People often want to know – how did Cafe Yumm! start?  Did I plan a menu for a new café concept, or did I have a favorite recipe that friends and family loved and encouraged me to offer publicly?  I think we’ve all tasted something a friend or family member made and were sure it would be an instant hit with everyone.

The fact is, the latter – but I didn’t believe this odd, sort of “health foodie” sauce would go over well with the majority of those who sampled it.  I combined so many ingredients I liked, in such a complicated way, that I felt the sauce would remain just that – a family favorite destined to go no further than my house and the little jars I doled out during the holiday season.

I had no dream or expectation that this sauce would lead into a new life, café, retail production of the “family sauce”, and then subsequent franchising of that little café.  I never imagined that the taste of this sauce would be not only be “well-received” but actually become “addictive” (in the words of my customers). Obviously, destiny engineers its own plans and we, in enthusiastic obeisance, become the operators.

Indeed, there was a plan, but it was not our plan.  It’s what Mark calls an “organic” process – no specific intention, just life finding its way and creating one thing after another.  It actually started from a different concept and developed synchronistically, with input from our supportive and enthusiastic customers, and solving problems as our business developed.

Café Yumm! has been and still is a wonderful journey we have undertaken with our customers, friends, and family.  I would like to share our story with you here in these pages.  It’s several chapters in the making and the first chapter was Wild Rose Café & Deli.

I was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1950 to my American Army sergeant father and my Japanese mother.  I spent several of my early childhood years living in a neighborhood in Verona, Italy.  Mediterranean and Asian cuisine were a natural fusion for me.  In addition to the unusual combination of Southern American and Japanese food served in our house every day, I learned to cook, blend and eat flavors from all over the world, due in part to the different ethnic groups we were always surrounded by within the military family.  Whether it was Greek, East Indian, Hispanic, or Filipino, fusing flavors and exploring food was a big part of my life, from a very early age.

In my twenties, with Mark’s influence, I became intrigued with the rising vegetarian movement and began to study vegetarian cuisine, embracing the challenge of creating flavorful recipes that would appeal to the mainstream American palate.  For years I contemplated starting my own restaurant, but I didn’t really know where to begin. So, instead, I worked in many restaurants and cooked for family and friends, learning new techniques and exploring new cuisine.

In April 1991, the owner of Friendly Street Market offered me the opportunity to run my own small café in this neighborhood grocery store located in south Eugene.  He had heard good things about my cooking from his customers and approached me regarding operating this charming, completely furnished and equipped café.

I had only to quit my job as one of the cooks at Oasis Fine Foods (now Capella Market), a local grocery store and deli, and make the commitment.  I was very flattered but nervous at the prospect of running my own small restaurant.  Mark, as usual, was my cheerleader.  I remember him saying, “If you don’t do this, you will probably regret it.” And he would have been right.

My fear turned into enthusiasm, I signed a one-year lease and we started planning.  After much discussion, we finally decided on Wild Rose Café & Deli as the name.  It seemed natural, simple and beautiful to me; with a touch of the exotic, which was exactly what I wanted to serve to my customers.

The menu offered typical neighborhood café items such as soups, salads, sandwiches, tacos, casseroles, pasta salads, breakfast pastries, tea and coffee drinks, and a full breakfast menu on the weekends.  It was a very popular neighborhood location, open daily (as in, no days off for me).

I did all the cooking. Mark’s 67 year old mother and our 12 year old daughter, Jessica, served customers and washed dishes. Mark kept the books, processed the payroll, designed the menus, and handled many other business matters for the café while still being employed in his own career. This was truly a family affair.

It was in this setting that the first Yumm! Bowl was created.

When I was growing up, my mother would always have rice cooking at home and would make me bowls of rice with various toppings.  I have always liked eating my meals from a bowl – breakfast, lunch or dinner.  The layers stay intact, and can be mixed, if desired, with little or no spilling.  For me, a bowl is also a symbol of nourishment, comfort and giving.

Every day at that small café on Friendly Street, I would cook the soups and make the pasta salads.  Foregoing recipes, I had to taste my creations to know when they were exactly right.  When I was ready for lunch, after tasting soups, salads, dressings, baked goods and other items all morning, I was more than ready for something fresh and simple, nourishing and delicious… and something different than the food I had been tasting all morning.

