What the milestone PMA Foodservice show was like, in-person

MONTEREY, CALIF. — While seagulls cooed and squawked atop the Spanish-tiled roofs and palm leaves fluttered in the Pacific breeze, produce professionals streamed inside the Monterey Conference Center for the 40th anniversary Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Expo.

“Welcome Back” in a font resembling the Friends TV show greeted attendees above entrance doors.

Almost 30% of registered attendees were from buyer companies, said PMA CEO Cathy Burns. The new Hosted Buyers Program helped that percentage, inspiring industry members to contribute to bring buyer companies to Monterey that may not be able to attend otherwise. About 12 buyer companies attended through the program.

On July 21, some show attendees volunteered with PMA partner Brighter Bites to pack and deliver 5,600 pounds of groceries to more than 150 families. The nonprofit group adds recipes and practical ideas on how to use fresh ingredients in meals, work that’s shown to create long-term habits and use of fruits and vegetables in participating families’ diets.

That evening, professionals flocked to the the official conference kickoff, the Center for Growing Talent Happy Hour and a Half.

“It was packed. People just really want to get together,” Burns said the next morning at the conference networking breakfast, which offered martini glasses filled with watermelon cubes over yogurt and whipped avocado, along with vegetable frittatas, berry-topped pancakes and baked goods.

Moments later, the General Session began, featuring Lauren M. Scott, PMA’s chief strategy and membership officer. But before she spoke and instigated peer-to-peer chats about foodservice challenges and innovations, foodservice committee co-chairs Evan Nash of Johnson and Wales University and Nichole Towell of Duda Fresh Farms were recognized.

And Steve Grinstead, CEO of FreshEdge, introduced the 2021 United Fresh Excellence in Foodservice winners, many attending in person:

• Business in Industry: Chef Stephen Palm, director of culinary at Lifeworks Restaurant Group, Beaverton, Ore.;
• Casual & Family Dining Restaurants: Chef Sachia Tinsley, chef-owner at Peyrassol Café at Southport, Renton, Wash.;
• Colleges and Universities: Chef Darren Lewis, executive Chef of dining services at Quest Food Management Services at University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Ind.;
• Fine Dining Restaurants: Chef Kyle Patrick Hash, executive chef of 28 North Gastropub, Melbourne, Fla.;
• Hospitals and Healthcare: Chef Samantha Moore, head chef at Goshen Health, Goshen, Ind.;
• Hotels and Resorts: Chef Kristin Butterworth, executive chef of restaurants at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, Farmington, Pa.;
• K-12 School Foodservice: Lauren Couchois, culinary specialist at Greenville County School District, Greenville, S.C.;
• Quick-service Restaurants: Chef Matt Colgan, culinary director of MIXT, San Francisco; and
• Supermarkets and Retail Operators: Sarah Griswold, prepared foods manager at Green Zebra Grocery, Portland, Ore.

Several nutrition directors from school districts in the surrounding region attended the conference for the first time, a benefit of PMA’s emerging partnership with United Fresh Produce Association.

Schools are a large untapped foodservice customer base for many companies, said Micha James, director of nutrition services for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District.

“At the end of the day, we’re your largest restaurants, and we have a captive audience, and we have our own trucks and can come pick up the produce,” James said.

Companies can gain this business if they can offer ½ cup packaged, fresh-cut produce in one or more of the five categories schools are required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to feed students weekly.

Some expo booths inspired more buzz than others.

Craig Dobler, co-owner of Field Fresh Farms, Watsonville, Calif., sought feedback from foodservice buyers for the new organic baby hemp greens his company is launching. The hemp has undetectable levels of THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that inspires recreational use. This culinary hemp’s flavor changes depending on growing conditions, but the batch Dobler displayed tasted a bit neutral with a hint of citrus.

“We’re still figuring out pack sizes and pricing. It’s pretty new to us. We want to see what corporate chefs want,” Dobler said.

Chef Shaun O’Neale — owner and executive chef of Larrea, Las Vegas, winner of MasterChef Season 7 on FOX, and author of the My Modern American Table cookbook — chose the expo winners:

• Best of Show: Driscoll’s;
• Best of Show Runner Up: The Salad Farm; and
• Best Product Promo: Rijk Zwaan for its tender stem kale.

O’Neale also demonstrated his garlic and mushroom risotto dish with microgreens, served up to the crowd at the closing reception indoors and outside at Barns at Cooper Molera, where a live music duo played. Delicacies on trays — such as pickled watermelon, strawberry caprese toasts and tomato soup in espresso cups under grilled cheese triangles — circled among jubilant attendees.