Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
Now available by the crispy, crunchy bagful Very Best Part of the Brownie The "We've all come from or been through other places," Nick Anderson says of the Arrowine team. "It's the strongest staff around, and not by a little." and for the love of the product. Rosen leads only by example. "Everybody here has total autonomy to Chocolate Chip Toffee Chip Mint Chocolate Chip Available in 1 oz, 4 oz and 1 lb bags in all 3 flavors. ALL NATURAL Visit us at Booth 4503 follow his or her passion," he says, explain- ing that while he knows what's going on and is on-site almost daily, he resists microman- aging. He concedes his cheese knowledge has waned over the years, so Soulos and staff have taken the lead, and Rosen out- right admits he lacks any expertise in beer, which is where Anderson comes in. "He buys what he wants to buy." This laissez-faire style empowers the staff not only to take on leadership roles but to take responsibility for their decisions and keep a competitive edge. Soulos's indus- try know-how exemplifies Rosen's leader- ship philosophy. "It's not what you carry that you need SETH GREENBERG'S AUTHENTIC NEW YORK BROWNIE CRUNCH 275 Madison Ave, Suite 627, NY NY 10016 212.878.6677 sales@browniecrunch.com www.browniecrunch.com to be educated on—it's everything," Soulos says. "If somebody comes in and [wants] a cheese that we don't have, you need to know what kind of backbone it has so you can rec- ommend things that they might like instead." A former employee, Tom Kiska, returned to Arrowine after departing for 11 years to start an importing company. During his time away he had continued Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4503 90 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com working with Rosen and the store, calling Arrowine his top account. Having seen many specialty shops with a similar bent, Kiska notes a key distinction that keeps Arrowine on top. "It's the fact that the staff here travels—multiple trips to France every year, somebody's going to Italy, somebody's going to Spain," he explains. Rosen encour- ages his team to attend trade shows and meet with producers to foster those rela- tionships. Last summer, Soulos competed in New York's Cheesemonger Invitational, a blind-tasting challenge among 40 hand- picked cheese connoisseurs from around the world, and he's been invited again this year. "We've all come from or been through other places," Anderson says of the Arrowine team. "I feel that I have the best job in here. I think Perry feels that he's got the best job." The beer maven asserts that everyone on staff is where they want to be. "It's the strongest staff around, and not by a little." Growth and Going National Rosen divulges that growth has been a chal- lenge. The team has discussed on-site pro- duction options such as affinage and pre- pared sandwiches, but limited space creates