The food industry has done a commendable job of helping out these wannabe cooks, providing meal kits, marinated meats and microwaveable meals. It’s become relatively easy to have a good, nutritious meal with a few minutes of preparation.

Now consumers are moving to the next level. They’re foodies, or at least wannabe foodies. They’ve read the cooking magazines, they’ve watched the cooking TV shows, they’ve gone to good restaurants, and they’re ready to expand their own culinary boundaries. The same old flavors and meals won’t cut it. Once again, they’ll be turning to the food industry for help.

Prior to visiting Superior Farms, this month’s cover story, I’d never cooked lamb. I’ve ordered it at restaurants, but I’ll admit to being one of the people who didn’t want to buy lamb because I didn’t want to screw it up. Now, having seen the type of lamb products that are available, I’m a little more willing to try it out. Maybe I’m not ready for lamb chops yet, but a lamb sausage, or a leg of lamb I can cook in the bag in the oven? I think I can manage that.

There are many ways to help these time-crunched foodies. Meats can come with exotic sauces or pre-measured spice blends so the consumer doesn’t have to buy any extra bottles of seasonings. If your company runs its own retail store, maybe you can package a ready-to-heat meal with just the right bottle of wine. It doesn’t take much to make a meal into a special occasion.

After all, if a rat can make a gourmet meal, how hard can it be?