Oh, I remember!! Even the so-called sugarless ice cream bars taste really good.
I think they’re called fudgecycles. But when I looked at the Schwan’s page
yesterday, I saw ice cream sandwiches, and I’ve got a hankering for them. Guess
there are people who live in my area who buy from Schwan’s every other week.
Linda G.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Karen Delzer
Sent: Friday, February 05, 2016 9:04 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: O.T. Schwan teams with up-and-coming chefs to update
menu
and their ice cream is majorly good! :)
Karen
on 04:02 PM 2/5/2016, Linda Gehres said:
My mom has offered to get me some Schwan’s dinners so I won’t be just eating TV
dinners and/or burgers. Don’t know that their food is any healthier, really.
Someone I knew said she gained a good deal of weight from eating their dinners.
I wouldn’t be surprised. I haven’t had a Schwan’s meal since the late 90’s.
Linda G.
From: ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [ mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:ourplace-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ] On Behalf Of Karen Delzer
Sent: Thursday, February 04, 2016 8:51 PM
To: ourplace@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ourplace] Re: O.T. Schwan teams with up-and-coming chefs to update
menu
Oooo, I love Schwan's stuff, and used to get it a long time ago. We've been
tempted to start up again, but they're so expensive! I know that if we do it,
we'll be in for penny, in for a pound, and so have been putting it off. Sure
would make life easier, though. *sigh*
Karen
on 02:09 PM 2/4/2016, Vickie said:
Don’t know if anyone uses Schwan, but thought you might be interested in this
article.
Vickie
Schwan teams with up-and-coming chefs to update menu
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Schwan Food Co. is putting a little top chef swagger into its
signature foodstuffs. The company, best known for delivering frozen meals to
consumers' doorsteps, has assembled a team it calls the "future stars of the
culinary world" to help introduce new products and update existing ones.
"We know consumer taste is evolving, and we know that if we are to stay relevant
to the consumer we have to evolve our portfolio," Schwan CEO Dimitrios Smyrnios
said.
Seven chefs from around the country, including Minneapolis standout Jamie
Malone, are part of an inaugural group known as the "Chef's Collective," which
is working with Schwan's own chefs to put a new spin on products across the
spectrum of the company's divisions, including its retail outlets at grocery and
convenience stores as well as school lunches. Chef-inspired pizzas will make
their way into the lineup this summer, and new flavor combinations of Schwan's
Edwards Desserts pies are now on the baking sheet.
Schwan executives got the idea to involve high-profile chefs more than a year
ago as a way to buttress its $12 million "clean label" initiative to move away
from processed foods and incorporate more natural and healthful ingredients. The
company already has taken steps to simplify its foods and remove artificial
colors, transfats and other ingredients that turn off consumers.
The group gathered twice last fall, visiting the Twin Cities and Schwan's
headquarters in Marshall, about 130 miles southwest. They went on a whirlwind
taste tour, hitting 16 restaurants in 48 hours, and traveled to Marshall, where
they met food scientists, worked in the test kitchen and dined at Smyrnios'
home.
"They asked us to lend some innovation and new ideas to develop products, but
also spread the word about frozen food," said Dana Tough, who with his business
partner, Brian McCracken, runs four of Seattle's most highly regarded
restaurants. "It's gotten such a negative rap. There literally is no more
natural way to preserve foods than to freeze it."
Tough grew up on a farm in rural Montana, where the Schwan food truck was 'like
the ice cream man,'in terms of bringing thrills and happiness to the people. "If
you were going to get fish in winter, that's where it would come from," he said.
For Malone, a James Beard Award Foundation semifinalist as a "rising star" for
her work at the Sea Change Restaurant and Bar, participating in a corporate
endeavor was eye-opening. "I've always been interested in sustainability," she
said. "But learning about the process for a company so huge was really
interesting. Every decision they make is so impactful," she said. "I know it
isn't a perfect world. We can't all be 100 percent sustainable the day we decide
that's important. But seeing what their process is about, how they make
decisions, how they follow through on their commitment, was fascinating."
As part of the Chef's Collective, Schwan will continue to partner with other
chefs from top restaurants, food trucks, cookbooks and TV shows. The idea is to
'scout'for emerging ingredients, cooking methods and global cuisines to create
new foods. These are "people who know ingredients, from wholesome to indulgent,"
Smyrnios said. "This is not a one-and-done. This is a long-term initiative."
Tough was impressed with the mind-set of Schwan workers, who are committed to
high-quality and healthy convenience foods. "I hope the projects we were
involved in will not just create buzz, but will lead to lasting and remarkable
changes," Tough said. "It was a good experience for us to have some input into a
company that has such an important job -- feeding the masses."
