December 2016/January 2017
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FreshDECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 DIGESTA P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E F R E S H P R O D U C E & F L O R A L C O U N C I L 10 Features 6 Applications Open for 2017 FPFC Apprentice Program FOCUS ON THE FPFC 10 Category Growth Fueled by Chefs, Recipes & Foodies FOCUS ON FRESH HERBS 12 Steady Supply of Multiple Varieties Expected in the New Year FOCUS ON TOMATOES 13 FPFC Scholarship Recipients Selected FOCUS ON THE FPFC 14 FPFC Member Profiles 10 FOCUS ON FPFC MEMBERS Cover photo provided by User Friendly, Ink. 28 Southern California Holiday Luncheon EVENT PHOTOS AND THANK YOUS 34 FPFC Features Retail Panel at Luncheon Meeting FOCUS ON THE FPFC 35 Southern California Membership Luncheon EVENT PHOTOS AND THANK YOUS 38 Team Produce Ponies Up for City of Hope FOCUS ON GIVING Volume 44, Number 6 December 2016/January 2017 FRESH DIGEST (ISSN-1522-0982) is published Departments bimonthly for $15 of FPFC membership dues; $25 for annual subscription for non-members 4 Editor’s View by Fresh Produce & Floral Council; 2400 E. By Tim Linden Katella Avenue, Suite 330, Anaheim CA 92806. Periodicals postage paid at Anaheim, CA, and 5 Executive Notes at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: By Carissa Mace Send address changes to FRESH DIGEST, 2400 E. Katella Avenue, Suite 330, Anaheim 8 Council News CA 92806. 12 FPFC Highlights DECEMBER 2016 / JANUARY 2017 3 A Tip of the Cap To Brussels Sprouts & Sweet Potatoes There are suffering than these two I do not know what they several Thanksgiv- would be. ing traditions that First off they were subjected to the worst I have been a part cooking methods ever invented. Like the iconic of for many years, wallflower librarian who only needed a little fixing though most have up to blossom into a runway model, Brussels sprouts gone through quite just needed to get out of the water and into the pan. a few changes. Today they are celebrated in every hip restaurant Growing up in the country and had a starring role on many a my parents always Tim Linden Thanksgiving table, where they use to languish in made the six kids annual obscurity. A little olive oil, seasoning, bacon say what we each were thankful for. Though it’s a if you can, and some direct heat and those little guys lovely idea, its execution never quite hit the mark. flourish. “Please pass the Brussels sprouts” was a My parents were thankful for the usual things: good common refrain at our table this year. VIEW health, prosperity and happy times. But the six of us The sweet potato also had to endure tor- couldn’t quite see the forest through the trees and ture by a generation of Thanksgiving cooks who By Tim Linden thought it was better to use the occasion as a time decided marshmallows were a worthy compliment. to bash each other. “I’m thankful I no longer have Marshmallows themselves should be banned from to share a room with my slob of a brother,” I once the face of the earth. Who invited them or even said. To this day that tradition has remained less invented them anyway? Their one good use is for than solemn around the various Linden Thanksgiving camping and that’s only if you are under 10 years tables, but at least the bashing has shifted to emails. old. To saddle sweet potatoes, which obviously (Luckily no midnight tweeters in the Linden clan.) need no sweetening hence the name, with a burst That late November date was also always the of sugar, is a culinary felony. For our Thanksgiving, time to solidify Christmas plans, including who would we sliced them into fries, rolled them in olive oil, host and who would buy for whom. With so many garlic and salt, roasted them in the oven and served in the family – and especially as families enlarged them as the appetizer they were meant to be. The – picking names out of a hat to ease the financial uncooked sweet potatoes on the counter basked burden on any one person was the prudent thing in the rave reviews and adulation, waiting for their to do. Today, with four generations to consider and turn in the spotlight. tree branches wrapping around all over the place, These two items have done as much to im- we are lucky to even know where everyone is go- prove Thanksgiving dinner as anythingy I can think of. ing to be, let alone buy them presents. Now there Cheers to them. Take a bow. are simultaneous celebrations with the Hatfield and McCoy visual being more apropos. The Thanksgiving turkey preparation itself has also