Supermarket Chefs: More than Just a Showdown

Promoting and Advancing Petroleum Marketing, Retail Grocery, and Convenience Stores in West Virginia

Driving Local Business and Community Growth Across West Virginia

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OMEGA is a West Virginia-based organization dedicated to supporting and advancing the business interests of the state’s petroleum marketing, retail grocery, and convenience store industries.

As a network of over 225 locally owned businesses, OMEGA actively promotes cooperation, advocates for favorable legislation, and provides education and resources to its members. With over 50,000 employees, OMEGA members significantly contribute to the state’s economy, generating more than 10% of all state taxes and supporting local communities through scholarships, charitable donations, and civic involvement.

OMEGA is committed to fostering industry growth while serving West Virginians with essential services like fuel, food, and convenience.

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OMEGA offers three types of membership: Convenience Store Members, Petroleum Marketer Members, and Grocer Members, all of which play a vital role in providing fuel, food, and essentials across West Virginia. As a liaison with state and national agencies, OMEGA works closely with organizations like NACS, PMAA, FMI, and the N.G.A. to advocate on behalf of its members.

We keep members informed through newsletters, legislative updates, an online resource hub, and educational seminars. Additional member benefits include access to the Encova Workers’ Compensation Discount Program and participation in our annual Trade Expo and fundraising efforts for children’s charities. OMEGA is here to support, advocate, and enhance the success of our industry members.

We see a great opportunity to increase collaboration across all fresh foods departments at FMI Connect by taking the energy from the previous year’s competitions and transitioning that into a comprehensive learning experience where Supermarket Chefs learn the business side of managing fresh foods departments and executives learn the ins-and-outs of meal planning and culinary trends. Our goals is that these Supermarket Chefs teams leave with a better understanding of each other’s goals, a closer connection and inspiration to take their store’s culinary departments to the next level.

By: Rick Stein, Vice President, Fresh Foods, Food Marketing Institute  <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/chef-elizabeth-davis-at-the-italian-culinary-institute.tmb-small.jpg?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Chef Elizabeth Davis at the Italian Culinary Institute" title="Chef Elizabeth Davis at the Italian Culinary Institute" style="float: right; margin: 10px;" /> Last year at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/">FMI Connect</a> Chef Elizabeth Davis from <a href="https://www.hy-vee.com/">Hy-Vee</a> competed against 14 supermarket chefs in a live competition for the Grand Champion title. Elizabeth took home the prize of a trip to the <a href="http://www.italianculinary.it/">Italian Culinary Institute</a> for her Yu Sheng Citrus Salad Platter for Chinese New Year. I caught up with Elizabeth to see how her trip went and talked to her about our plans for <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/">FMI Connect</a> this year. First, let’s hear about the trip. Elizabeth shared that attending the <a href="http://www.italianculinary.it/">Italian Culinary Institute</a> in Calabrian was a life changing experience for her. “I think we ate every hour on the hour trying new ingredients and dishes that were both new and old made to perfection,” shared Elizabeth. “It was truly an honor to learn from such an esteemed Chef, John Nocita. Now I am taking what I learned and applying it to my daily work.” <img src="http://www.fmi.org/images/default-source/blog-images/supermarket-chefs.tmb-small.png?sfvrsn=1" data-displaymode="Thumbnail" alt="Supermarket Chefs" title="Supermarket Chefs" style="float: left; margin: 10px;" />It certainly does sound like an inspiring experience for Elizabeth and it helped grow her culinary skills. So I shared with her some of what I’ve been hearing about supermarket chefs from the FMI members on the <a href="http://www.fmi.org/members_only/committee/CommitteeForm/view?id=8668A0000086A">Fresh Executive Council</a>. The Council is focused on increasing collaboration across all fresh foods departments and particularly between <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> and Senior Vice Presidents/Vice Presidents of Deli, Foodservice and Fresh Prepared. We see a great opportunity to do this at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/">FMI Connect</a> by taking the energy from the previous year’s competitions and transitioning that into a comprehensive learning experience where <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> learn the business side of managing fresh foods departments and executives learn the ins-and-outs of meal planning and culinary trends. Our goals is that these <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> teams leave with a better understanding of each other’s goals, a closer connection and inspiration to take their store’s culinary departments to the next level. Elizabeth was intrigued by the idea and thought the opportunity to learn more of the business side, particularly from some star-powered culinary experts and profitable grocerant specialists would be highly valuable for her and her team. And while we will no longer have the competition aspect of the <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> program, we are bringing back some of our exceptional <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> to demonstrate their skills and insights. In addition to having Elizabeth as a speaker, Chef Rachael Perron of <a href="http://www.kowalskis.com/">Kowalski's Markets</a> and Keoni Chang of <a href="http://www.foodland.com/">Foodland Super Markets</a> will talk about the leadership lessons they have learned. See the full program and learn more about our redesigned <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/2016/experience-innovation/supermarket-chefs">Supermarket Chefs</a> program at <a href="http://www.fmiconnect.net/SupermarketChefs">www.fmiconnect.net/SupermarketChefs</a>.

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Supporting West Virginia Communities

OMEGA members play a vital role in West Virginia, supporting communities through substantial tax contributions and a wide-reaching presence across the state. With over 55% of the population living in border counties, our members are dedicated to serving both local and regional needs. Beyond business, we’re proud to give back, having contributed over $3.1 million to children’s charities since 2003, reflecting our commitment to making a positive difference.