Amy Postma, TriMark USA
Amy Postma Amy Postma’s resume landed on the desk of Mike Siegel at TriMark USA following a dinner conversation Postma was having with friends. She has been with the Bedford Park, Ill.-based company since May 2008, but her origins as a dealer sales rep trace back to November 2001.
Postma’s book of business includes Levy Restaurants and many of its high-profile projects in Chicago, including McCormick Place and Wrigley Field. Additional Chicago clients include fine-dining establishments such as Michael Jordan’s Steak House.
Q: Explain the importance of a properly curated tabletop in a restaurant.
A: I think the tabletop is part of the overall experience. If you put the food on something more decorative rather than just a plain plate, it will change the look of the food. The china brings the eye of the diner, which brings the flavor, which brings the experience.
Q: How do you work with your clients to research and identify the right items for a given tabletop?
A: We start with a showroom visit since there is so much out there to help identify the look of what they’re looking for, and then we expand on that. There are so many options, and once you identify the look, that will take you in a certain direction. By narrowing down the look, you start with the main plate, and then you can add accessory pieces to that.
Q: Is there one tabletop trend that excites you?
A: The tabletop trend that excites me is that we have more of the china that has a pottery look and features different earth tones. It brings a richness to the tabletop as well as sophistication. My clients really like that.
Q: Your client list includes a lot of high-profile clients, and that tends to come with high expectations. How do you go about making sure you meet those expectations?
A: I meet those expectations by having a solution. Things don’t always go smoothly, but I also want to not avoid the challenge. I want to just face it and come up with a solution. At the end of the day with the customers, if there’s a problem, they want you to solve it.
Q: What’s one restaurant industry trend that intrigues you?
A: The small-plate trend really intrigues me. You can have a dining experience with several different things, and it’s also good in a group setting because it’s a very social approach to dining. You’re not just having one meal; it’s several different dishes. And if the group is big enough, with six or eight people, you have the ability to try pretty much the whole menu.
Q: What excites you about the future of the industry?
A: What I think is the most exciting is that the industry continues to grow, and that will never go away. There are always new restaurants and new opportunities. With a new restaurant, you start with construction and then go to equipment, then picking out smallwares and tabletops to the restaurant opening. It’s like starting a new career all over. The new openings are pretty much everyone’s favorite. That’s also a learning experience for me, to learn about the new products that have come out in the last year or so.
DSR 3-2-1
Amy Postma, TriMark USA, sits down with Jason Wange, Foodservice Powerplant Network, to talk about being named an FE&S DSR of the Month.
Find more episodes of DSR 3-2-1 here.
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Presents DSR 3-2-1 is sponsored by Salvajor.
