Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"MILANO" UMAMI SAUCE BOTTLE

Date Range From

2020

Date Range To

2020

Materials

GLASS, PAPER

No. Pieces

1

Height

14.5

Diameter

6

Description

EMPTY GLASS BOTTLE WITH RED AND BROWN LABEL. THE FRONT OF THE LABEL READS “MILANO SAVOURY SAUCE UMAMI SAUCE 300 G” AND HAS A MAPLE LEAF AND THE UMAMI SHOP LOGO. THE BACK OF THE LABEL SAYS “COOKED IN AN OPEN KETTLE…INGREDIENTS…UMAMI SAUCE, LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA…UMAMISAUCE.CA”. THE WRITING ON ONE SIDE OF THE LABEL IS VERTICAL, AND SAYS “LOW SODIUM VEGAN LOW SUGAR”. THE OTHER SIDE HAS THE NUTRITION FACTS TABLE. THE BOTTLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

Subjects

FOOD SERVICE T&E

FOOD T&E

CONTAINER

Historical Association

BUSINESS

INDUSTRY

History

ON THE 26TH OF JUNE 2020, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN MET WITH TRISH LUU, OWNER OF THE LOCAL BUSINESS UMAMI SHOP. ALONG WITH BEING A BOUTIQUE GROCERY STORE AND RESTAURANT, UMAMI SHOP PUTS ON COOKING CLASSES WITH KITS CONTAINING INGREDIENTS AND PRODUCTS FROM THE SHOP. THE CLASSES WERE PROVIDED ONLINE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND HOSTED BY TRISH AND HER HUSBAND, SVEN. TRISH DONATED A COLLECTION OF ITEMS TO THE MUSEUM, INCLUDING A BOTTLE OF “MILANO” UMAMI SAUCE. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BELOW HAS BEEN EXTRACTED FROM THE INTERVIEW. TRISH PROVIDED THE DATE WHEN THE UMAMI SHOP OPENED AND BEGAN THEIR SAUCE PRODUCT LINE: “…[IN] 2013, WE OPENED. 2014 WAS THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH… BUT WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN BOTTLING…[UMAMI SAUCE] SINCE THE BEGINNING WHEN WE OPENED. THAT JUST BECAME…A MARKET PRODUCT THAT WE COULD SELL ALL ACROSS CANADA AND THE WORLD…” TRISH DESCRIBED THE USES OF THE SAUCES: “…[THE UMAMI SAUCES ARE] A RECIPE THAT WAS INVENTED…BY MYSELF, PERSONALLY. [IT WAS INSPIRED BY] TRAVELING THE WORLD AND REALLY LOOKING AT REALLY GOOD INGREDIENTS AND UNDERSTANDING THE PALETTE OF THE INDIVIDUAL… THIS IS A VERY VERSATILE SAUCE. YOU CAN USE IT AS A DIPPING, AS A MARINADE, AS A STIR-FRY SAUCE, A SEASONING SAUCE OR SALAD DRESSING… YOU CAN SEE THROUGHOUT THE SHOWS, WE USE IT VERSATILELY—…SALAD DRESSING IN OUR PAD TAI SAUCE…AS A COOKING SAUCE, AND DIPPING SAUCE FOR THE DUMPLINGS.” “…THERE’S A BOTTLE OF MILANO AND A BOTTLE OF DA LAT [UMAMI SAUCE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM]. MILANO SAUCE ACTUALLY WENT INTO OUR BUTTER CHICKEN. WE FIRST FEATURED THAT IN OUR BUTTER CHICKEN KIT, AND THAT’S A DRESSING THAT PEOPLE LOVE AND IT’S ALSO IN OTHER KITS…THAT WE USE IN THE COOKING SHOW.” “THE [DA LAT] PEANUT SAUCE WAS ESPECIALLY USED IN THE MOTHER’S DAY COURSE. THAT WAS A DIPPING SAUCE FOR OUR SALAD ROLL… THE MOTHER’S DAY CLASS [ON SUNDAY, MAY 10TH 2020] WAS A SPECIAL ONE BECAUSE USUALLY MOTHERS…WE GO OUT FOR BRUNCH…IT’S HUGE… RESTAURANTS…MAKE