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What's Cooking?
BestFoods Chef Michael Smith tunes up TAs restaurants
Don't be surprised if a friendly guy in a white chef's jacket comes up someday in a TA restaurant to ask if you like the soup. Or the apple cobbler. Or the gravy on the chicken-fried steak. He's Michael Smith, a top chef with BestFoods Food Service, who helps TravelCenters of America develop new menu items and improve existing ones.
BestFoods supplies TA restaurants with many of their staple products. As part of that business arrangement, the giant food company also supplies expertise such as Smith's.
Several times a year, he meets with TA restaurant executives and managers at truckstops around the country to talk about food. He talks with the local cooks and servers about their customers' likes, dislikes and requests. They talk about preparation issues — for example, dishes that seem like hits in test kitchens can fall flat at the truckstop because they're too hard to prepare.
Then he's out of the kitchen and into the restaurant, asking customers about the food. "I take a personal interest in this, as being part of the food service team and wanting to provide good quality and good value," he says.
Now, grousing about truckstop food is a traditional, sacred right of truckers.
And they let him know if they don't like something. Nevertheless, Smith says, "I rarely get comments that they didn't care for something. They seem flattered to find out there is such a large amount of concern being put toward the preparation of their meals."
These visits help TA and Smith create new menu items as well as improve the ones already offered. Smith takes the ideas and suggestions back to BestFoods kitchens in Chicago and develops recipes. Then he presents them at a tasting session. The items chosen there may make the menus at many of the restaurants in the TA network if they pass lengthy test marketing among customers.
"Most drivers are extraordinarily loyal customers," he says. "They've been going to TAs for years and eat at the same places a lot. Our challenge has been to keep dishes they like fresh and interesting, and to continually upgrade the quality and consistency."
One way to bring more diversity to the menu is to offer variety in different regions. Smith helped develop TA's multiple menu approach, where certain dishes rotate on and off menus in different parts of the country.
Smith also helps with training TA's cooks and servers. Recently, he "starred" in a training video where he demonstrated how to decorate cakes and pies.
Food has been a life-long obsession for Smith. His family operated several restaurants, and he grew up in the business. He graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (known in chef's circles as "The CIA"), and worked in restaurants ranging from fast-food to five-star. He joined BestFoods because he saw opportunities to help restaurant managers and owners improve their operations.
When TA became a BestFoods customer, Smith was fascinated by the truckstop operation. "I thought of them as space stations, where people came in and could get nearly anything they needed."
During the five years he has worked with TA, Smith has developed recipes ranging from soups to desserts, for the buffet as well as the a la carte menu.
"Working with TA gives me an opportunity to help them offer their customers wholesome, tasty and diverse meals," Smith says.
"I'm part of the team that is trying to make the patrons feel at home, to make them feel comforted and treated well. It's a challenge I enjoy."
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