So, I’d grab a bowl, put in some rice, layer on some of my homemade sauce and add some toppings, such as, cooked beans, diced tomatoes, sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, salsa, sprouts, or even some soup.  Voila! Texture and color – edible art!  I did this nearly every day and it was never the same bowl twice.

My customers would see this beautiful bowl of food and ask, “What are you having?”   (They wanted what the cook was making for herself).  “Just some things I threw together,” I’d say.  “Would you make me one of those?” they would ask.  This caused me a bit of angst because what I was making for myself was not on the menu and I had no idea what to charge them.  They would tell me to charge them “whatever, it’ll be fine.”

So, being always passionate about making something my friends and customers enjoy, I would make them a bowl, like the one I had made for myself, and serve it to them.  Almost without exception, they’d take a bite, roll their eyes heavenward, do a little knee dip, and exclaim, “Yummmm! What is this?!!”

This happened more and more often with more and more customers.  Then, regulars began bringing in friends and asking me to make them both a bowl.  The challenge, of course, was that I always made something different.  Two ingredients were always consistent, however; rice and the sauce I made at home.  (I didn’t serve the sauce at my café because it was kind of unusual and I thought people probably wouldn’t care for it.)  So, I’d put something together and watch the friend go through the take a bite, eye roll, knee dip process.

Looking back this seems rather endearing, but at the time it was kind of weird and I wasn’t sure what to do about it.  The most popular item requested wasn’t even on the menu, had no set list of ingredients, and included a sauce that I made at home just for my family.  Did other restaurant owners go through this?  I had no idea.  What was obvious was that I needed to add this to our menu… whatever it was.

Near the end of our two years there, we simplified the bowl down to brown rice, “the sauce” (that’s what our customers called it in 1992), black beans, and salsa – that was all.  I could not believe people wanted the simplest thing I made, over and over, often on a daily basis.

We operated the café at Friendly Street Market for two years before relocating to the Fifth Street Public Market in downtown Eugene in May of 1993 as Wild Rose Food Company.  That part of the story is the next chapter.

Do you have memories of Wild Rose Café & Deli at Friendly Street Market?  If you do, we’d love to hear them.

I did not realize how important the reusable aspect of the jars was to so many of our restaurant guests for use as containers for storing buttons, screws, herbs, jams, and so on. I also came to realize that changing the shape of the package meant that I changed the “social life” of the sauce – it no longer fit in the door of the refrigerator and got lost on the shelves.

I want to thank all of you who expressed your thoughts and suggestions by comment card, email, our web site blog, and our web site comment form. Your ideas and viewpoints are very important to me. I also want to thank you for your patience for the time it took to bring the jars back.

Beginning this week, Yumm! Sauce will once again be available in the 8.2 oz. glass jars. Initially, the jars will be available at the four Eugene Café Yumm! restaurant locations. In order to assess customer response and preference, the 6 oz. plastic tubs will also be available at the restaurant locations. The next step will be to roll out the jars to all Café Yumm! restaurant locations statewide in the coming weeks. The 6 oz. plastic tubs will continue to be available at selected grocery stores throughout Oregon and western Washington.

As you can see in the picture, the jars have a new look with redesigned labels! (Mary Ann says, “They’re gorgeous!”) We hope you like the new look.

As always, we’d love to hear what you think.

- Mark Beauchamp, President and Co-Founder

Ingredients

• 6 oz. Original Yumm! Sauce
• 1 tsp. Curry Powder
  Tip: Our favorite is Sun Brand Madras Curry Powder, or try Frontier Curry Powder
• 1 lb. Raw, Large Shrimp (appx. 20)
• 1 -2 Tbl. Fresh Parsley, minced.
  Tip: Parsley is used for color, texture, flavor, and nutrition. If you prefer a different fresh herb feel free to use it (no strict rules here – you could even add a sprinkle of some cayenne powder for Hot Curry Yumm! Shrimp).

Directions

1. Mix Original Yumm! Sauce and Curry Powder together thoroughly.
   Tip: Let the sauce and curry powder “marry” overnight if possible. Overnighting is not necessary, although flavor and color will develop much better.
   

