The Tennessean:
It was cookies — not frozen yogurt or lattes or food-truck food — that captured the attention and adoration of American tastebuds. Mrs. Fields Cookies, Famous Amos and, in Nashville, Christie Cookies, helped drive a multibillion dollar gourmet cookie store industry.
But the cookie industry isn’t what it once was, with industrywide sales falling to less than half their original size. Mrs. Fields has declared bankruptcy twice. Consumers have since cycled through a series of food trends (or fads, some might say), from frozen custard to smoothies to gourmet cupcakes.
This time, Hauck is turning his attention to artisan gelato, the light, milk-based Italian ice cream. He is investing in machinery, flying his staff to train in Italy, and inventing new flavors that rely on products such as Jack Daniel’s from Lynchburg, Tenn., milk from the Hatcher Family Dairy in Williamson County, Benton’s Bacon from East Tennessee (yes, bacon-flavored gelato) and Yazoo beer.
Specialty shops for all types of products have existed in our history. Ice cream, cookies, cupcakes, and now gelato. What do you think will be the next specialty store trend?