KORY MILLER
General Manager, Pangea Kitchen
We continually strive to build relationships with unique vendors that make specialized, top-quality products so we can share them with you here at Pangea.
At Pangea, we have quite a few approaches for researching and discovering new products and companies. One of the ways we source products is through partnering with vendors. Our partners have formed close relationships with specialized companies from around the globe, which gives them direct access to products from various countries.
For example, Delco Foods in Indianapolis has vendors like Orlando Food Sales and Atalanta. These vendors have corporate chefs that really showcase what each company does best. Sometimes it’s cheese, sometimes it’s meats, and other times it is a very specific tomato or combination of tomatoes. Using our vendors is just one of the ways we find the best products to bring to Pangea!
Another way we explore new products is through traveling to attend food vendor expos, such as Chicago’s National Restaurant Association Show. This show features 2000 different vendors, and it is a great opportunity to build relationships with specialized companies and family-owned businesses that are starting to grow. One of the original companies we partnered with is ‘Nduja Artisans Salumeria, which is a century-old Italian legacy that was co-founded by Agostino Fiasche and his son Antonio, who come from five generations of Calabrian salumi makers! We also work with other great companies such as Charlito's Cocina in New York and Smoking Goose in Indianapolis who use a lot of old-school charcuterie techniques with a new school twist.
Forming relationships with individuals at food shows is another great resource for us. For example, there are plenty of people that might have family ties to a farm where they produce their own grains and mill their own flour, which we could then use here.
A lot of research goes into food sourcing as well, I can spend hours at my desk finding new products to feature on our charcuterie boards for our customers to try out.
One of my favorite vendors is Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese based in Kentucky. They do everything from American style cheeses to European style cheeses. They aren’t just cheddar people, they cover everything. All of their products are phenomenal and if I ever need to speak with anyone, I can just call and they will answer any questions I have. We continually strive to build relationships with unique vendors that make specialized, top-quality products so we can share them with you here at Pangea