   Original Yumm! Sauce and Curry Powder Mixed Together

2. Place oven rack on second shelf from top.
3. Turn on broiler.
4. Peel and devein shrimp
   Tip: Leave tails on for a nice look and ease of serving.
5. Meanwhile, lay peeled shrimp in single layer on baking sheet.
6. Place about ½ tsp. of the Curry Yumm! Sauce mixture at the top of each shrimp and pat gently down toward tail, trying to keep sauce on top of shrimp. Stop before reaching each tail shell.



7. Check to see if broiler and oven has heated up.
8. Place the baking sheet with prepared Curry Yumm! Shrimp into oven under broiler and close the oven door.
   Tip: Keep a close watch! The next step goes very quickly depending on your broiler and how close to broiler you have placed shrimp.
9. After approximately 2 minutes, when shrimp is browned, remove baking pan from oven and gently turn over each shrimp.
10. Repeat sauce instructions on the uncooked side (see item 6).
11. Place baking sheet back under broiler and cook for 1 – 2 minutes, watch carefully!
12. When the shrimp is a light golden brown, remove the baking sheet immediately and let it rest on the stove top for several minutes.
13. Sprinkle with minced parsley (or your herb of choice).
    

    Curry Yumm! Shrimp with Fresh Parsley

14. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions
Curry Yumm! Shrimp may be served hot as an appetizer, entrée, or on top of a salad. It’s also delicious chilled and served on a salad the next day.

The first 50 people at each location to tell Martiza you heard about the sampling event on this blog will also get a coupon for a free small Yumm! Bowl at our Beaverton restaurant. (map)

Try some Yumm! and get some Yumm! What could be better than that?

Thursday, July 30

New Seasons, Orenco Station
4 pm – 7 pm
map

Friday, July 31

Whole Foods, Tanasbourne
11 am – 2 pm
map

New Seasons, Cedar Hills Crossing
4 pm – 7 pm
map

Please also join Cafe Yumm! on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest Yumm! news.

*Just one coupon per person.

Warning: this video will cause serious Yumm! cravings. If you’re not near a Cafe Yumm! or don’t have some Yumm! Sauce in your refrigerator, this might be difficult to watch.

Enjoy!

For us it also means supporting local non-profits focused on feeding Lane County’s hungry.

Many in our community are in crisis. Many other organizations are seeing an increase in demand for their services as Lane County’s unemployment rates rises above 12 percent. To meet the needs in our community takes each of us doing our part.

We’ve donated time, money and supplies to FOOD for Lane County (FFLC) for more than a decade. 2009 was the sixth year that we’ve supported FOOD for Lane County’s Empty Bowls fundraiser by providing coupons for a free bowl of soup at our local restaurants.

We look for significant and meaningful ways to support the work of this important organization. For example, Mary Ann serves on the Harvest Dinner planning committee, which we attend each year.  We also make contributions to FOOD for Lane County’s annual fundraising campaign, provide food for special events and donate food from our warehouse for food boxes. In short, when we see a need that Cafe Yumm! can help fill, we find a way to do it.

We’re committed to FOOD for Lane County’s success and helping achieve its mission to eliminate hunger. We hope you’ll join us.

For more info about FOOD for Lane County, visit www.foodforlanecounty.org.

Oregon Tilth

We work with Oregon Tilth each year to ensure our roasted coffee beans meet the high standards set out by the US Department of Agriculture’s National Organic Program.

Our coffee has always been certified 100% organic. It’s a custom blend exclusive to Cafe Yumm! You can buy our coffee by the pound. Just call your local Cafe Yumm! and order over the phone for pick-up at your convenience. Of course you can stop by and grab a cup anytime.

We recently changed from packaging our Yumm! Sauce in 8 oz. glass jars to 6 oz. plastic tubs. Since then, some of you have called, emailed and tweeted with questions and concerns about this new packaging. I want to take this opportunity to share with you our decision-making process and also invite your feedback on where we go from here with the packaging.

I am not an expert in any of the very complex areas discussed in this post, but I do research and put considerable thought into every business decision. I realize that every decision has an impact on our relationship with our customers. Along with these decisions comes the responsibility of the outcome. Sometimes the decisions prove valuable and, well, sometimes they don’t go as planned.

Our purpose here is to engage our customers in a broader discussion about our options for and the decisions we made about our new Yumm! Sauce packaging. We consider Café Yumm! a collaboration with our customers. Our past, present and future relies on you and we know that.

