Naperville mom joins restaurant advisory board

Naperville resident Amy Hausman already was a fan of Sweet Tomatoes restaurant when the salad buffet-style chain opened its sixth suburban location last year in Aurora.

A couple of years from now, customers may see new items on the menu that Hausman helped put there. The mother of two recently was named to a 2-year term as the newest member of Sweet Tomatoes' Kitchen Cabinet, a national 12-member advisory board of mothers who discuss menu items, food trends and marketing initiatives.

Hausman - representing Sweet Tomatoes' Chicago-area restaurants in Aurora, Glenview, Lombard, Schaumburg, St. Charles and Waukegan - attended her first meeting at the corporate headquarters of Sweet Tomatoes' parent company, Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., in San Diego on Jan. 15.

"It was really cool," Hausman said of the corporate offices. "They look just like the Aurora restaurant. There are big pictures of produce, high ceilings and a very open, contemporary feel."

Hausman dined on new menu items and participated in a taste-testing of possible items to add to the menu in the future.

"The taste testing wasn't just a little spoonful. You really got to taste the food," Hausman said. "Our panel voted yea or nay on things."

A yes vote doesn't necessarily mean a food item will make it to Sweet Tomatoes' buffet line, she said. That's a two-year process that includes testing to be sure the item can be reproduced in large quantities and can be feasibly served in existing restaurants.

Hausman said a lot of discussion revolved around how Sweet Tomatoes could be more involved with communities by presenting talks on health and nutrition in schools, helping with fundraisers and sponsoring organizations such as soccer teams.

"The main thing I walked away with was that Sweet Tomatoes really does want to get involved in the community," she said.

In fact, Hausman was chosen for the Kitchen Cabinet out of 3,297 applicants in the Chicago area partly based on her own community activities. The stay-at-home mom with a background in marketing serves on Naperville's Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, has helped organize events such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk, volunteers at the Naperville Studio of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, and served as Illinois state team leader for CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation/Children's Oncology Group.

"She certainly has an expansive group of people she is in touch with and that's one of the things we were looking for," said Joan Scharff, executive director of brand and menu strategy for Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp.

After learning about the Kitchen Cabinet position for the Chicago area through Sweet Tomatoes' online Club Veg newsletter, Hausman filled out two questionnaires - one dealing with demographics and lifestyle and the other requiring answers to essay questions. The questions included why she likes Sweet Tomatoes.

"Things I feel strongly about, I tend to talk about," she said.

Hausman said she appreciates Sweet Tomatoes' approach to good eating. The restaurant is a favorite of her family, including husband Kevin and children Katie, 6, and Christian, 4, she said.

"My kids love the place," she said. "I like it because it gives you a lot of different options without a lot of meat."

Hausman said her kids always choose chicken noodle from Sweet Tomatoes' made-from-scratch soups, enjoy making their own salads and try items they might not get at home.

"My kids like a variety of foods. I try to introduce them to a lot of things," she said.

She and her husband enjoy trying the different soups, she said.

The menu also features baked potatoes with toppings, pastas, muffins and breads, and a dessert bar that includes fresh fruit and frozen yogurt.

"I think they're doing a good job," Hausman said. "I've never gone and seen a glaring problem."

Hausman said she would just encourage the restaurant chain to keep up with trends, and maybe offer some spicier foods and more international flavors.

Scharff said the company takes its Kitchen Cabinet seriously - from their comments on menu items to prototypes for new restaurants.

"It's not in name only," she said. "A lot of menu things live or die based on their feedback."

Since being named to the board in November, Hausman has received a couple batches of coupons to hand out to introduce the restaurant to friends and family. She'll attend her second Kitchen Cabinet meeting in June.

"I look forward to sharing my thoughts and recommendations as a member of Sweet Tomatoes Kitchen Cabinet," she said.