Purchasing Patterns of Organic Products by High-End Toronto Chefs: An In-Depth Analysis

by Lara Cohlmeyer

A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours

Peterborough, Ontario

April 2005

Abstract

With the recent rise in organic food consumption, there is much known about the organic purchasing patterns of general consumers but there is little literature that discusses perceptions and reasoning for purchasing organic products from the perspective of high-end chefs.  This formed the focus of this qualitative study that interviewed eight chefs of high-end restaurants located in the financial district of downtown Toronto, Ontario in order to better understand their purchasing patterns.  These conversations were recorded, transcribed and analyzed to identify common themes that emerged from the data.

The findings of this study indicate that the primary reasons that the participants purchase organic products are for personal and health reasons, uniqueness of the product and for environmental sustainability.  It was also found that most of the chefs preferred to purchase locally produced goods, yet their definition of “locally produced” included a very wide geographical range.  The results suggest that although the participants cited differing reasons for their purchasing decisions, they all addressed the need for environmental sustainability, re-generation and the need to “think globally, act locally.”

Chapter 6

Conclusions and Recommendations

            This qualitative has been devoted to exploring and describing the experiences, perceptions and thoughts that high-end Toronto chefs hold in relation to organic products and the alternative supply chain.  It is clear in the review of the literature that there is an extensive rise in the use of organic products.  This has also been supported in the data from this study. 

            This study concentrates on informing the reader about the reasons that high-end chefs purchase locally produced organic goods.  The initial thrust of this study was to elicit information concerning purchasing patterns from the chefs.  During the course of the study, it became abundantly clear that the focus of the research needed to concentrate on chefs’ perceptions of sustainability, the world and their place in it. 

            The purchasing of organic products for chefs is perceived as a commitment not only to high quality of foods but also to a way of life and sustainability for the planet.  It is the chefs’ resolve to work towards a way of cooking that promotes quality of life and health both for themselves and for their patrons.  It is through the purchasing of locally produced organic goods that chefs are able to work towards this goal.  Thus, the imagination of the future is the fuel that appears to drive chefs to purchase goods that will promote sustainability.  The chefs place reference to their pasts as well as to the future when discussing their purchasing decisions.  The chefs recognize that they can now, as executive chefs, have a sense of one’s own power and autonomy to make decisions for oneself and for others, out of the framework of health.

            In reviewing the data I became aware that purchasing decisions for the chefs of this study could be perceived as a holistic process.  The term holism may, in traditional mainstream academic circles, conjure up visions of alternative health impulses that are not considered to be scientifically sound.  However, on the contrary, I believe that the chefs in this study are offering a perspective on purchasing that encompasses those attributes worthy of sustainability.  In fact, their purchasing decisions could be conceptualized as not only as a business transaction but also as an ecological movement. 

The chefs’ purchasing decisions go beyond simply attaining goods but embodies a movement that strives to nurture and sustain those elements that are in need of health.  This movement is fundamentally linked to the future.  While the term ecology is most often referred to within horticultural and environmental contexts, it may also be applied for analogical purposes, within the context of this study.  The primary principles of the ecological movement are concerns for sustainability and re-generation.  This re-generation is a future-directed vision based out of a perception of the earth and its living creatures as being threatened by forces that are powerful enough to harm or destroy them.  Agri-business, chemical technology, environmental disasters and manipulation of ecosystems are now understood to impact in these ways on our environment.  Past and present intrusions of control and manipulation by human beings have wrecked havoc on the natural rhythms and integrities of the earth and its living organisms.  Thus, as a result of the need for a concerted effort to sustain the earth and bring balance to its living organisms, the ecological movement was born. 

            As part of the ecological framework, not only are these participants working for their owner inner health but they are also motivated to affect the larger community.  The motto “think globally, act locally” is a truism applicable to the participants of this study in their effort to have an impact on the pervasive and extensive problems of environmental and social degeneration.  The chefs use their power at the restaurant level to address global issues that affect all of us. 

            Prior to embarking on this study, my own personal philosophical stance incorporated an understanding of the world that encompassed the attributes of sustainability and re-generation, particularly within the environmental stream.  It was through the process of interviewing the participants that I was able to make connections between the business and environmental spheres.  I was also able to come to understand the need for the discipline of geography to entertain the idea of understanding global issues such as purchasing decisions as environmentally connected.  I believe that these explorations could help the geography field come to understand, more wholly, the configuration of organic purchasing patterns.

            Throughout this study I was touched by the participants’ process of collective self-reflection in bringing an understanding to their purchasing decisions.  The inner strength, motivation and passion to promote sustainability and re-generation were humbling for myself to experience. 

Recommendations:

            Since the participants of this study are all from high-end restaurants in one geographical area in downtown Toronto, it would be helpful for further research to investigate different types of restaurants and other areas where these restaurants locate.  Through this future research, it may be possible to better understand the impact of the location on the purchasing decisions of the chefs.

            Many of the chefs equated their training location as influencing their choice for quality products.  This was especially prevalent in the chefs with a European background.  The impact of the chefs’ training location on their choices made today should be further explored in order to better understand their purchasing decisions today.

All of the chefs indicated that they had not been exposed to organic products in their training and it was not until later in their careers that they began to utilize these goods.  The chefs also indicated that the staff at their restaurants do not have extensive knowledge about the use of organic products.  Therefore, future research may explore possible avenues for educating upcoming chefs on the importance of the use of organic products in their kitchens.

If you would like to read the entire thesis (74 pages),

Lara will email it to you.   Please Call  705 458-9077.