I recognize that the plastic tub is not ideal for many reasons. Plastic is not as aesthetically appealing as a glass jar. The seal on the top is too thin and shreds when removed and the grooves on the tub make it difficult to get all the Yumm! Sauce out. We’ve also heard from you, our customers, that the paperboard sleeve creates excess packaging. We hear you.

With that backdrop, I want to share some insights about how we came to the decision to change our packaging and invite your feedback about what our next steps might be. This is a long post, so I hope you’ll read through and take a moment to let us know what you think.

A core philosophy in our business is what has become known as the “Triple Bottom Line.” We consider the balance of the three areas of social, environmental, and economic interests in making business decisions. Long before it had a name, this balance has been part of our business from the very beginning.

Our adherence to this philosophy illuminated four core points as we made the decision about packaging:

Plastic vs. glass: This is a complicated issue that must take into account the source of the material and the way it’s manufactured. Both plastic and glass consume non-renewable resources. Unfortunately, most glass (which is 100% recyclable) and most plastic (even recyclable plastic) is not recycled.

Glass is heavy, which increases fuel use considerably in the life cycle of the product, and also increases the release of a great deal of greenhouse gases in the process. Making glass is toxic and consumes a great deal of fossil fuels. This video from Metacafe shows the glass manufacturing process. Glass can be reused and recycled, but does not come from a renewable resource.

We decided to move to a #1 PETE recyclable plastic. The plastic tubs are 100% recyclable. If you’ve seen the plastic tubs, you might notice there’s no recycle number. The manufacturer of this product made a mistake and did not put the recycle number on the container. Rather than dispose of the inventory we’d already purchased, we decided it was better to use it. Even without the number, you can recycle your Yumm! Sauce tubs.

We also recognize the concerns some people have about plastic food containers and specifically the myth that plastics contain dioxins. According to researchers at Johns Hopkins University, plastics do not contain dioxins. The #1 PETE plastic also does not contain BPAs. I am totally confident that the #1 PETE recyclable plastic that we chose for our Yumm! Sauce is safe for you and your family.

Lightweighting: The importance of the energy cost, use of fossil fuels, generation of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and the overall environmental impact of the transportation of products cannot be overemphasized. As a result, lightweighting has become an area of increasing interest of many industries. This was a key concern in our packaging plans.

Weight comparison of the jar vs. the plastic package:
Empty jar weight with lid =  6.90 oz.
Empty PET tub =   0.45 oz.

You can see from these numbers that the glass jar is considerably heavier that the PETE tub, in fact 15 times heavier.

The reason I point this out is to emphasize its importance in the overall environmental impact of this choice. Lightweighting assessment is based on the entire distribution life of the product from raw materials to the end of its useful life. I recently watched a webinar on this topic. The first of two presenters talks about consumer opinions and trends around sustainability. The second is an environmental scientist who discusses farms, restaurants, food waste and lightweighting. If you’re interested, you can watch it here (download required).

Local Suppliers: Over the past decade or so the cost of glass has steadily risen. As a result, much of its manufacturing has been outsourced to other countries to lower manufacturing costs. In reviewing our packaging options, I found that the jar we were using is manufactured in China, whereas the manufacturer of the plastic tub is located in Portland, Oregon.

The paperboard sleeve, too, is printed locally and made from 100% post consumer waste and printed with soy ink. The material used to make the sleeves has already been around the block at least once and, if recycled, will be used again and again.

Cost and Pricing: Finally we had to take into account cost, both for Cafe Yumm! and for our customers. In 2007 and 2008 costs soared on many products and ingredients, including two key ingredients in our Yumm! Sauce. As a result, the cost of our sauce increased substantially.

Did you know, for example, that in 2008 there was a worldwide shortage of lemon juice (one of the ingredients in our sauce)? And the recent increased demand for almonds (another Yumm! Sauce ingredient) has resulted in dramatic price increases. Despite these factors, we have kept the sauce price at $3.85 for the 8-ounce jar in our restaurants.

But this pricing was not sustainable. To remain viable and be able to continue to retail our sauce, we had to make a tough decision. Should we keep the price the same and offer slightly less product or do we increase the price considerably? We felt that it was important to keep the cost below the $4.00 mark in our restaurants, so we began to research packaging alternatives.

