On Monday, July 16, the USPB hosted some of the biggest names in Washington, D.C., nutrition and food media at a private dinner event at one of DC's top restaurants, Ardeo+Bardeo. Dinner attendees included:
Bonnie Benwick, Food Editor, The Washington Post;
Eliza Barclay, Producer for National Public Radio (NPR);
Dan Charles, Food & Agriculture Correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR);
Kimberly Reed, Executive Director of International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC);
Katherine Tallmadge, MA, RD, nationally recognized nutrition/weight loss expert, frequent contributor to US News & World Report and The Washington Post;
Monica Reinagel, MS, LDN, NutritionDiva.com, HuffingtonPost.com;
Diane Welland, MS, RD, Food & Nutrition Writer for Clean Living magazine, book author;
Gail Frank, D.Ph., RD, Professor of Nutrition, California State University Long Beach, National Media Spokesperson, Former AND Spokesperson;
Melinda Contreras, Capital Cooking with Lauren DeSantis(TV show and blog).
The evening began with Meredith Myers, Public Relations Manager for the USPB, and Dr. Katherine Beals, Nutrition Consultant to the USPB, acting as spokespeople for a (taped) interview for National Public Radio. Correspondent Dan Charles and Producer Eliza Barclay did not shy away from some tough potato nutrition questions, which both potato spokespeople answered with ease. NPR also sent a photographer who snapped photos of the potato dishes throughout the evening for a story slated to run on NPR's food blog "The Salt."
As dinner began, Myers and Beals provided a brief overview background on the USPB and the nutrition research program, which segued into a robust evening of conversation lasting throughout the meal. Executive Chef Nate Garyantes prepared an exquisite five-course meal which included many of the seven unique potato types in various forms, from a Smoked White Potato Mouse to a Creamy Russet Potato Cake as the base of a fish entrée to a Potato Split for dessert.
The USPB looks forward to the pending coverage on NPR and additional results stemming from the event, including a potential story in US News & World Report.