Mr. Bar-B-Q teams with chef Michael Steifman for gourmet recipes

Casual Living Staff -- Casual Living, 11/16/2012 10:50:05 AM

NEW YORK -- Barbecue accessories and outdoor lifestyle tools resource Mr. Bar-B-Q has announced a partnership with culinary expert and gourmet chef Michael Steifman, president of Michael Stuart NY.

The partnership is one of many recent initiatives, including rebranding, a new website and improved packaging, to appeal to a new market of grillers.

"As the grilling category evolves, we will continue to be the leader of grill tool innovations just as we've done for more than 40 years," said Marc Zemel, CEO of Mr. Bar-B-Q. "Michael is the perfect partner to help us create surprising and delicious recipes with our products as the inspiration, ultimately helping Mr. Bar-B-Q lead trends for the entire industry."

Using Mr. Bar-B-Q's line of high-quality and multi-use products as the foundation, Steifman will create a variety of recipes that appeal to traditional grillers and foodies alike. Recipes developed by Steifman will be published on Mr. Bar-B-Q social media channels, mrbarbq.com, packaging of new and existing items and eventually in a branded cookbook.

"The Mr. Bar-B-Q tools allow me to get creative and use unexpected ingredients with my recipes," Steifman said. "I've created Mini Chicken Pot Pie Bread Bowls using the Mesh Roasting Pan and Hash Brown Frittatas in the Cheese Pan - clever meals made with innovative tools that appeal to even the toughest food critic."

Steifman, owner and executive chef at Michael Stuart NY, is at the forefront of food trends and is a well-established chef in Brooklyn, which is quickly becoming known for its deeply rooted food community.

His clients include trend-setting brands and celebrities alike, including Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Dom Pérignon, Agent Provocateur, The Tenement Museum, West Elm and Timberland.

Prior to starting Michael Stuart NY, Steifman spent seven years as a chef in gourmet and chic eateries including Asia de Cuba, Commune and Capitale. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York. He also has his own line of barbecue rubs and sauces.

The new partnership illustrates insight from key trends revealed in the 2012 Outdoor Grilling Mintel Report, the company said. This report showed willingness from consumers to experiment more on the grill in 2013.

These insights include rises in the following consumer habits and attitudes:

• Grilling year-round: More than half of the households with a grill use it year-round.
• Grilled taste is king: 78% of grill owners agree that grilled foods taste better than foods prepared in another way.
• Millennials turn to the grill: These 18-35 year-olds are grilling with nonconventional foods like veggie burgers, turkey, lamb, pizza, fruit and even dessert at higher rates than older generations. They're also more likely than non-Millennials to love cooking and to consider themselves experts in the kitchen, and they enjoy exotic and diverse foods and creative menu ideas.