Diners at Burger King or Chipotle Mexican Restaurant likely do not know that part of the creation and planning of the menu took place in the kitchen and offices of Woodland Gourmet in Waukegan.
John Buckles, Woodland’s CEO, said representatives of eateries like those, among others, come to their kitchen and manufacturing plant, where they collaborate on new menu ideas.
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“We help them plan their new menu,” he said. “We bring flavor to their offerings. We look at different combinations of spices and seasonings that will be in the food on their menu in 2027. We jointly work on it here.”
Woodland Gourmet formally opened its new kitchen, tasting area, conference room, and more with a ribbon-cutting Thursday in Waukegan, creating improved areas for customers and workers alike.
“We did this for our customers and our workers,” Buckless said, explaining how it is important for customers planning menus or new spices, seasonings, herbs, batters, breading, and dry roasted vegetables to sell to their customers to have a first-class setting to make their choices.
Walking into the freshly redone kitchen, dining, and conference area, there are dozens of jars on several shelves of spices, seasonings, and herbs with the Woodland label. There were a variety of freshly made foods for guests to sample, and two chefs were at work.
Buckles said people may not see the Woodland brand all over, but when they shop at Costco or Williams Sonoma, many of the spices, seasonings, and herbs with those companies’ labels were made in one of Woodland’s facilities. Besides Waukegan, there are plants in Utah, Nebraska, and New Jersey.
Founded in 1989 when David and Diana Moore went to Europe and purchased a shipment of chanterelle mushrooms, Buckles said the company moved into a variety of fire-roasted vegetables as well as its spices, seasonings, and herbs.
“We roast vegetables like corn, peas, broccoli (and more) at a high temperature and then they are flash frozen,” Buckles said. “They are shipped to our customers, where they are thawed and served or packaged.”
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham held the scissors with Buckles when the ribbon was cut, signifying completion of the project. Cunningham said renovations to existing businesses are another part of his Rebuilding Waukegan effort. They help keep well-paying jobs in the city.
“We have the employee market with a skill level they need for their customer base, which is very specific,” he said.
Cunningham said businesses like Woodlands are an important part of Waukegan’s 21st-century industrial area, much of which is located along Sunset Avenue. It has easy access to the highways in a time when so many goods are shipped by truck.
Moving into its current headquarters in Waukegan in 2011, Woodland acquired New Jersey-based Idan Foods in 2024, adding breading and batters to its product mix. Buckles said the breading and batters enable the company to work with existing customers on dishes like fried chicken.
With 300 workers in 2024, Buckles said the company has grown to include approximately 500 employees, of which 280 are in Waukegan, and the rest are spread over the three other locations.
Improvements to the Waukegan headquarters were focused on the kitchen, meeting rooms, and other areas where company personnel can meet with customers from places like Burger King, Chipotle, Williams Sonoma, and Costco to fine-tune what will ultimately be served to diners or sold to customers. There was more.
“We redid the entry level, offices, and kitchen,” Buckles said of the months-long project. “We also did the employee lunchroom and breakroom.”