Power of PIMIENTO The

PIMIENTO CHEESE is now on 3.4 percent of all menus. Past-year growth in penetration is +4 percent, and pimiento is projected to grow +17 percent through 2027. Pimiento cheese continues to be primarily a Southern item (penetration in the South is 6 percent), but the popularity of Southern cuisine should drive awareness and use of pimiento cheese into other regions. 7.3 percent of sandwich restaurants currently menu pimiento cheese, suggesting there is interesting potential as innovation in sandwiches outpaces burgers and other handheld categories. While 72 percent of consumers are aware of pimiento cheese, only 44 percent have tried it— indicating significant potential for market growth with increased trial.

I wanted to use a French cheese. I wanted something approachable and I wanted something firmer than gruyere, so I chose Boursin. I love the way the cheese melts in the omelet and gives it a great texture.”

Lefebvre gleefully rips off a list of other applications he can picture using Boursin in: “You can put it on a salad, eat it for lunch with a snack, or add a touch of Boursin to your mashed potatoes. It’s fantastic in a creamy sauce on a steak, or in mac and cheese—when you start thinking about it, there’s really a lot of things you can do with Boursin.”

Beer Battered Cheese Curds

RESTAURANT: 1776 by David Burke

FEATURING: Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Cheese

CARMINE DI GIOVANNI, managing partner at David Burke Hospitality Management, uses Boursin to amplify his Beer Battered Cheese Curds at 1776 by David Burke. Boursin has also appeared in menu items across the David Burke Hospitality Management footprint in applications like gnocchi, stuffed jalapenos, and omelets.

“For a chef that’s short staffed or working with young chefs and cooks

Cross-Utilizing Boursin

POGREBA RESTAURANT in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, uses Boursin in a Mozzarella Fondue (mozzarella cheese topped with Garlic and Herb Boursin crumbles and served with beef tips, mushrooms, asparagus, pork belly, and tomato focaccia for $18), as well as a house special: Boursin Shrimp & Zucchini Roll Ups (shrimp, Garlic and Herb Boursin cheese, peppers, onions, carrots, cucumbers, and radishes wrapped in zucchini. Served with Basil Pesto Ranch).

PRICE*S

Cross-Utilizing Merkts

THE TAP HOUSE, a bar and grill concept across the Chicago suburbs, uses Merkts on a whopping six menu items. It’s used in a Guinness-Merkts dipping sauce for Soft Pretzel Bites and as a topping on four different burgers— the Tap House Burger, the AllAmerican Double Double Cheese Cheeseburger, the Tipsy Stout Burger, and the Kobe Beef Burger. Finally, the concept uses Merkts on its Double Decker, Crispy BeerBattered Chicken Melt which the concept hails as a staff favorite.

The Wagyu

RESTAURANT: BoomerJack’s Grill (Dallas-Fort Worth area)

FEATURING: Price*s Original Sweet & Tangy Pimiento Cheese Spread coming up, Boursin is a product that doesn’t have to be manipulated at all,” di Giovanni says. “In current times, it’s a great product because of that. Products like Boursin open up your wheelhouse to be able to make something great.”

BOOMERJACK’S GRILL, a concept in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, had to elevate its LTO, The Wagyu, to the main menu due to popular demand. The burger was designed by Grant Morgan, concept chef at BoomerJack’s, and features a Wagyu patty, black pepper mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and Price*s Original Sweet & Tangy Pimiento Cheese Spread.

When initially building the menu item, Morgan had a set of considerations that are increasingly factored into every chef’s calculus. “You want to be innovative without overcomplicating things,” Morgan says. “That requires products that are reliably priced, readily available, and won’t make food costs skyrocket.” ❖