Moving to the plastic tub and paperboard sleeve has allowed us to lower our price in our restaurants from $3.85 to $3.50, albeit in a smaller size container. We do know that many of you buy Yumm! Sauce at grocery stores. However, by law, we cannot control the price that grocery stores charge for a product.

I hope this sheds some light on the decision making process. However, we recognize that the plastic tub is not ideal and we are seeking alternatives. Some ideas:

• Go back to the glass jars in the restaurants only.
• Return to glass jars across the board, in restaurants and in retail and increase the price.
• Redesign the plastic tub with smooth sides and a higher quality seal.
• Employ some combination of these options.

Our goal is to continually improve in every aspect of our business. Ultimately, we do not set the direction, our customers do. Your buying decisions and your feedback helps guide our business. Whether it’s a quick message on Twitter, a comment card in the store, or a voicemail to our company headquarters, your feedback is valued and we always appreciate the thoughtfulness and the time it takes you.

We invite your feedback. Let us know what you’d like to see. You can leave a comment here or participate in the discussion on our Facebook page.

- Mark Beauchamp, President and Co-Founder

Many of our customers and friends have discovered the versatility of Yumm! Sauce. And this Yumm! Salmon recipe is a fan favorite.

Extraordinarily easy, but rich in flavor, we have had many reports of great success and enjoyment. During the cooking process the flavors of the Yumm! Sauce infuse the salmon for an incredible, delightful flavor experience.

Our good friend, Elizabeth, who manufactures our Yumm! Sauces, developed the recipe.  About 12 years ago we were looking for someone to help us with the growing demand for our sauce, we were lucky to meet Elizabeth at an industry food show in Portland. She “got to know” our Yumm! Sauce, fell in love with it, and being a true foodie, began experimenting.  This recipe is one result.

(Pictured: Delicious Yumm! Salmon, green papaya salad, organic green salad with organic radishes, and a roasted golden beet and cucumber side dish.)

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

• 1 lb. salmon filet.
• 2 Tbl. Original Yumm! Sauce.
• 1 Tbl. of your favorite barbecue sauce. (If you don’t have a favorite try Bull’s Eye brand.)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 500º.
• Mix the Original Yumm! Sauce with the barbecue sauce.
• Place salmon in a baking dish, skin side down.
• Spread the sauce mixture evenly over top of salmon.
• Place salmon in oven for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, turn the oven off and leave the salmon in the oven for an additional 8 to 10 minutes depending on thickness and your preference for doneness.
• Remove salmon from the oven and serve onto plates immediately.
• Spoon extra sauce from bottom of pan onto Salmon or a rice or pasta side dish, or sop it up with your favorite bread. Yumm!

Note: Vegetarians can substitute a hearty slice of tofu, tempeh or vegetables for an equally luscious dish.

If you have a favorite Yumm! recipe, please send it! We’d love to feature you on this blog. Send to info@cafeyumm.com.

In fact, in just the last two years we’ve expanded beyond Eugene and now have locations in Bend, Corvallis and Beaverton. You can also find Yumm! Sauce at retail stores in Oregon, Washington and Northern California.

To bring all this together, we’re excited to launch this blog to find new ways to connect with our fans… and you, with us. We have some plans for what we’d like to talk about, but we also want to hear from you! You can send an email (info@cafeyumm.com), find us on Twitter or Facebook.

Here’s what we have in mind for the blog:

• Food & nutrition topics related to making good food choices (and not just when you’re at a Cafe Yumm!).
• Info about Cafe Yumm! locations, new restaurants, recipes and more (ever had Yumm! Salmon?).
• Insights into our philosophy and values as a company and as people committed to doing business right.
• Details about our sustainability efforts including how we build our stores and spend (or don’t spend) our energy.
• Advice on business management and training from a Yumm! perspective
• Thoughts about love and life and food… and how really, they are all the same.

Two primary authors will bring you most of the content for the Yumm! blog.

• Mark Beauchamp: Cafe Yumm! owner and Philosopher-in-Chief will write about topics related to our values and mission.
• Kelli Matthews: Cafe Yumm!’s online community manager will write primarily on informational topics and news items.

So stay tuned! You can subscribe to get new posts delivered right to your inbox or feed reader, too.