As a veteran travel journalist who logged many miles and years on the road, Beverly Moss knew the importance of preparing good meals for on the go. She also knew there was a business behind it as well.
In March, Moss — along with partner Ken Haedrich — took her expertise and founded DuraGuides LLC, a company specializing in producing recipe guides for the travel-conscious consumer.
The duo’s first recipe series, “Let’s Tailgate!” was designed with the tailgate cook in mind, said Moss.
“Some of the recipes that are out are not really geared for transporting, especially when you consider that some tailgaters, like the football crowd, may travel as far as 1,600 miles,” Moss said.
“[Our recipes] are easy to prepare and transport, and you don’t have to be a gourmet cook to prepare them,” Moss said.
“Let’s Tailgate!” — which features 12 recipes ranging from curried peach chicken wings to he-man burgers to pineapple salsa — takes the varying tastes of today’s tailgaters into consideration, said Moss.
“There are so many people that tailgate,” said Moss, mentioning those who attend football games and equestrian and car racing events. “We wanted to include recipes that reached a wide variety of people and that covered a wide range [of foods].”
Each recipe is an original and was prepared by Haedrich, a food writer and cookbook author who has written for Better Homes and Garden and Bon Appetit, and is a recipient of the Julia Child Cookbook Award, Moss said.
In addition to providing recipes and tailgating tips, the guides are laminated, which gives the product some durability with messy chefs and accounts for the company’s name, said Moss.
Although Moss believed Maryland’s climate made tailgating conducive for most of the year, the Annapolis-based company does not intend to remain local, she said.
Moss and Haedrich have established accounts with three Maryland retailers and are close to completing a deal with a Fort Lauderdale retailer, said Moss.
“There are no regional boundaries,” said Moss, adding that the recipe guides are for consumers from all parts of the country.
Emily Helmf, owner of Magnolia, a gift shop in Annapolis, said she decided to display DuraGuides because of the usefulness she saw in the product.
“I believe it’s a fun product. It’s nice and neat and has some good ideas,” Helmf said.
Helmf said that in the two weeks the recipe guides have been in her store, sales have been pretty good.
“Customers do pick up [the recipe guides] up and browse them. It’s something customers seem very interested in,” said Helmf.
Helmf added she plans to prepare one of the recipes and provide samples in her store, which should help to increase the sales.
Laurie Uherek, president of Educate & Celebrate, said that DuraGuides’ recipe guide was something specifically suited for her customers.
“It’s different and contains good recipes and suggestions. We carry things like that for people on the go,” said Uherek, who like Helmf, bought the guides from Moss and Haedrich wholesale and began selling them two weeks ago.
Moss and Haedrich financed DuraGuides with their own funds. Their goal is to produce six different recipe guides by the year’s end, and to sell a minimum of 5,000 each, said Moss.
The next line of recipe guides, entitled Galley Gourmet, is designed for the “weekend boater.” Moss said it is due out sometime in late August or early September.
