Job Q&A
Steve Chasen, the Owner of Feast.com
by Kendra Lott
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Steve Chasen went to Cornell University in pursuit of a management degree, but the school's location in a wine-growing region also guaranteed an abundance of great food. Chasen, who has been a self-professed "foodie" since the age of nine, finished his management degree in about two years and promptly began coursework in wine and hospitality. As the owner of Feast.com, a premier food Web site that makes chef-quality ingredients available to home cooks, Chasen now happily combines his passion with his business expertise.

Monster.com: Did you start looking for a food-related job right after graduation?

Steve Chasen: After college I moved to the Caribbean with the intention of becoming a beach bum, but instead worked in a high-end wine cellar. I met a collector who owned an importing business and was basically a genius as far as good living, and I worked with him for about two years importing things like caviar, foie gras and produce to the hotels down there.

Mc: How did you come up with the idea for Feast.com?

SC: I was living in New York and working with an importing company that had been in business since the 1920s. When I went to dinner parties, I brought food that was usually available only to professionals. The quality of the food really blew everyone away and the dinner conversation eventually turned to how bringing my experience to the Internet could make for a great business. I started Feast.com in March 1999 with Josh Shaub, who has long been involved in interactive Internet technology, and my former boss Steven Wils, who brings financial expertise to the table.

Mc: Is purchasing for a Web site different than purchasing for trade?

SC: I'm used to dealing in hundreds or thousands of pounds, whereas consumers often complain that a five-pound order is too big. I have to convince my vendors to sell small and my customers to buy in bulk.

Mc: Do you have a lot of contact with your customers?

SC: Yes. Customers can ask questions through our "Concierge" feature. I've always been very service- and detail-oriented and I like to develop relationships. That's an aspect that's often missing from the Internet, because in the rush to automate, companies forget that people don't want to point and click -- they want to be spoken to. Our products are both high-end and perishable, and it makes people comfortable to know that there's a human there and that there's some passion behind it.

Mc: What are your thoughts about online retail in general?

SC: I'm not really thrilled with where the business has gone. There's a lot of overlapping nonsense online. So many sites tend to emphasize marketing and packaging rather than product -- I don't know who would want to get a box of chocolate-covered pretzels in the mail.

We don't sell foods with an appeal that's dependent on packaging. Most of the vendors we work with are artisans who are very good at what they do, but they're not marketing professionals. If you order Ahi tuna from Feast.com, you're going to get the best fish in the world, but it's going to be in a cardboard box.

Mc: How do you keep current with food trends?

SC: By reading trade magazines like Food Arts and Nation's Restaurant News, as well as The New York Times "Dining In" section, Savuer and Food & Wine. Also http://www.thenewyorktimes.com has a great archive of food information, and I check http://www.winespectator.com, http://www.epicurious.com and http://www.pheast.com.

Mc: What comprises your typical day?

SC: My day-to-day work really centers around communication. I speak to vendors and customers, check invoices, hunt down unusual food items, and so on.

Mc: What advice would you offer someone looking to start his or her own Web-based business?

SC: Be aware of the emotional toll. It's such a roller-coaster ride, it's hard not to get too overly excited or pat yourself on the back too hard, but at the same time you have to keep your spirits high and maintain mental focus and mental balance. It's also good to be prepared not to come home with a paycheck some weeks.