Inspiration from Italy
Fresh, wholesome, delicious Italian Sandwiches at Sandwich Society.
Inspired by a recent trip to Italy, Lynn Foster decided to open a take-out sandwich shop in Kerr Village—the Sandwich Society. This shop would be the start of fast food in Oakville that’s fresh, wholesome and delicious.
Learn more about the project below.
The Challenge
Lynn approached FIRSt to work on a few items, including a traditional Schiacciata bread recipe and process, one gluten-free Schiacciata bread recipe and process and three spreads—Truffle Pecorino, Porcini Mushroom and Pecorino Fennel. So FIRSt went to work, reviewing Lynn’s requirements, prototyping different formulations and providing process and review sessions.
The GBC Solution
Lynn found the experience working with FIRSt to be a great one! “We were extremely fortunate to have this experience with the team through FIRSt. [The FIRSt Business Developer] was our first contact and did a great job capturing our needs and assigning us the amazing team we had. [The Project Manager] did an amazing job laying out the scope of work and organizing the kick-off meeting, as well as keeping everything on track! Our first tasting was a huge milestone. The team nailed everything! I think I was practically in tears - I was so excited, and my husband was so impressed, he wants to take courses at George Brown. They captured exactly what we were looking for and exceeded our expectations.”
Chef Thorsten Pannek, Faculty Member of the Baking and Pastry Arts Program, found the experience working with the team at FIRSt truly value-adding for the client, “It has been extremely beneficial to be working together with food scientists. We can tackle a project from different angles. I’m bringing my 20 years of baking experience and the scientist brings their knowledge from a more theoretical angle. Both sides seem to profit from that.”
The Result
After creating successful formulations and recipes, the knowledge transfer to Lynn and her team sealed the deal for a successful restaurant launch. Candace Rambert, Food Technologist, says, “The training sessions that Thor and I facilitated with Lynn was an important benefit. She spent an afternoon with each of us while we taught her how to prepare the recipes so she could, in turn, teach her staff how to reproduce them. It was especially important for the two bread formats, as it is a huge undertaking for a new restaurant entrepreneur. In addition, Lynn had the chance to ask as many questions as needed during the hands-on cooking class and reach out any time after our training session.”
