NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chef Emeril Lagasse and Jack Schwartz Shoes Inc. (JSSI) today announced a partnership to produce a new shoe line specially designed for professionals in the restaurant industry. Culinary icon Emeril Lagasse, the founder of twelve restaurants and star of popular shows Emeril Live and Top Chef, brings to the footwear industry his years of restaurant experience and an intimate understanding of the particular demands of culinary professionals. Emeril Lagasse slip and stain–resistant footwear will offer restaurant industry professionals shoes designed to provide maximum protection and comfort for demanding work days.
“As someone who’s worked in the kitchen for over 20 years, I know how difficult it is to find a comfortable shoe that can handle the wear and tear of being on your feet all day,” said Emeril Lagasse. “I wanted to create a reasonably priced, better looking and higher quality line of shoes that are comfortable and attractive. By partnering with JSSI, we were able to design a line of shoes that will keep your feet happy all day, in and out of the kitchen.”
Emeril’s shoes feature multiple innovations that are specifically tailored to the restaurant environment. Knowing that duty shoes need to stand up to the tough environment that culinary professionals face, Emeril worked with JSSI’s creative and engineering teams to integrate antimicrobial and water repellent technologies into the material of the shoe upper itself, while also introducing a memory foam insole for enhanced comfort. Each shoe also includes an Emeril-inspired slip-resistant outsole to provide reliable traction on any surface, an essential consideration in busy kitchens. Beyond the functional innovations, the shoes are designed to meet the evolving tastes of culinary professionals, offering both style and substance.
“We are excited to be entering the growing restaurant shoe market with such a recognizable and well-respected partner in Emeril Lagasse,” said JSSI President David Schwartz. “The restaurant shoe industry has long been known for its limited offerings and unimaginative design. We’ve worked closely with Emeril, an expert on the rigors of restaurant work from the kitchen to the host stand, to create a range of shoes that offer comfort, durability and style.”
The shoes will be available through a partnership with Shoe Carnival (NASDAQ:SCVL) beginning November 1. "Shoe Carnival is thrilled to be working with JSSI, one of our longest-standing partners, and Emeril to introduce this newest line to restaurant industry professionals around the nation,” said Shoe Carnival’s President and CEO Cliff Sifford. “Slip-resistant footwear is one of the fastest growing categories in the industry right now, and Emeril's shoes will soon be at the forefront of it."
About Emeril Lagasse
Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 12 restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando and Bethlehem, PA. Lagasse’s 13threstaurant, Meril, is slated to open in New Orleans in September 2016. As a national TV personality, he has hosted more than 2,000 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC's "Good Morning America." Lagasse has appeared as a guest judge in four seasons of Bravo’s hit food series, “Top Chef,” was named a co-host for the tenth season of the “Rachael Ray Show,” and in January 2016, he entered his fourth season of “Emeril’s Florida” on the Cooking Channel. His latest project, Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse, an Amazon original series premiers September 2016. Lagasse is the best-selling author of 19 cookbooks, the latest, Essential Emeril: Favorite Recipes and Hard-Won Wisdom from My Life in the Kitchen, was released in October 2015. In 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children's educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating, and important life skills. To date, the Foundation has donated more than $7 million to community organizations in New Orleans, Las Vegas and on the Gulf Coast. In December 2015, Sequential Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SQBG) acquired the assets related to Emeril Lagasse’s media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, the Emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products. For more information, visit: http://www.emerils.com.
About Jack Schwartz Shoes Inc.
Jack Schwartz Shoes Inc. (JSSI) is an American family-owned business that has been a manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of footwear for almost 80 years. With offices in Soho, New York and Guangzhou, China, JSSI owns and manufactures Lugz Footwear and British Knights Sneakers and holds the exclusive men’s footwear license for Andrew Marc, Marc New York and Emeril Lagasse. For more information, visit www.jssi.com.
