WGN Morning News Blog

Have you ever dreamed of marketing an old family recipe? Like your Grandma's famous fresh-baked cookies? Or an uncle's spicy home-made mustard? It's not so far-fetched. Food experts say many of the delicious specialties you'll find at your local Jewel, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's started out in someone's home kitchen.

What does it take to sell your home-made product to the rapidly-expanding specialty food industry? With the blessings (and sympathy) of my bosses here at WGN, I'm about to find out. I'm going to try and market my family's old Cuban-style black beans recipe.

Without a bungee cord, I'm taking the leap of faith ... throwing caution (and a modest sum of cash) to the wind ... in an effort to bring my family's famous black beans to exotic food lovers everywhere. This is my story.

Whenever I cook up a pot of my savory Havana-style black beans, my neighbors come out of the woodworks ... practically begging for a jar. When the weather's warm, they can pick up the zesty, old-world aroma drifting out of my kitchen window. Friends and neighbors can't seem to get enough of my secret mix of herbs, oilve oil, garlic and onions. Which got me thinking about the possibility of pitching my product to a food catalog or grocer.

So I'm out to spill the beans on the old family recipe. Follow me, as I begin the effort to bring my Cuban "frijoles" to Chicago. I'll share my experiences with you (both good and bad). And hopefully save you some time with the do's and don'ts of food marketing.

Say hello to Julian's "Old Havana" black beans. As the funny saying goes, "Beans! Beans! They're good for your heart!" I'm just hoping this crazy idea doesn't break my heart. More to come.

Julian