Move over filet mignon, porterhouse and ribeye. Make way for the beets, leeks, pea tendrils, baby carrots, microgreens and even edible flowers. Omaha Steaks, long the mail-order domain of American meat lovers, will now carry five different designer collections of veggies for the home cook, with prices beginning at $99 for 10 pounds, delivered “straight from the soil to the door.”
Senior vice president Todd Simon reasons that his Nebraska company - which has annual sales over $450 million - is “breaking new ground” by bringing such fancy fresh fare to diners across the nation.
“Beautiful restaurant-quality vegetables,” he says, aligns with the company’s commitment to bring people together at the dinner table. The collections themselves include vegetables for roasting, juicing and garnishing - spanning the greenery spectrum from baby lettuces to celery root, purple potatoes and garlic shoots. The raw materials hail from The Chef’s Garden, a family-owned specialty farm in Huron, Ohio.
But such is the trend. Start-up companies like New York-based Plated now offer subscriptions to complete make-at-home gourmet meals; boxes arrive with pre-measured fresh ingredients for the gourmet-minded - “from farm to front door.”
The Nebraska folks could be the grandaddies of food delivery, though. Founded in 1917, Omaha Steaks does offer frozen vegetables and side dishes like green bean casserole, stuffed baked potatoes and creamed spinach - along with assorted desserts, soups, snacks, appetizers, wine and even pets treats. And they have not deserted their meat-minded mission. Earlier this month, the company introduced “steak-cut” bacon - with monster-sized slices that weigh in at two ounces each, in applewood-smoked, peppered and Cajun flavors.
“Bacon continues to soar in popularity - it is not just for breakfast anymore,” says Mr. Simon.>
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.