THE MOST SALES OR SOMETHING DURING MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH… BUT THIS YEAR (2020), WE COULDN’T. FOR COVID 19…MOST RESTAURANTS WERE CLOSED AND DIDN’T OFFER THAT, SO WE DID A THREE-COURSE [MEAL] FOR OUR COOKING SHOW, WHICH WE NEVER DO. WE ALWAYS DO JUST ONE MAIN DISH.” TRISH SPOKE ABOUT HOW THE COOKING CLASSES WERE INTERACTIVE: “…SVEN HAD STARTED…SOCIABLE [BREAKS DURING THE CLASS] IN…THE SECOND SEASON…[BECAUSE]…I’M THE PERSON ON THE SHOW [AND] I’M STRESSING OUT. [I WORRY]…’WE ONLY HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES TO COOK SO HURRY UP,’ AND [SVEN SAYS] ‘OKAY, SLOW DOWN, SIMMER DOWN’…[AND SUGGESTS] ‘OKAY, SOCIABLE,’ AND THEN YOU’LL SEE THAT I ACTUALLY HAVE TO STOP SO PEOPLE [PARTICIPATING IN THE COOKING CLASS] AT HOME HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO…CATCH UP IN WHAT WE’RE DOING… THAT REALLY HELPED A LOT… I REALLY ENJOYED THAT PART…” TRISH DESCRIBED THE TOOLS USED BY THE BUSINESS TO KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGES DURING THE PANDEMIC: “…WE’RE A WORLD GROCERY BOUTIQUE STORE, SO WE HAVE SUPPLIERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD… WE SLOWLY SAW [CHANGES DUE TO THE PANDEMIC] ALREADY IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY [OF 2020]… WE KNEW THAT FROM…A BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE, WE NEEDED TO ADAPT QUICKLY… WE KNEW THAT TECHNOLOGY WAS OUR NUMBER ONE…GAME CHANGER... SO, WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF OUR TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND WE WENT INTO GAME-IFYING OUR WHOLE IDEA OF GROCERY SHOPPING AND COOKING AT HOME.” TRISH ELABORATED ON THE CONCEPT OF THE MEAL KIT COOKING CLASSES PROVIDED BY UMAMI SHOP: “…THIS IS OUR SIXTH YEAR DOING [COOKING CLASSES ONLINE]… WE’VE ALWAYS DONE…[A] PICK-UP…[MEAL] KIT [IN IT’S] ENTIRETY IN [A] COMPOSED BAG. ALL THE INGREDIENTS [FOR THE CLASS] WOULD BE IN THERE, THE RECIPE’S IN THERE… THEN [PARTICPANTS]…WATCH US LIVE [ONLINE]. SO, THEY WOULD COOK WITH US… WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN DOING…COOKING CLASSES BUT [DOING IT ONLINE] WAS A MORE ECONOMICAL WAY…[AND] A DIFFERENT WAY FOR US TO SCALE…TO BE IN FIFTY OR A HUNDRED OR FIVE-HUNDRED OR A THOUSAND HOMES COMPARED TO JUST HAVING…TWENTY-THREE PEOPLE MAX IN OUR KITCHEN COOKING WITH US.” TRISH EXPANDED ON THE COOKING CLASSES: “…THE IDEA [OF DOING THE LIVE COOKING CLASSES] CAME FROM MY HUSBAND [SVEN] INITIALLY. HE’S THE ONE WHO SAID, ‘…WE NEED TO SCALE’… HE SAW…THE AMOUNT OF WORK THAT WE DID IN A COOKING CLASS AND THAT WOULD LAST…FOUR TO FIVE HOURS, AND THAT’S SO MUCH WORK… HE SAID, ‘HOW CAN WE USE TECHNOLOGY, UTILIZE THAT AND SCALE AND…BE IN…FIVE HUNDRED, A THOUSAND, TWO THOUSAND [HOMES] AND ALL ACROSS CANADA?’ SO, NOT JUST IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA.” “…WE CONTINUE…SELLING OUR COOKING KIT, SO [WE HAVE BEEN] RE-PREMIERING ALL THOSE [PREVIOUS COOKING] VIDEOS THAT WE’VE MADE SINCE THE BEGINNING AND THEN [WE ALSO DO] THE LIVE SHOWS. THEN…I HOP ON THE CHAT [IN THE COOKING CLASS] AND I’M CHATTING AWAY WITH THE PEOPLE LIVE AS THOUGH IT WAS…[IN PERSON]… SO…WHEN [PARTICIPANTS] HAVE QUESTIONS THERE’S SOMEONE THERE TO ANSWER…RATHER THAN JUST WATCHING A VIDEO ONLINE… PEOPLE NEED THAT INTERACTION, PEOPLE NEED THE GUIDANCE AS YOU’RE COOKING.” “…WE HAD A PRODUCT THAT WE KNEW WOULD WORK BUT…FOOD IS QUITE SUBJECTIVE… BUT EVERYBODY EATS SO PEOPLE WERE ALSO OPEN TO THE IDEA TO TRY DIFFERENT RECIPES. THEY WERE NOT AFRAID BECAUSE THEY…[THINK] ‘…AT HOME I’M EATING THE SAME THING, WHY NOT TRY IT?’ AND IT WAS QUITE ECONOMICAL, TOO… WE HAD SPONSORED [COOKING CLASS] KITS– SO KITS STARTED AT [A BASE PRICE] AND THEN YOU CAN ADD ON EXTRAS [LIKE THE DONATED WINE]…WHICH…MADE THE KIT [COST] A BIT MORE BUT IT WAS WORTH IT… IF YOU WERE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT…THE [PARTICIPANT] COMMENTS OF ALL THE VIDEOS…[THEY SAY] ‘…I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO YOU!’ OR, ‘I SHOULD HAVE ADDED THAT ON’… SO, NOW WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPREMIER THAT AND RESELL THESE KITS… WE REBUILD THE KITS AGAIN AND HOPEFULLY, PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO COOK WITH US AGAIN.” “…THE PEOPLE WHO WERE COOKING WITH US BEFORE CONTINUED TO COOK WITH US… THEN…EVERYBODY WAS ONLINE, [BECAUSE] THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE TO DO…SO PEOPLE ARE LOOKING ONLINE, WATCHING…THEY’RE GLUED TO THEIR PHONE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND ALL THAT STUFF… NOWADAYS, IT’S ALL ABOUT ONLINE...” “…IT WAS VERY CRITICAL [TO FOCUS ON THE ONLINE SIDE OF THE BUSINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC] BECAUSE WE DECIDED NOT TO LAY OUR STAFF OFF. WE CONTINUED TO KEEP THEM ON, AND WE FOUND THIS TO KEEP THEM BUSY OR ELSE THEY’LL JUST BE SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING… OUR STAFF ARE NOT LIKE THAT. THEY WERE [SAYING]…’WE NEED TO DO IT…’ …THAT REALLY GAVE US THE PUSH TO CONTINUE TO DO [THE COOKING CLASS]… WE WERE SUPPOSED TO ONLY DO ONE SEASON WHICH WAS SIX SHOWS [OVER] SIX WEEKS. BUT THEN WE WENT BACK-TO-BACK AND…[THE RESPONSE WAS] ‘…CONTINUE,’ SO WE DID ANOTHER SEASON… WE DID THIRTEEN SHOWS IN TOTAL. SO, TWO SEASONS.” TRISH TALKED ABOUT HOSTING THE SHOWS: “…IT’S A LIVE SHOW AND YOU HAVE…A LOT OF PEOPLE WATCHING YOU, BUT IT’S FUN. I THINK IT’S FUN AND I’M NOT THE PERSON THAT...[CARES] ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK, [BECAUSE] THAT’S NONE OF MY BUSINESS. THAT’S THE PHILOSOPHY I’VE ALWAYS LIVED WITH… BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, I’M SHOWING PEOPLE HOW TO COOK AND I HOPE THAT IT BRINGS VALUE TO THEM… I’M BEING MYSELF. I’M NOT DIFFERENT ON CAMERA NOR AM I DIFFERENT IN REAL LIFE…” COVID-19 GREATLY IMPACTED THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY, AND