Kohl’s spring food show transfers Oakley-Lindsay Center into virtual commonwealth of cuisine

QUINCY — The buzzword on Thursday at the annual spring Kohl Wholesale Spring Food Show was “interaction.”

“I really enjoy the interaction and getting to know the needs of our customers,” said Jeff Lindsay, regional sales director for the Alpha Bakery Company in Waukee, Iowa. “That is always important.”

The Kohl food shows, which have gained a reputation for being a cornucopia of culinary creations for caloric confidants, date to 1983 and bring to town more than 150 vendors and up to 4,000 potential buyers twice a year to the Oakley-Lindsay Center.

The festival-like setting — this one was entitled the “Kohl Korral” — caters directly to the food service industry. The six-hour experience inside the McClain-Kent Exhibition Hall at the Oakley-Lindsay Center traditionally allows vendors to showcase a variety of new menu ideas and other new products to potential customers.

Kohl’s Wholesale is a broadline distributor of more than 14,000 food-service products whose partners now include more than 650 manufacturers and other assorted vendors. 

“This is always exciting,” said Aaron Kerkhoff, general manager of supply chain for Kohl’s. “Customers are looking for value, especially in a down economy.”

The vast exhibition hall is transformed into a palatial paradise for the palate by early Thursday morning. That allows attendees to have the opportunity to explore and sample new offerings from leading food and beverage brands to discover new ingredients and flavors to elevate their menus. Commodity-priced items, equipment and supplies, plus beverages, produce and center-of-the-plate items are featured at the day-long event for prominent individual, regional and national brokers.

“A show like this is great because it allows you to showcase items directly to the customers,” said Paul Gosiger, a senior sales director for the Bake Crafters Food Company, headquartered in McDonald, Tenn. “I’ve been doing this for 30 years and still enjoy it.”

With interactive demonstrations, educational seminars and networking opportunities, most of the vendors on hand came from a 1 1/2-to-2 hour radius across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, although some of the companies they represent are based in more distant outposts.

Kohl Wholesale services restaurants, hotels, supermarket delis, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, retail grocers, caterers, taverns and similar businesses.

“This is the 14th year I’ve been at the Kohl’s shows, and it’s an education for me, too,” said Matt Macke, a representative of Ratermann and Associates, a food brokerage company in Kirkwood, Mo. “A show like this allows me the chance to gather information and see industry trends.”

A virtual commonwealth of cuisine was on display, ranging from potential products such as fresh and frozen beef, pork, veal, lamb and poultry to frozen entrees and soups. There were also specialty cheeses, fresh and frozen fruits, vegetables and dry groceries.

“A show like this is always fun,” said Nathan Holtschlag of Kohl’s business development. “It allows us to show what Kohll’s is all about. It’s very rewarding to see so many customers all in one spot.”

Kohl’s, which employs more than 400 people, is believed to be the oldest food distributor in the nation. Kohl’s first location was at Fourth and Maine in 1873 — eight years following the end of the Civil War. Its current sites are at 4705 Gardner Expressway and 130 Jersey, with a cash-and-carry showroom at 140 Maine.

The first Kohl’s show was held inside the Holidome in the early 1980s at what was the downtown site of the former Holiday Inn.