The United States Potato Board (USPB) Foodservice program is designed to drive healthy new potato menu items at foodservice. We take a holistic approach, understanding that decision makers in the industry get their information and inspiration from a wide range of sources.
I've written before about our face-to-face, hands-on interaction with influential chefs at our annual "Menu Innovations with Potatoes" seminar held at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, Calif. Throughout the year, we take a broad approach by advertising our website and working with editors and writers to secure media coverage about new foodservice programs and resources. This all works to keeps potatoes top-of-mind. One of the newest elements to our program is the "Get Creative!" e-newsletter, a direct communication.
"Get Creative!" highlights innovative potato offerings from rising star chefs. It promotes the many resources available to foodservice professionals, including a wide variety of recipes, potato nutrition updates and a new Foodservice Guide to Potato Types. The first issue was emailed fall 2011 and the second was just distributed in April.
Each issue was sent to more than 3,300 foodservice professionals, including all seminar alumni, media and chef contacts gathered over the past 10 years. The newsletter was also posted on www.potatogoodness.com, and to extend the reach of this information we advertised on the popular foodservice sites www.MonkeyDish.com and http://Foodservice.com. Because of the April newsletter, our friends at Café Meeting Place, an online resource for culinary teachers, featured a potato lesson plan called, "Get Creative with Potatoes." Fitting.
If you work with the foodservice industry-especially if you supply restaurants-add a little more value to that relationship by offering to have "Get Creative!" sent to them. It's a straight-forward, information-packed e-newsletter all about potatoes, sent just two times a year. All you have to do is send me their name, operation name and email address. Of course, we'd be glad to add you to the list, too. Just shoot me an email (meredithm@uspotatoes.com) that says: Add me to the Get Creative List!
For more information, visit PotatoGrower.com, click on "Extras" and select "USPB Domestic Marketing PR LRP for Foodservice, FY12-16."
For more information on the USPB as the nation's potato marketing organization, positioned as the "catalyst for positive change," and the central organizing force in implementing programs that will increase demand for potatoes, visit www.uspotatoes.com.