Patricia Cobe

Senior Editor

Articles by
Patricia Cobe

Page 93
Operations

Purchasing Insiders Speak Up

Four operators share their strategies for sourcing fresh vegetables. Ralph Kinder Director of Franchise Development, Baker Bros. 12 locations, Dallas, Texas-based Sig...

Operations

Produce: Get fresh

With health and freshness two of the major forces driving menus today, produce is top on operators’ purchase orders.

Leafy greens are the base for most salads, but where chefs go from there is up for grabs. Some are even leaving out the lettuce completely, opting for artfully arranged vegetables, fruits and ot...

So far, the 2005-2006 growing season has been pretty favorable for salad greens. “The weather was phenomenal in the desert, where much of the winter produce is grown and the quality is excellent, with very little spoilage,” reports Teri Trost, sales manager of national accounts for Earthbound Farms.

Today, pre-cut or fresh-cut salad greens are the dominant force in foodservice, produce suppliers agree.

With farmers’ markets springing up in many cities and suburbs, it’s not unusual to see restaurant employees jostling with the public to procure the best locally grown, seasonal produce.

Q&A with MaryKay Skrypec, SVP of innovation and quality, U.S. Foodservice.

Talk to many chefs these days, especially in fine dining, and they’ll tell you that “local” and “seasonal” are top priorities when purchasing fresh fruit.

Talking deli turkey with David Locke, executive chef, New York NY Fresh Deli, Mesa, Ariz.

Three top purchasers share their buying smarts.

Milk, cheese and butter, as both stand-alone products and recipe ingredients, all play a prominent role on the menu.

Dairy experts talk about recent issues affecting foodservice purchasing.

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