I have heard the question over and over again, “Just what is a GrinCorp anyway?” Well, let me try and answer that with some help from Chef Jim at Chef 1 Studios Inc, the driving force behind GrinCorp and its seven great concepts. I asked the Chef to give us the run down on Chef 1 Studios, GrinCorp and how he came to have eight, yes eight, catering businesses.
“I was so frustrated that it seems like every casual dining chain and restaurant out there thinks they can throw food in a box and call it catering”, something we here at Snapfinger are also very mindful of and it’s why we screen every caterer before they can go on our site. “I felt like today’s professional person had a lot on their plate, worked hard, multi tasked and made every presentation and meeting count, yet to most of the big meal providers, they were just another order, one in a big old stack. They had lost track of the fact that every one of these “mini-events” were important and special to someone; that someone had to sweat and fight for this chance to make their big pitch or for their chance to shine”. It’s this attitude and his laser focus on catering to business professionals that have made the GrinCorp concepts a Snapfinger Catering favorite. Chef Jim had been working with me since 2003 with his award winning soup, salad and sandwich concept ”789 Deli” in downtown Orlando, but after closing the walk up deli and moving to a larger commissary type facility in Winter Park, it was clear they were destined for bigger things. I like to think I had a hand in it as well.
One afternoon while we were doing a routine follow up on a few of these “mini-events” he had done for us, he lamented that a client had said his fajitas were the best they had ever had, even better than any restaurant’s. The problem was that he rarely sold fajitas off of his 789 Deli menu despite their terrific reputation. I told him I thought that perhaps people were more comfortable getting fajitas from a Mexican place than a deli place; the genie was out of the bottle from then on. “We had this terrific place to work in, an awesome staff of culinary people just chomping at the bit and a book shelf of concepts waiting for someone to develop them” he related to me. “So we just started with Mac’s Mexican Grill as our second catering business concept and it was an immediate hit. We used great Southwestern recipes, better ingredients than the chains and when we delivered, everything that was supposed to be hot was HOT and everything that was supposed to be cold was COLD.” His staff has related to me that part of their keys to success is Chef Jim’s relentless scrutiny of every phase of the process. “He makes us see things through the eyes of the guest and he is always reminding us that this event, whatever it is, is really important and really matters to someone” his number two in command Kevin told me. “He isn’t as bad as like a Gordon Ramsey manners wise, but he might be as tough when it comes to the bar he sets for us.”
After meeting with such success with his Mac’s Mexican Grill concept, Chef Jim went on to develop and start a total of seven concepts for business catering, all of which are represented here on Snapfinger Catering, and one for casual social events, Chef 1 Studios. He captured his love of tailgating for Florida football games in his “Dusty Trails BBQ and Grill” concept and expressed some of his Italian culinary heritage in Somemore Italian. “One of my first chef jobs was an Italian place we developed for Geno Palucci; now there was a demanding guy. You had to always bring your “A” game for that man unless you like to hear some profanities directed at you”. He followed those two hits with Awake Breakfast and Bayou Vieux Cajun Cooking, a tribute to his favorite meal and his favorite place. “I have always been a breakfast guy, just look at all the goodies on Awake Breakfast and the Bayou Vieux concept is my homage to a couple of places in and around New Orleans, Louisiana. There is no place in America that has better food on the whole than New Orleans and it really shows my love for the mingling of southern American and French haute cuisines.”
The last concept, Chef 1 Express, takes the menus he offers for more involved events and makes them perfect for smaller office settings. “I wanted to do something that reflected the European style in which I was trained. I didn’t go to a fancy cooking school; I worked my way up through the ranks, learning from every chef who was willing to teach me.” This style of learning brought him the discipline his staff sees him exert on them. “I had this chef named Joe who hated me at first, thought I didn’t belong there and did everything he could to get rid of me. I really wanted and needed that job so I just decided I would work harder and better than everyone else. He saw the effort I put in and took me under his wing.” It wasn’t all smiles from there on though. “Chef Joey O. really hammered me every day, he looked at every plate, tasted every sauce I made and came down on me hard when I didn’t do as well as he knew I could. We were in Lili Marlene’s on Church Street, a special occasion restaurant to be sure and he always reminded me that this was someone’s special meal, their special night out and we owed them the best we could deliver. Joey was the meanest and surliest boss I ever had, but he made me into what I am today; a person who refuses to ever compromise on what matters; the guest experience.”
Chef Jim clearly thinks that’s why you should give his concepts a try. “People should check us out, give us a try and see if we don’t make them stand out from the rest. I literally walked in one place to deliver lunch and they were actually unhappy to see me because they thought I was from a national chain they had gotten food delivered to them from three times in the last two weeks. I have eaten at that place and it’s pretty good but it’s like everyone brings that and now and the office wanted something different. They were pretty excited to be getting something new, unique and different after all.” Chain restaurants have their place and Snapfinger Catering has many of them represented on our website but Chef Jim recommends using smaller, more local providers. “Using a big national chain says that you see your client as just one of the many, like you are just going through the motions. Using a local or family business like GrinCorp says they are special, that they are worth the extra effort”. Your client may see it as a good reflection on you as well. “I think that when you use a local business it says that you support your community and that you are “in the know” about what’s good around you, even if you are from out of town. Anyone can find the local outlet of a national chain to deliver, but you can stand out and be different from the crowd by turning them on to a local favorite.”
If all that isn’t enough to convince you, all of Chef Jim’s concepts are offering double reward points through Snapfinger Catering. “Not only will you get the special attention your event deserves and the kind of from scratch, chef prepared food that will set you apart from the crowd, I sweeten the pot with double points too” Chef Jim said with a sly wink, “I have something to make anyone happy”. From what we have heard in feedback from our Snapfinger Catering clients, he’s right. Guys like this make my job of pleasing clients a lot easier. What’s next for Chef Jim, will he rest on the laurels of his eight successes? “I am developing a new concept again” he admitted. “This one is very close to home and will be a tribute to the Asian and island influences that come together in the state of Hawaii”. Look for Chef Jim’s “Hiki No” Hawaiian concept (native Hawaiian meaning “can do” or “it can be done”) coming soon. We expect it to be one more hit for the Chef Jim and his fine crew.
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