Chicago Consumers Enjoy Beef

Sara Prescott volunteered to be a good steward of the Beef Checkoff by sharing beef nutrition and beef production stories on behalf of Illinois’ cattle farmers on Oct 28. Shoppers crowded the aisles of the Williams Sonoma store at the Oak Brook Center in Oak Brook, Ill. For those of you not familiar with Williams Sonoma (I wasn’t) it’s an upscale home goods store where the price tag on a wooden spoon is $40 and where you can engage with a good number of Chicago’s “food elite” consumers.

Sara and I made our trek north from Springfield, armed with several pounds of sirloin and ground beef, and dozens of recipe brochures to conduct cooking demonstrations. Our mission was to show consumers that beef can be a nutritional and economical protein source for meals year-round. We all love grilling season, but what about a pot of chili on a brisk fall day? We also hoped for a few one-on-one conversations so Sara could tell people more about herself as an Illinois beef farmer.

The first recipe Sara demoed was Chili Beef Express, a seven-ingredient recipe that’s packed full of ground beef. Sara stood at a cooktop in the center of the store and prepared the recipe from start to finish explaining the process to shoppers, while I distributed more than 120 samples from a pre-made pot.

Sara Prescott prepares sirloin for Szechuan Beef Stir Fry as shoppers ask questions,
sample chili, and pick up recipe flyers and brochures.

The most common response we heard was “Wow! That’s good!” along with:

“It’s so simple!”

“I’m definitely trying this at home.”

“This makes me want to eat more beef.”

Sara also fielded questions about the differences in labels on ground beef packaging, the nutritional value of beef, the best way to prepare certain cuts of beef, and what her kids do on the farm.

An hour later we were ready for our next recipe, Szechuan Beef Stir Fry. Another easy to prepare and lean dish, shoppers expressed their surprise at the flavor and tenderness of the beef.

With more than 160 samples served and the equivalent of recipe flyers distributed (we ran out of recipe flyers, but luckily were able to tell shoppers they could find the recipes at www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com) we were able to reach nearly 200 consumers in a matter of three hours.

Our time in Oak Brook goes to show that nothing gets a person’s attention more than the smell of beef sizzling in a skillet, that most people want to serve a nutritious, affordable and convenient meal to their families and are relieved to find out that beef is a great option, and that a little time talking about the industry that you love can go a long way.

Chili Beef Express and Szechuan Beef Stir Fry were demoed and sampled at the
Williams Sonoma store in Oak Brook on Oct. 28.