Success Story Update:
Promotion of Pecans in Denmark

A SUSTA Chef Training Program

In the summer of 2003, SUSTA's annual chef training program at the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, included a group of nine chefs from the UK and three chefs from Denmark. With the advent of SUSTA's Scandinavian pecan promotion activity, the three Danish chefs were recruited to help promote southern U.S. products in their home country.

The Danish chefs included Helle Brønnum Carlsen, a prominent Danish cookbook author and contributing writer to Denmark's premier women's magazine, Familie Journalen; Jeff Scott Foster, a top manager at the famous Meyer's Madhaus; and Keld Johnsen, one of Denmark's finest chefs and owner of The Diplomat Restaurant at the American Embassy.

In their SUSTA-sponsored culinary training, the professional chefs gained exposure to southern U.S. ingredients, culinary techniques, and recipes. Perhaps more importantly, they also learned first-hand to cook delicious southern dishes with pecans. This knowledge and skill base enabled them to work with southern pecans and to tailor dishes to the tastes of Denmark's population.

Chef Helle Brønnum Carlsen prepared pecan recipes for readers of Familie Journalen and various other magazines including pecan pie, rhubarb cake, and pecan salad.

Chef Jeff Scott Foster has organized a Cajun/Creole-week featuring pecans in 20 restaurants. Many of the recipes were introduced to the chefs during their SUSTA training. In July 2004, Jeff will host a chef competition during the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.

Keld Johnsen has also actively promoted pecans by organizing various dinners with menus featuring pecans. One dinner prepared for 90 guests featured an entire Southern States menu that included pomfret with glazed pecans. At another dinner, he prepared a Louisiana Creole menu of seafood gumbo, pecan glazed fish, American undercut of sirloin with Cajun seasoning, and white chocolate cake. Keld continues to feature Cajun dinners on the menu of his restaurant. Keld's website www.restaurantdiplomat.dk features many of his southern dishes.

Additionally, Jeff and Keld produced a 5 page article in Smag & Behag, a professional magazine, with Cajun/Creole recipes.

The public relations agency hired for SUSTA's Scandinavian pecan promotion, Jøp, Ove & Myrthu, has arranged with the Association of Canteenleaders to contribute an article in their magazine about food from the southern states, including pecans. Canteens are self service restaurants within a building where a company operates. The company's employees are the canteen's only patrons. The magazine has a circulation of 5,336 issues around Denmark.

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