The United States Potato Board (USPB) hosted its 10th annual seminar at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in late October. Fourteen chefs, some from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, participated in The Global Potato Seminar, a culinary exploration of global flavors and dishes featuring fresh, frozen and dehydrated U.S. potatoes. Altogether, the chefs represented more than 9,800 units.
The seminar was led by CIA chef-instructor Bill Briwa and guest chef Leif Benson, C.E.C. , and A.A.C. attendees included executive chefs from leading multi-unit foodservice and retail operations, including Brinker International, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Panda Restaurant Group, Aramark and Safeway. During the two-day seminar, the chefs learned about global potato nutrition and participated in hands-on culinary sessions. John Halverson, a fourth-generation grower from Arbyrd, Mo., and member of Black Gold Farms, answered questions about potato farming and the various potato types. He is also the USPB board member representing Missouri.
“In my business, we use a lot of potatoes, especially fresh potatoes,” said Scott Zahren, director of culinary development at Aramark. “I’ve learned a lot about dehydrated potatoes, and I think using them as fillings and stuffings on my menu could really work for my operation.”
Farrokh Larijani, senior innovation chef at Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, was especially interested in fresh and frozen potatoes. “I used fresh and frozen items during the seminar, and I used them very proudly. I could certainly see adding more of them to my menu.”
“The annual seminar is the cornerstone in our work to drive menu innovation and demonstrate potatoes’ selling power on menus,” said Susan Weller, global foodservice marketing manager at the USPB. “It’s thrilling to see our chef attendees discover and get excited about the possibilities potatoes bring to menus, and to watch them create flavorful, healthy potato dishes,”
For more information and to see photos from The Global Potato innovation seminar, click here.