A day in the life

Fall 2003

It’s hard to imagine that one of Canada’s most successful publishing companies was cooked up in a small Alberta town. But that’s where Edmontonbased Company’s Coming Publishing Limited, the firm that publishes the best-selling cookbook series of the same name, can trace its roots—right to Vermilion, home of Jean Paré, one of Canada’s best known and loved cooks.

From Her Humble Beginnings as a Child Growing Up

in Irma, Alberta, to the rural community of Vermilion where she has lived for the last 44 years, Paré has indulged in several entrepreneurial ventures, from running an auction house and operating her own restaurant to investing in realty and eventually creating the company that has sold over 20 million of her cookbooks.

But ask her what she thinks of her legendary role in the culinary industry, and her modest and sweet demeanor never wavers.“To tell you the truth I don’t think I ever really thought of whether I was a good cook or not. I just liked to do it. It was always so nice if you made something and somebody commented about it, and then you could say I made it myself.”

That understated response characterizes this Alberta legend. Today, although Paré runs a huge business, she still maintains a strong personal connection with everything she does. There isn’t a visitor to her kitchen who isn’t treated to a cup of tea and a little sweet to nosh on. After a high-profile interview with the National Post, Paré jumped in her car and drove the writer, Julia McKinnell, to the airport so they could keep on talking and so McKinnell didn’t have to pay cab fare. Paré also insists that every media interview (and there are lots) is followed up with a personal, handwritten thank-you note.

Never professionally trained in cooking, Paré learned everything from her mother, whom she says had the gift of making “nothing taste like something.” Paré’s own gift developed while preparing family dinners. That hands-on experience gave her the skills to build a lucrative catering career and eventually to launch Company’s Coming.

Never Run Out of Food!

Beginning in 1963 with a clientele consisting mainly of Vermilion’s Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary club and the high school graduations, Paré says she often found herself serving upwards of 1,500 people, a significant crowd for a town that boasts only 4,400 residents today. She attributes her catering success to one simple maxim—never run out of food! “I always planned for the unexpected,” she says, “and you know, pretty much every event I ever catered had a few unexpected twists!” Paré keeps her catering skills in tune by personally making lunch for her entire staff a couple of times a year.

Naturally, 18 years of catering resulted in numerous requests for recipes. To appease her loyal fans, Paré decided to compile a cookbook, 150 Delicious Squares, which sold an astounding 15,000 copies in less than three months. At the age of 54—Jean Paré triggered Company’s Coming.

“It was a phenomenal ripple effect starting right in Vermilion,” says Paré who sold her book and gained accounts by selling to local retailers, hairdressing salons, hardware stores and, as she says, “just about anywhere the people were.”Using money earned from her catering years, as well as her property investments, Paré and her youngest son, Grant, built the foundation for Company’s Coming Publishing Ltd.

Although her children have inherited her love of cooking, they’re quite content to operate the business from the boardroom rather than the kitchen. Today, Paré works alongside two of her children, Grant at the helm, as company president, and Gail, overseeing sales and marketing. Granddaughter Amanda Jean looks after the company’s communications and public relations. Together, the family has created a made-in-Alberta success story—one that is selling millions of cookbooks worldwide and releasing up to 12 new titles a year.

World Travel Inspires New Ideas

When she isn’t working (which isn’t very often), Paré enjoys the comfort of small-town living, visiting with friends from a coffee group she has belonged to for 28 years.Her local touchstone is important and keeps her connected to the very people she started cooking for years ago. Paré and husband Larry also spend a lot of time traveling the world.

“We’ve been to so many places,” she laughs, claiming Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand as her favoured vacation spots, with England and Australia trailing closely behind.Many of the couple’s trips include visits to their nine sponsored foster children living in various parts of the globe. “But, no matter how far we go, it’s always a treat to come home.”

Aside from a pure love of travel, Paré admits to being drawn to foreign cookbooks while she’s in new countries. “I’ve always been drawn to new and intriguing food ideas” she says. Paré’s own cookbook library includes authentic Asian, Italian and Dutch cookbooks. She manages to find inspiration in pages that aren’t even printed in English.

Connected Personally to Readers

Although Paré and Larry are planning a trip to Austria, where Jean is determined to visit the pastry shops, the only travelling she’s doing right now is her commute to work. Paré insists she’ll continue working for as long as she can. “I don’t have any plans to retire, but as you get older, things can change quickly, and I am getting older!” she quips.

Paré starts her day at 6:00 A.M. (a trend that really confounds her staff—there’s an ongoing competition to see who can scoop her early start time). She begins by working on recipes, perusing her vast collection of ideas she’s created or compiled for decades, and then personally answering e-mails and letters. Paré receives countless recipes and ideas from fans—some of whom send her their entire family collections. She answers everyone herself—one at a time. She’s even been known to phone readers directly if they include a phone number with their letter just to chat about their recipe ideas (according to granddaughter Amanda, it shocks readers every time!).

“The effort people invest to share their ideas, experiences and family favourites is very precious to me,” Paré says. “This whole idea started with everyday folks simply looking for recipes to try with their loved ones.”

That touchstone with ‘real-life people’ continues to play an anchor role in the company’s culture. Today, that culture has produced over 90 titles with more on the horizon.

Does Paré contemplate retirement? “I’ve got stacks and stacks of ideas. Every once in a while I’ll stop and wonder if we’ll run out of titles and when I think that, I think of half a dozen more titles,”Paré laughs.“There’s just no time to retire.”