TRISH TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE CHANGES THE PANDEMIC NECESSITATED: “WE’RE FEELING CONFIDENT. WE’RE FEELING RELIEVED AT THE SAME TIME, BECAUSE [COVID-19] IS NOT AT THE PEAK RIGHT NOW… WHEN WE FIRST STARTED OUT, IT WAS…A SUDDEN CHANGE, A SUDDEN PIVOT…[WE HAD] TO CALIBRATE WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO IN TERMS OF OUR BUSINESS, IN TERMS OF HOW OUR STAFF WERE TO WELCOME CUSTOMERS… BUT WE’RE A BIT MORE RELIEVED THAN [EARLIER IN THE PANDEMIC].” “…WE UTILIZE OUR ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM. SO, IT’S ALL LOGISTICS… SO WE USE OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE TO ADVERTISE THAT MARKET…TO THE FANS OF UMAMI SHOP… THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK…THESE COOKING CLASSES…DURING THE PANDEMIC WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE ALREADY OUR CUSTOMERS. THAT JUST GREW MORE AND IT…AMPLIFIED BECAUSE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE TOLD ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING SO THEY WOULD ORDER THE KITS FOR THEM… THAT JUST CONTINUED ON…[THROUGH] WORD OF MOUTH.” TRISH CONTINUED: “…WE DID TAKE A HIT. I THINK EVERY BUSINESS DID TOO, BECAUSE IT WAS A SHOCK FOR EVERYBODY… WE DIDN’T THINK THAT IT WOULD BE SUCH A BIG SHOCK [BECAUSE] WE THOUGHT, ‘OH, WELL, BUSINESS WILL SLOW DOWN,’ BUT WE NEVER REALIZED. IT WAS SUCH A HUGE SHOCK… WE SAW OTHER PEOPLE CLOSING THEIR DOORS AND WE WEREN’T SURE BECAUSE WE WERE A GROCER-AUNT. SO, [A] RESTAURANT/GROCERY STORE/CAFÉ/DELI… YOU WOULD SEE ALL THESE RESTAURANTS CLOSING THEIR DOORS AND WE DECIDED NOT TO. WE CONTINUED TO DO TAKE-OUT. WE UTILIZED OUR ONLINE ORDERING SYSTEM TO REALLY PUSH OUT MORE, AND…COMMUNICATING…TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE WERE STILL OPEN, THAT YOU WERE STILL WELCOME TO COME IN BUT CERTAIN MEASURES LIKE WEAR A MASK, SANITIZE YOUR HANDS…DON’T BRING IN YOUR OWN GROCERY BAGS, WE WEREN’T ACCEPTING RETURNS… OUR CUSTOMERS ARE GREAT… THEY UNDERSTOOD…BECAUSE IT’S A NEW NORMAL… IT…WORKED OUT, AND WE’RE JUST HAPPY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO…REALLY CALIBRATE AND…WORK MORE ON OUR TECHNOLOGICAL SIDE, THAT STRUCTURE, UTILIZING THAT TO…GET MORE SALES.” TRISH DISCUSSED THE BREADTH OF UMAMI SHOP’S REACH: “…WE’VE BEEN…ALL ACROSS… TO VANCOUVER, UP TO YUKON, TO NOVA SCOTIA.” “…SVEN’S A LOGISTICS PERSON SO HE KNOWS HOW TO SHIP THINGS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD OR ANYWHERE IN CANADA AT LEAST.” “[PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES FIND UMAMI SHOP THROUGH] THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA… OR EVEN FAMILY AND FRIENDS… WE SHIP THEM…[TO] NOVA SCOTIA, P.E.I. …TORONTO, WINNIPEG, SASKATCHEWAN, CALGARY.” TRISH DISCUSSED HER UPBRINGING IN A SIMILAR BUSINESS: “…I GREW UP IN THIS BUSINESS BUT…MY PARENTS WERE NOT [URGING ME TO] ‘DO THIS’…[THEY SAID], ‘THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO