I strolled through the 7900 section of booths at The National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago on May 18 when I came across stuffed olives—my favorite—so I stopped and enjoyed a blue cheese stuffed olive. I’ll show you in pictures so you can enjoy this booth experience and admire the genius that I discovered at booth 7969.
The nice man at the booth, Randy Formella of E. Formella & Sons Inc., Countryside, Ill., saw that I was a press person, so he engaged me in olive conversation. I politely asked him about the items he was sampling, and I discovered the kind of thing I always look for at the show—a story of enterprise with a twist—not just by Randy’s company, but by artist Michael Godard.
I had to confess, I had never heard of this artist. Randy explained that Godard is the No. 1 selling artist in North America. Oops. This seemed like an important piece of information I should have known. In the same blush, I wondered … what does this famous, wealthy artist have to do with olives?
I did notice an easel with a picture of an olive in the booth. Randy pointed out the picture, then showed me the back of a book to see a photo of Michael Godard. Wow, notice all the tattoos.
“Michael wanted to brand himself for more than just the art he sells,” Randy told me. “So he launched a vodka and a gin, manufactured in Holland. It just arrived a few months back. Michael contacted me to create a line of drink garnishes to go along with his vodka and gin.” So Randy chose five of E. Formella & Sons’ best movers, sent the product to Michael, and he created the characters that appear on the labels—a unique one for each item.
I zeroed in on those jars, and sure enough, each has a character and Michael Godard’s brand name. How ingenious of him and how lucky for E. Formella & Sons to be selected as his production and marketing arm.
It’s the kind of enterprise I love coming across at the NRA show. It stood out to me among the 2,168 booths. I was one of almost 64,000 people who had a chance to be wowed by this.
But I can’t just be impressed by Michael Godard. Back in the early 1900s, a man and his wife, Enrico and Rosina Formella, took a boat to America from Sicily to begin a new and better life. They brought the flavors of Sicily with them and started sharing some family recipes. The company that evolved sells such gourmet jarred goods as muffuletta salad, eggplant salad, pickled garlic, pickled mushrooms, Brussels sprouts, olives and peppers of all sorts, marinara sauce and gourmet rubs. Enrico Formella made a life not only for himself, but for his future family for generations to come, including Randy, who has forged a relationship with this famous tattooed artist. Enrico and Rosina had no idea that their lives would touch a future No. 1 selling artist. Their legacy continues, and how fun it is to pass it on.
Tell me what you think.
Jody Shee