LOS ANGELES - It’s 5am at Ralph’s Fresh Fare grocery store on Olympic Boulevard in Century City and an artisan bread maker, Chad Yeasterly is sliding his first loaf of the day into the four-hundred degree oven. “I’m in charge of all the artisanally handcrafted breads.” said Yeasterly, “I usually make about thirty loaves every morning.” Despite the tough economy, the artisanal, handcrafted industry has taken off like a rocket in recent years and with large chain restaurants like TGI Fridays and Panda Express trying their hands at "handcraftedness" the market shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Artisans are now in higher demand than any point in history. “I was in seafood before this,” Yeasterly says. “Then they moved me over to the rotisserie chicken department and I was so good at putting chickens in the oven that my boss thought that maybe I could put bread in an oven too. I was in prison two months ago so I’m really just overjoyed to have this opportunity.” Yeasterly explains that while in prison he was artisanally handcrafting license plates and that if Ralph’s calls on him to do so, he can also make artisanally handcrafted methamphetamine.
 |  |
Over at the the in-store Starbucks, one of Yeasterly’s co-workers, Brian Fructola practices making Fizzio, Starbucks' new handcrafted soda. Fructola moves with ease as he prepares a Golden Ginger Ale saying, “I mean it’s just soda and we put it into a Fizzio machine. So I think the handcrafting is mostly just pouring soda into a cup?” A humble man by today’s standards, Fructola clearly has the skill and ambition to attain the title of “Master Artisan” later in life. He rarely takes time away from his craft of handcrafting things, “Dude, this is just a summer job. It’s pretty cool though. I can handcraft joints during my lunch break and no one seems to care.” A traditionalist in every sense, after I purchase a grande Fizzio, Fructola also handcrafts my receipt and the correct change for my transaction. The refreshing elixir is served to me in an artisanal plastic cup with my name handcrafted on the side in black ink. Fructola even goes so far as to take artistic license with the spelling of my name.
It is a truly refreshing experience which is exactly what Starbucks had in mind when they entered the soda market, “We had heard from our customers that they’re looking for more refreshing, cold beverages, especially during the warm summer months,” said Norm Burrows, group president, “Fizzio Handcrafted Soda is unlike any soda in the marketplace because it’s handcrafted and made-to-order each time. By adding an “io” to the word “Fizz” we make an otherwise pedestrian beverage sound Italian and exotic. Plus, by taking three minutes to pour a soda instead of the typical thirty seconds we can charge customers three times as much money.”
Not since the Middle Ages has the career path of artisan been so sought-after. During that era, "artisan" was a coveted title reserved only for those who were the most skilled laborers. With highly trained modern day craftsmen like Yeasterly and Frutola that title is surely in good hands.
Click here to find out how to turn 7-11 taquitos into the BIG HIT at your dinner party!
Not since the Middle Ages has the career path of artisan been so sought-after. During that era, "artisan" was a coveted title reserved only for those who were the most skilled laborers. With highly trained modern day craftsmen like Yeasterly and Frutola that title is surely in good hands.
Click here to find out how to turn 7-11 taquitos into the BIG HIT at your dinner party!