant, try just having a drink and a starter at the bar a couple of times when they aren't busy and just make yourself known to the staff and ask if the chef can come out for a second (tipping generously helps improve regard among front-of-house staff, of course).

There are small grocers in the DC area that can and do respond to requests. I made lots of requests at the Takoma Park Silver Spring Natural Foods Coop over the years I was a member there, and most of them were fulfilled--including seemingly obscure ones like when I asked that they carry Eco Farm's microgreens. Try smaller stores like Yes! Organic Foods and you may have more success than asking at Whole Paycheck.

The biggest barrier for the home cook wanting to source "unavailable" goods, in my experience, is the problem of needing to buy a whole case of whatever in order to get somebody to bring it in for you. Many grocers and chefs will take a chance and order something once and then see if people buy it (off the shelf or as a special), but they may not be willing to order it again if it doesn't sell. That's just part of life, unfortunately.

[nwyles]

You are the first person to agree with me all month !

Seriously, I was sourcing product for locals before I even know them. It was easy for me to take a leap of faith as I had an avenue to sell it if it all went south. It is like the gingerbread recipe. I give it out freely becasue once you have made it, it is always easier to come in and have us make it for you.

[Beanie]

I own a small shop in a rural area and have access to hundreds of items that I don't stock, but can order upon request. I try to let customers know that I am able to fulfill special orders. I wish more customers were inquire about availability of items they do not see on the shelves. One of my regular customers recently started baking bread to sell at farmer's markets. Although he stops by my shop several times a week and knows we carry flour (in bulk bins) and more than 100 spices and herbs, he didn't realize he could order 50 lb. bags of flour from me as well as other ingredients. He now orders on a weekly basis. I mark up his purchases a small percentage and we both make out ok. I am happy to do this. Sometimes when I want to try something new myself, I'll ask certain customers (the ones I know very well) if they are interested in splitting a case or bulk package with me. They usually are. So, the moral of this story is don't be shy about requesting items from your local shopkeeper.

Edited to add: As noted by others, most items are available only by the case or in bulk. I was burnt once when I placed a special order that was delivered UPS and the customer never picked it up. It took forever to sell, and I had to absorb shipping costs. (I didn't request advance payment.) Don't expect a shopkeeper to buy a case of something if you only want one item.

Edited April 11, 2006 by Beanie (log)

[Teri Everitt]

You can ask the restaurant who their source is and ask if you can buy direct from the supplier. If the company won't sell to individual customers C.O.D. then you could always throw yourself at the mercy of the chef and ask them to bring in a specified amount of the ingredient you want and have them ring it in as "open food". I buy microgreens from the restaurant where I work (almost $7 for a small amount at the health food store vs. $7.50 for a half-flat). I also buy fingerling potatoes from work occasionally but since we pay $22.50 for a 10 lb bag they aren't that much cheaper than buying them from a store. I would eat them at home every day if I could afford them.

Option #2......make friends with someone who works in a restaurant.