Giving the gift of flavor: Purdue alumnus and chef is a true tastemaker
By Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu
Chef Charlie Baggs
Pumpkin spice — the familiar blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and others — has dominated favorite fall foods for years. A quick Google search revealed these pumpkin spice products: Cheerios, tea, Werther’s Original candy, Oreos, protein shakes, pretzels and various coffee drinks. Hasn’t this beloved pumpkin spice run out of flavor yet?
No, according to chef Charlie Baggs, a 1986 graduate of the Purdue University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (HTM). The Chicago-based executive chef and entrepreneur expects the pumpkin spice reign to continue.
“That’s always going to be a nostalgic flavor system,” he said. “It’s just very savory and brings back great memories for folks, and it’s a pretty easy flavor system to put into almost everything.”
As owner of Charlie Baggs Culinary Innovations (CBCI) consultation company, the chef has helped restaurants, chains and companies develop new recipes and flavor profiles. He’s worked in research and development for food retail, and he’s coached new restauranteurs on best food service practices. The company assists restaurants and national companies like Johnsonville with new dish creation as well as consumer analytics.
Chef Charlie Baggs said the work done at CBCI has become essential in the food service industry, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of companies had to downsize, so they had to farm out services to consulting companies. We’ve adapted our business model to these new opportunities,” he said. “We’re basically a service provider. A start-up isn’t going to have any of the resources, so they farm out everything. A large company has gaps in their portfolio, or people leave, and they need to fill in.
“I think there needs to be a renewed emphasis on hospitality. For so long, we got used to not dealing with people face to face. It’s still what drives our industry. Obviously good quality food is important, but people want to experience good hospitality. Neat, clean and organized will still be something people will notice and could be a point of difference.”
Purdue HTM memories
Chef Charlie Baggs said his years in the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management shaped his career trajectory. He studied several sides of the hospitality industry and interned at Walt Disney World before concentrating on the kitchen.
The chef has been a familiar face in West Lafayette since his graduation. His desire to give back to Purdue has come in the form of teaching the first culinary arts class for the Department of Food Science for 13 years.
“I think Purdue taught me that keen sense of hospitality,” chef Charlie Baggs said. “I have been quite dedicated to Purdue and will continue to do so in the future.”
HTM instructor Keith Molter remembers chef Charlie Baggs as “multidimensional.” He has enjoyed following his former student’s successful rise in the culinary world and business. Even as an undergraduate, chef Charlie Baggs showcased his passions for entrepreneurialism and business by establishing HTM’s Career Day, which is still here 36 years later.
“Charlie was one of those students that was like a sponge,” Molter said. “He was always around to try to pick up things. He would help with catering and come in outside of class. He just wanted to pick up any tools that he could as far as business and things like that.
“He was one of those students you always knew would turn into something.”
More fall flavor trends
There will be much more to fall than pumpkin spice, of course. The chef predicts global and botanical flavors like ginger and garlic to be present on your favorite restaurant’s menu as well as in the aisles of your go-to grocery store. Additionally, shoppers will continue to gravitate to “clean label” products — items made with the fewest and most recognizable ingredients.
“They’re better-for-you type of products,” he said. “No ingredients you wouldn’t be familiar with like xanthan gum or guar gum. Does that sound appetizing to you, or does it sound like a chemical? The general rule: If your grandmother wouldn’t have known what it is or wouldn’t have used it, it’s probably not clean label.”
Competition is always fierce in the food industry, but as restaurants still navigate a pandemic 18 months later, businesses can’t afford to slip. They can’t afford to be flavorless.
“People have learned to cook a lot at home, so the bar has been raised a little bit on what people can do for themselves,” chef Charlie Baggs said. “I think they’re going to depend on the operators to provide more unique flavors, global flavors that solve a lot of different opportunities — pure nutritionals for sustenance but secondarily is to help people experience things they might not experience by themselves at home.”