Article originally appears in the October 11, 2018 issue of the SNEB eCommunicator.
Why do food demos? As nutrition educators we know that those who have tight budgets are less likely to try something new if they have to spend money they haven’t planned to spend. Food demos are a great way to introduce new foods at no cost! Those in retail know that food demos work because free food samples increase sales (more @ https://www.repsly.com/blog/consumer-goods/food-demos-increase-sales).
Quick tips
>>>Developing recipes for demos, media from a culinary nutritionist
15 – 20 minutes is about the maximum time for a food demo and no more than than 5 ingredients, says this culinary nutritionist.
https://www.retaildietitians.com/articles/developing-wonderful-recipes-for-demos-media-and-more/
>>>12 salad presentations
Great photos!
https://foodandhealth.com/12-salad-presentations/
>>>Food demo checklist and quick tips (2 PDFs, Oregon State University Extension Service)
http://foodhero.org/event-tipslist
>>>10 tested tips for giving exceptional food demos
https://www.dietitians.ca/Learn/Practice-Blog/January-2016/10-tested-tips-for-giving-exceptional-food-demonst.aspx
>>>5 fast and easy cooking demo ideas
Five different food demos as well as what to do ahead of time and during the demos.
http://foodandhealth.com/5-cooking-demonstrations/
Farmers’ markets
>>>Cooking demonstrations: providing the perfect ingredients to season your farmers’ market (6 pp, Kansas Rural Center)
https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Consumers/FarmersMarkets/Documents/CookingDemosattheMarket.pdf
>>>Safe food sampling for farmers markets vendors to comply with a 2014 law (University of Minnesota Extension Service)
Videos, checklist and tips
https://extension.umn.edu/food-entrepreneurs/safe-food-sampling-farmers-markets-vendors
>>>How to plan a farmers market demo
So how much food should you bring and when should you arrive?
https://foodandnutrition.org/blogs/stone-soup/plan-farmers-market-demo/
In depth
>>>Food demonstration guide (24 pp, Arizona Nutrition Network)
https://www.azhealthzone.org/uploads/media/documents/aznn-food-demonstration-guide.pdf
>>>How to do a cooking demo (4 pp, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Oneida County)
Where to place everything for maximum efficiency
http://erie.cce.cornell.edu/resources/how-to-do-a-food-demonstration
>>>Food demonstration training kit (31 pp, Network for a Healthy California)
https://www.eatsmartmovemorenc.com/HealthyFoodRetail/texts/Network-FV-RP-FoodDemoTrainingKit-2007-10.pdf
>>>Food and Culinary Professionals Dietary Practice Group culinary skills resource manual (Food and Culinary professionals Dietary Practice Group, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 34 pp)
https://www.foodculinaryprofs.org/docs/FCP%20Culinary%20Skills%20Resource%20Manual%20-%20FINAL.pdf
>>>Cooking Matters in Your Community facilitators guide (80 pp, Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters)
https://cookingmatters.org/sites/default/files/CMYC.pdf
>>>Simple cooking with heart for older adults demonstration kit (American Heart Association, 24 pp)
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@fc/documents/downloadable/ucm_471281.pdf
>>>Master Food Volunteer foods demonstration guide (5 pp, Virginia Cooperative Extension)
http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/FST/FST-100/FST-100-PDF.pdf
More info/training
>>>Food and Culinary professionals Dietary Practice Group, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
https://www.foodculinaryprofs.org/
>>>Food and Health Communications
Creative culinary resources for health educators
www.foodandhealth.com
>>>Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics culinary certificate of training
http://www.retaildietitians.com/articles/academy-of-nutrition-and-dietetics-launches-culinary-certificate-of-training/