“We feel that any of our high-quality specialty items lend themselves to gourmet dishes when they’re in the hands of the right chefs who have the clientele to support the establishment’s budget,” Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties in Pompano Beach, FL, told The Produce News. “We offer moderately priced products that enable chefs to create high-priced works of art on the plate.”

Charlie EagleUsing a metaphor, Mr. Eagle said that specialty items are the “lumber” with which someone will build a house.

“It can become a log cabin or the Taj Mahal,” he said. “It all depends on the creative level of the chef, and the price point that he has to fall within to suit his customers.”

Many of Southern Specialties’ products are prime candidates for gourmet preparation. The more unique products the company has available during the course of the year include rainbow hand-peeled baby carrots, white or purple asparagus and green or yellow baby squash.

“Consider rambutan,” suggested Mr. Eagle. “It is available from HLB Specialties, which is Southern Specialties’ sister company. The fruit is elegant to look at and sweet and succulent to the palate. These are only a few of the items that easily fall into the gourmet category when prepared and served in the proper way, but so can items like our ‘Southern Selects’ French beans, green asparagus, radicchio and berries. In the hands of the right chef, these all lend themselves to gourmet presentations.”

Mr. Eagle added that at the same time Southern Specialties continues to provide its retail customers with the products that enable consumers to serve their families and friends the same gourmet dishes that they have enjoyed in the restaurants across the country. The very active and growing trend of home cooks honing their culinary skills in new and interesting ways, including exploring new culinary cultures, makes having high-quality specialty products on produce department shelves a must for retailers everywhere.

On the foodservice level, Mr. Eagle said that Southern Specialties’ goal is to bring the specialty items to chefs so they can continue to create new and exciting gourmet recipes.

“We recognize that there are many types of chefs in the world who prepare many different types of cuisines, but they all share one common goal: to make money for their company,” said Mr. Eagle. “That means creating value menus regardless of whether they’re feeding masses at a large venue, or serving families in a small restaurant. Southern Specialties’ product line has a place in every food preparation setting. It’s then up to the chef to use creative ability to turn them into gourmet dishes.”

The company’s products are found in the coolers of a wide array of restaurants, and Mr. Eagle said it loves catering to high-end chefs and gathering information from them.

“We truly appreciate and take into advisement the feedback we get back from these chefs,” he said. “Their passion for flavor profiles and always expanding creativity levels helps us to understand their needs. But our customer base is very wide, and we also appreciate the information we gather from every level and type of restaurant that we service.”

This is how Southern Specialties has evolved to be a leading grower, importer and shipper of specialty produce, said Mr. Eagle. The company was founded in 1990 by Robert Colescott, president and chief executive officer. It began by providing chefs with high-quality specialty products that they could incorporate into their menus in gourmet ways.

“Consumer exposure to these products, as well as young chefs interested in emulating successful restaurateurs, helped us to expand our customer base,” said Mr. Eagle. “Today, consumers are interested in sharing in those same flavors, textures and colors with friends and family in their homes. This has lead to the success of the ‘Southern Select’ value-added branded products and value-added products on retail shelves.”