Taste of Gourmet Review and Profile

Taste of Gourmet no longer appears to be active as a direct sales company.

Taste of Gourmet is active as a gourmet-food manufacturer and online retailer, but it no longer publicly promotes its former home-party/direct-selling opportunity.

Original Npros business profile for Taste of Gourmet, preserved below for archival purposes:

Taste of Gourmet is a Mississippi-based specialty-food company whose origins trace to Antique Mall Ltd. and Crown Foods in Indianola, Mississippi. The company began adding products to the Taste of Gourmet line in 1989 and developed a catalog of Southern-style mixes, sauces, preserves, dressings and prepared-food products manufactured at its own facility in Indianola. Evelyn Roughton has been identified as the chef and owner associated with Taste of Gourmet and its affiliated restaurant, The Crown.

The product line includes dessert and bread mixes, soup and entrée mixes, appetizers, dip mixes, salad dressings, pepper preserves, sauces, cookbooks and gift assortments. Current products include Mississippi Delta Fudge Pie Mix, Sweet Potato Muffin Mix, Southern Praline Pie Mix, Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette, Jezebel Sauce, Creole Filé Gumbo and Mama's Meatloaf Mix. Taste of Gourmet continues to sell these products through its active website and from its Indianola operation.

Taste of Gourmet historically used a direct-selling and home-party model. Independent representatives conducted in-home "Tastings," demonstrated recipes using the company's products and took customer orders. Representatives earned income from product sales, while hosts could receive free or discounted merchandise based on party volume. The company was regularly included in directories and insurance classifications covering direct-sales representatives, confirming that it operated as a party-plan direct seller rather than a conventional retail-only food company. A complete historical compensation plan with verified commission percentages was not located.

The current TasteOfGourmet.com website remains active and accepts retail orders, but it does not provide consultant enrollment, a compensation plan, host-reward information or a distributor back office. The business now presents itself primarily as a manufacturer and retailer of specialty foods.