In My Own Words: Student experiences the tasty goodness of News Seasons sampling event
Story by Alana Miller. Photos by Ric Getter.
Since the first cohort launched in fall 2006, GYRM has guided hundreds of aspiring food entrepreneurs.
When I am ready to launch my own product, I hope I get the opportunity to enroll in the “Get Your Recipe to Market” class (GYRM) to gain the practical knowledge and skills required to complete the commercialization process. The course will provide instruction on how to develop, package, price, and legally prepare a food product for sale. By participating in this class, I hope that I will get to learn the specific steps needed to successfully bring a recipe to market and navigate the requirements of the food industry.
This winter term, I had the opportunity to attend an event with the students from GYRM at the New Seasons headquarters downtown. This is where students have a great opportunity to present their creation or recipe to the grocery store, New Seasons Market, to have their product put on the shelves. I think about 8-9 people were pitching their products to the deciding board. Everyone had their products set out on tables with some samples available.
GYRM is celebrating 20 years in existence. To learn more about its history and the skills students receive, visit the GYRM web feature.
Some had food that they prepared there, and some had the food that they prepared at home and brought to the building. Of course, I went around and got to try various amounts of different food types. From frozen yogurt to salsa verde and bisque, vegan soul food, and gluten-free pizza. It was all very good, and I hope that I get another opportunity like this again.
About the Author
Alana Miller grew up in Cleburne, Texas, and served 11 years in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserves, completing three deployments during her time in service. A mother of two (a daughter and a son) Alana is currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science degree in Marketing at Portland Community College. Her goal is to complete her degree at PCC and then return to culinary school, combining her passion for creativity with her education. In her free time, Alana enjoys baking, reading, and hiking.
One of my favorites that I got to try was a few different types of green salsa verdes and a tomato bisque. The business that Ashley Renforth has is called Sunshine on a Plate Catering. She had three different salsa verdes. One being mild, the next one medium, and the last one being spicy. I must say that my favorite one was the medium. It had the right amount of spice and flavor.
The second product she had was a tomato bisque. I wanted to know what she loved most about this one, and she said, “That it has no preservatives and it contains whole ingredients you can feel good about.” I asked how GYRM has helped her, and she replied, “That it helped me figure out my labeling, all my sales sheets, and my cost of goods.”
While in conversation, she added that this course provided a lot of great connections to some great people and that she made some great friends.
The second person that I was able to talk to was Sydney Mansfield. She is the operations manager for Eb & Bean. It is a soft serve and frozen yogurt store that is located here in Portland.
They have three brick-and-mortar shops. She told me that, “while I understood the retail side ofthe business, it was really helpful to be able to get the specifics laid out. In terms of how to get the product onto grocery store shelves. It also help with the packaging and labeling side of it all.”
She had three different flavors of frozen yogurt out on her table. The flavors were French Vanilla, Marionberry Pancake and Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding. They were all so good but my favorite was the Marionberry Pancake. It tasted like eating a full bowl of fruit along with a big stack of pancakes on the side. Overall, I feel like she will do good in the future and her product will be on the grocery store shelves in no time.
The last person that I got to talk to was Emily Ruth. Her business is called Emily Ruth’s Kitchen. She specializes in Italian treats, with her main one being biscotti. Out on her table, she had four different kinds of them. The first one was the classic; one was an olive oil flavor.
Emily Ruth and her baked goods at News Season’s tasting.
Another one was a double chocolate flavor, and the last one was a spiced chai flavor. Personally, I have never tried a biscotti before. Now that I had the opportunity to try Emily’s, I will definitely be buying them. Whether it is from the store or from her. My favorite that I was able to try was of course, the double chocolate. It had the perfect amount of crunch and softness after dipping it in the coffee that she had available on the side.
The GYRM class has professionalized her business. She said, “We have been around for about two to three years, and this class also helped us get into more stores and become more confident, and what that would look like with our product on the shelves of stores.”
By the end of this event, I gained a clearer understanding of what it takes to earn opportunities like those presented to the students, as well as what the GYRM class is and how it supported their growth. Seeing the students present their work helped me better understand the level of commitment, preparation, and confidence required to succeed in a program like this. I also learned how the GYRM class provides guidance, structure, and real-world experience that allows students to develop and present their ideas effectively.
For more information, visit: https://www.pcc.edu/small-business/getting-your-recipe-to-market/