Erica Medina, CSC, Banquet Chef de Cuisine and C+RC 40 Under 40 honoree at the Country Club of Virginia, is launching a brand-new grab-and-go product for the youngest of the club’s 7,000 members: prepackaged, housemade baby food.
The idea stemmed from Medina’s own interest in fresh, healthy foods.
“I’ve always been passionate about fresh vegetables and produce,” Medina recalls. “I was the kid who would bring a tomato to school and eat it like an apple.”
The Cool Springs Cafe will offer four variations, all represented by different colors and coordinating labels: banana, pear, and spinach; blueberry, banana, and spirulina; sweet potato and carrot; and apple and beet.
“I started with the colors and chose ingredients from there,” Medina says, avoiding flavors that might be too strong or overwhelming for kids.
She expects to price the jars about $1 more than what’s at a typical grocery store. But her version will be fresh, with a seven-day shelf life. While she expects CCV to have high demand, for smaller clubs, she notes, baby food could easily be made from scrap product.
When launching a new product at a club, she advises chefs consider whether they’re “actually capturing a new revenue stream, or are you just spreading it out?”
Medina expects the grab-and-go side of Cool Springs Cafe to expand, as members—and the club—are “busier than ever.”