IS DO WHAT WE’RE DOING [BECAUSE] IT’S A LOT OF WORK,’ AND I UNDERSTOOD THAT…SO WE WENT TO SCHOOL… I WAS SICK AND TIRED OF THE OTHER WORK WHICH MY PARENTS DID…THE…GROCERY BUSINESS. IT’S A HUSTLE JOB. IT’S THE ASIAN SUPERMARKET ON THE NORTH SIDE... I GREW UP WATCHING THAT AND SEEING THEM GO THROUGH WITH IT. SO, I WORKED IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. I WORKED AT BANKS, I WORKED IN A LOT OF…BIG FUND STUFF… I JUST GOT TIRED OF IT. IT WAS SO MUCH STRESS…MORE STRESS THAN YOU WOULD THINK WORKING IN A GROCERY STORE.” “SO I DECIDED I’M DONE WITH [THE CORPORATE WORLD] AND MOVED BACK HERE, AND SVEN AND I OPENED THIS PLACE, UMAMI SHOP.” TRISH EXPLAINED HER PASSION FOR HER WORK: “I’M NOT GOING TO WORK WHEN I COME HERE, IT’S FUN… I’M DOING WHAT I LOVE… I GET TO MAKE SAUCES, I GET TO COOK, I GET TO EAT GREAT FOOD, I GET TO TASTE DIFFERENT THINGS, I GET TO TRAVEL. I THINK THAT’S ONE OF THE GREAT PERKS EVEN THOUGH I TRAVELED A LOT [PREVIOUSLY] IT WAS SO STRESSFUL TRAVELING. WHEREAS HERE, I’M TRAVELING ON TRADE MISSIONS, I’M TRAVELING FOR COOKING CLASSES…BUT I STILL GET THAT ELEMENT OF ME-TIME AND VISITING MY FRIENDS WHEN I'M AT WORK. OR EVEN ON A WORK TRAVEL…PRIOR TO THAT…I WAS IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY EVERY…TWO OR THREE DAYS, [I WOULD] NEVER SEE MY FRIENDS, I NEVER GOT TO SEE SVEN…FOR WEEKS…” TRISH COMMUNICATED HER APPRECIATION FOR THE LETHBRIDGE COMMUNITY: “…I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN LETHBRIDGE. [I] LEFT FOR…A LONG TIME AND THEN DECIDED TO COME BACK BECAUSE…WE REALLY WANTED TO DO SOMETHING BUT IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE IF WE WERE IN A BIG CITY LIKE TORONTO… I LIVED THERE, I WAS WORKING IN TORONTO AND I DIDN’T REALLY SEE THE CONNECTION, THE COMMUNITY… I JUST FELT LIKE I WAS JUST ANOTHER PERSON, ANOTHER NAME, ANOTHER NUMBER…THAT WOULD JUST BE WALKING DOWN THE STREET; ANOTHER TAX-PAYER. THERE WAS NO COMMUNITY THERE. EVEN THOUGH IF I LIVED IN A NICE…CONDO, YOU DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR… THAT WAS SO DIFFERENT FROM MOVING BACK HOME HERE WHERE WE KNOW OUR NEIGHBOURS AND NOW OUR NEIGHBOURS ARE OUR CUSTOMERS, TOO… PEOPLE COME IN AND…THEY’RE NOT SHOPPING BUT THEY COME AND SAY, ‘HI’… THEY WALK BY AND THEY WAVE… YOU DON’T GET THAT IN TORONTO… I’VE WORKED THERE, I KNOW. AND THAT’S HOW IT IS.” “…WE ENJOY LIVING IN LETHBRIDGE, WE ENJOY THE TREES IN OUR BACKYARD, WE ENJOY OUR HOUSE. IT’S AFFORDABLE, TOO… RAISING A FAMILY, I THINK THAT’S VERY IMPORTANT, THAT’S WHY MY PARENTS DECIDED TO STAY IN LETHBRIDGE AND NOT MOVE TO BIGGER CITIES.” FOR MORE INFORMATION; TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION; OR TO VIEW THE RELEVANT APRIL 30TH AND MAY 3RD, 2020 UMAMI SHOP FACEBOOK POSTS, PLEASE SEE THE DONATION’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20200026003

Acquisition Date

2020-06

Collection

Museum

Less detail