A member of a generations-old Naples family, Tim Wynn runs Wynn’s Market in Naples, one of the few independent grocery stores that is rich in history. In 1948, Tim Wynn’s grandfather first opened Don Wynn’s Sunshine Super Market on the corner of Fifth Avenue South and Seventh Street. Nearly 70 years later, the market is still family-run. After taking the helm from his father in 1990, Tim also launched Wynn’s Catering, a home delivery service, and a fine bakery department featuring Wynn family favorites based on his mom’s recipes. He also takes a team to New York every two years to study the latest retail food trends at the Specialty Food Association’s annual Summer Fancy Food Show.
NI: What is trending in the food industry now?
Wynn: With baby boomers getting older and millennials tending to be more health-conscious, the focus at this year’s trade show was gluten-free and non-GMO foods. Specialty cheeses, charcuterie, and craft beer are also in high demand, so we’ll bring in a lot of new items and healthier alternatives. We’ll also be adding superfoods like kale and quinoa into our salads and offering store-made pâtés and terrines that will be free of preservatives.
What is your most popular family recipe, particularly for the holiday season?
Our coconut cake is our number-one seller during the holidays; we make hundreds of them and even have to stop taking orders. We first rolled the cake out about 25 years ago. The original recipe was my mother’s, then we had it fine-tuned by one of our bakers. Our Fit for a King cake, another of mom’s recipes, is a favorite as well. The base is a yellow cake, followed by pecan pie filling as the next layer that’s topped with a brown sugar crust and buttercream icing. The top layer bakes like a meringue and becomes light and flaky with a nice golden brown crunch on top. It’s a touchy recipe to make; no one would attempt it while my mother was alive, but now it’s a special we feature just a few times during season.
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