changed. Some swear by the deep fry method, while others are proponents of brining and still oth- ers like the old over-cooked roasting and thin slicing FPFC MISSION STATEMENT method, so the turkey can taste as dry as it did 40 years ago. To each their own, I say. If you want to The Fresh Produce & Floral Council is a dynamic community of professionals across all sectors of ruin the turkey that’s your business. the fresh produce and floral industry who do And, of course, we now must make adjust- business in California and the western region. ments for the vegetarians among us. Which brings The Council is dedicated to providing members me to the new stars of Thanksgiving dinner: Brus- with convenient opportunities to build productive sels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes. If there were relationships, access timely market information, enhance their business skills, and pool their ever two vegetables (let’s call sweet potatoes a efforts to promote and advance the industry. root vegetable) that have endured more pain and EDITOR'S 4 FRESH DIGEST That Time of Year EXECUTIVE December is a of our thing so believe me, we think of everything notoriously busy time we can do to get more bodies in the room. We for everyone. With want everyone who wants to attend to be able to the holidays upon us get in that room. and all that entails, Another astonishing part of this event is the people are running retail participation we get to support the auctions. left and right to get This year we had a record number of retailers auc- things done. At the tioning off themselves, so to speak, for golf or dinner FPFC this is especially outings and, in some cases, they would throw in an true. Our largest lun- Carissa Mace item in their store’s ad for the winning bidder. I’d cheon of the year like to thank all of our retailers who participated takes place in December – the annual Holiday this year: Luncheon and Charity Auction. For those of you who have never attended, Bristol Farms – John Savidan this event doesn’t have a speaker or regular pro- Food 4 Less – Miguel Garcial gramming. Rather we hold both a silent and live Gelson’s Markets – Mark Carroll auction and raise money for a charity. For the fourth Northgate Markets – Alfonso Cano year in a row, the proceeds are benefiting Caterina’s Raley’s Supermarkets - Greg Corrigan Club. This charity was started by Chef Bruno Serato and Michael Schutt and his mother, Caterina, to feed meals nightly to Smart & Final – Kent Kuwata more than 2,000 kids who live in motels in Southern State Bros. Markets – Liane Mast and California. Nationally, the program serves more Roger Schroeder than 6,000 meals to those who sometimes go to bed with nothing more than a bag of chips from a The retail auction alone raised $108,210. vending machine. The charity has expanded its ef- Again, incredible! Greg Corrigan from Raley’s fort to include relocation help for families trying to participated in this event for the first time this year, move to permanent apartments, and an after-school making the trip down to attend. Greg took the auc- program teaching culinary skills to at-risk teens. tion into a new level using social media to broadcast I am always amazed at the charity that our his auction item to those who might not attend the industry demonstrates. People do not hesitate to event, especially companies in Northern California. open their wallets to those less fortunate whether By doing this, Greg walked into the auction with it is for Caterina’s Club, City of Hope or many of $20,000 already committed. Thinking outside the By Carissa Mace the other charities the industry supports. At this box, or in this case outside of the banquet room, year’s auction, a record $179,055 was raised for really paid off! NOTES Caterina’s Club. Amazing! I’ve worked with many charities over the The work that goes into this event is also years, and I can honestly say that Caterina’s Club amazing. Staff runs at full tilt the weeks before the is one of the most genuinely grateful groups I have event, basically like a bunch of chickens with our ever come across. They are heartfelt in their ap- heads cut off to get things ready. There is no slow preciation for the money that is raised. They started time in December for us…that is for sure! as grassroots as they come and they’ve not lost This event has sold out for the past two years. that humility. It makes staff want to go above and This year we sold out about a week and a half before beyond to make sure the event is a success when the luncheon.