David J. Alves

Part of that comfort is that it tastes the same every time,†says David Alves, vice president of Park 100 Foods (Tipton, Ind.), a company that specializes in soups, sauces and side dishes for foodservice.
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The restaurant operator is no longer able to differentiate his menu in the marketplace,†says Alves.When manufacturers customize a product, it allows restaurateurs to appeal to a regional or selective consumer basis and remain unique.

“As convenience becomes more popular, ,restaurants, have to keep re-inventing themselves,†warns Alves.Customized products allow them to focus on different parts of the menu, permitting some items to become menu staples and stay on the menu for a very long time.Menu staples are what create destination restaurants, or restaurants consumers attend specifically for a unique and favorite item.

Unfortunately, customization may require a large cash flow on the part of the manufacturing company.To customize products, formulators need to have small batch sizes and wide inventory ability. “It really boils down to whether your company is committed to customer service in the realm of customizing,†says Alves.
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The person that does it properly does it based on flavor profile,†says Alves.

Schimoler points out that Americanizing a Mexican or Latino cuisine is not the true demographic of what Mexicans and Latinos are looking for; they want authentic products.Americans who are not Latino will continue to explore various cuisine styles and look for something a little bit more identifiable than the authentic food. “Even still, I think a lot of the non-Latino marketplace is saying ‘I donâ€t want the food dumbed-down,â€â€ he says.

David Alves, Vice-President Email: dalves@park100foods.com

David J. Alves, Vice President of Park 100 Foods Park 100
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David J. Alves, Vice President of Park 100 Foods David J. Alves obtained an A.S. degree in Culinary Arts, B.S. in Food Service Management and B.S. in Education from Johnson and Wales University, Providence, RI. David is the Vice President of Park 100 Foods, where he guides the Research and Development, Total Quality and Processing teams. A member of the RCA, his professional endeavors have been balanced between food service experience (restaurant Executive Chef, Chef Instructor) and processing experience (Sous-Vide processing, gourmet cake production and frozen/fresh kettle processed foods).

Our Chefs, from left to right: Eric Sparks, Les Larson, David J. Alves, Tom Beagle
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David J. Alves, Vice President of Park 100 Foods