by Joe Olivieri

Meet the professional foodie, a jack-of-all-trades who helps keep local grocery stores on the cutting edge of food trends.

Foodies stay up to date by going to farmers markets, talking with suppliers and even traveling abroad to find the latest and greatest foods.

There is no one path to become a professional foodie. They include self-taught chefs and former grocery store cashiers.

Each admits to being obsessed with food, flavors and ingredients and sharing that knowledge with the public.

H-E-B foodie Chris Bartella said Austin has a savvy customer base. Some shoppers entertain guests in their homes and serve elaborate European-style meals, he said. 

“We have some folks come in and just ask us, ‘I don’t know what to make for dinner tonight. What’s interesting?’” Central Market Selling Manager Kellie Nutt-Robinson said. 

Many foodies roam our local grocery stores offering advice and helping customers find what they need. They often recommend or develop recipes and may be involved in event planning or catering. 

Community Impact Newspaper reached out to some grocery stores in the Southwest Austin area to ask about the foodies and the roles they play.

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QA: Chris Bartella, Foodie, H-E-B

Q: What have you been working on recently?

A: I just got back from Italy. H-E-B had sent 25 employees over there. We met with vendors and the principals (at the food companies.) It was a weeklong trip. It was an opportunity to enhance my foodie training and deepen my background knowledge of the topic. 

Q: Can you give an example of how you help customers?

A; We had a customer who was into making all of her ingredients from scratch. She was looking for [ingredients for] a pesto, and I helped her find them. I also showed her our truffle pesto. She was blown away. Folks respond to quality products.  We have our Primo Picks—these are items we have identified as high quality products that we want to let the customer know about. 

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QA: Nina Norton, Category management coordinator, Wheatsville Food Co-op

Q: What are some foods that are popular/trendy right now?

A: Gluten-free is still around. Interest in adhering to a raw food lifestyle isn’t quite what it used to be, though consumers are integrating elements of the raw food diet into what has evolved into more of an emphasis on plant-based, whole-food eating. 

[The] paleo [diet] has been pretty hot for the past year, and we’re seeing very strong and increasing demand for grass-fed dairy and meat items. 

Fresh refrigerated ‘functional’ juices, especially those consisting [of] blends of greens, are very popular. 

Kale is continuing to spread through the store, showing up in completely new categories. 

Ancient grains—farro, einkorn, teff and, of course, quinoa—are popping up in more formats. 

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QA: Kellie Nutt-Robinson, Selling manager, Central Market

Q: Can you give an example of the foodies’ influence on the store?

A: We offer in-house coffee roasting. It’s artisan. We spent years building that up, even going all over the world to find the coffee. We cup the beans (a tasting and testing process) and roast them, and they are sold with love. And because of (our purchasing power), we are able to offer them at a lower price that the consumer can afford.

Q: What does it take to become a foodie?

A: We wear green aprons with green stripes. Employees who wear the black aprons are tasting specialists. It can take six months to become a foodie and “earn your stripes,” but it could easily take years. Central Market does extensive training and tests. You also need to be good at engaging the customer while preparing food, like you are on a cooking show.

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QA: Lynda Berrios, Texas local forager, Whole Foods Market

Q: Tell us about a food discovery of yours.

A: We just [stocked] a hot sauce called Yellowbird Sauce. It’s Austin-based—the company is small but growing. … You can put the sauce on anything—even sushi.

They partnered with Red Rabbit [Cooperative] Bakery to put out a limited edition pineapple habañero glazed vegan donut. [It] blew my mind!

Q: What else is on the horizon?

I was just at Aqua Dulce out in Southeast Austin. They’re doing aquaponics (using the nutrient byproducts of fish farming to grow other foods.) It is different from hydroponics (growing plants in water.) I got to check out their farm and what they are trying to do. It’s all about sustainable practices.