Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/751848
12 FEDA News & Views "The Culinary Center test kitchen is a great tool for our salespeople," says President Marc Israel. "When they take a prospect in there, touch and see sparks questions and the dialogue begins. One way or another, it leads to us doing business more times than not." its 80-year-old home base in downtown Detroit to Southfi eld. "I knew I needed to change the busi- ness model if we wanted to continue to grow," says Israel. "Business isn't done the same way anymore. Everyone's in a hurry; everyone's on the Internet and there's not as much time to build rela- tionships. I wanted to do something dif- ferent to counter that. I wanted to do something special that could deliver real value and showcase our strengths. A spe- cialized culinary playground for chefs checked all of the boxes. They could come here and touch and test high-tech equipment, or work on developing their recipes." Also high on the priority list, con- necting with the next generation of res- taurateurs and chefs, the 20-something crowd that's unfamiliar with Great Lakes' 80-year history. "I fi gured if I built a really neat place, they would come," says Israel, who's been a fi xture in the industry, himself, for more than 30 years. "If I got them here, they would fi nd their way to