Schwan’s Sets Out to Change Perception of Frozen Foods

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Schwan Food Co. has enlisted a team of up-and-coming chefs from across the country to assist in developing the next generation of Schwan-branded frozen foods.

Known as Schwan's Chef Collective, the inaugural team includes seven accomplished chefs external to the company who have honed their crafts in diverse culinary ventures across the country.

“We believe the [Collective] will help us change the way people think about the frozen-food category," said Dimitrios Smyrnios, the company's CEO. "We are proud to work with these talented chefs to make a spectrum of great food — indulgent to wholesome, convenient to authentic and simple to sophisticated — with the goal of exciting our retail, foodservice and home-delivery customers."

Each member of the team brings a unique perspective and is tasked with scouting emerging ingredients, cooking methods and global cuisines to continually influence the innovation of Schwan foods.

The results of the team's work will show in new recipes and events in the near future. The company also plans to expand the program, engaging with more chefs in the coming months. 

“Our team is constantly eating, tasting and sampling, and we gain insights from other leaders in the food world,” said Stacey Fowler, the company’s senior vice president of product innovation and development. “Schwan’s Chef Collective enables us to dive deeper into emerging trends and consumers' ever-changing lifestyles to develop new, delicious and wholesome recipes with quality ingredients.”

The Chef Collective announcement comes on the heels of the company’s simplicity ingredient initiative, a commitment to removing four ingredient groups from foods sold by every Schwan subsidiary, including Schwan’s Home Service Inc., Schwan’s Consumer Brands Inc. and Schwan’s Food Service Inc.