Sweet potatoes gain ground in foodservice
Not too long ago, sweet potatoes were a relative rarity in restaurants.
That’s not the case today.
“Over the past decade, the amount of restaurants that serve a sweet potato — whether it’s fresh or frozen — is unbelievable,” said Matt Garber, partner in Garber Farms, Iota, La.
Besides sweet potato fries, some restaurants serve sweet potatoes with steak, he said, while others serve a puree or mashed sweet potatoes.
“Chefs do everything with these things,” Garber said.
“I think the use of sweet potatoes in more dishes will grow because of the healthy aspects of it and the great color it puts on the plate,” he said.
“Foodservice is definitely catching on to the use of sweet potatoes,” said Eric Beck, marketing director for Wada Farms Marketing Group LLC, Idaho Falls, Idaho.
“We’re seeing more interest among our foodservice customers who bring them in and incorporate them into their menus.”
Viral potatoes
Beck attributes much of the popularity of sweet potatoes to “the social media craze that made sweet potatoes kind of go viral.”
He cited offerings such as sweet potato noodles, sweet potato pancakes, fresh-cuts, such as sweet potato fries, and even sweet potato toast, which he has spotted in “some higher-end, holistic-type venues.”
The health benefits as well as the taste of sweet potatoes have attracted consumers, he said.
About 65% of the business at Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co., Chadbourn, N.C., is with foodservice customers, owner George Wooten Jr. said.
The company launched its Sweet Potato Petitlings — small, fingerling-size potatoes — a few years ago, and now plans to introduce them at retail, Wooten said.
While a growing number of foodservice establishments have added sweet potato fries, they haven’t been picked up by national chains yet, he said.
One reason is that they would require a separate fryer, which would be an operational challenge, he said.
But Wooten said he’s confident that restaurants will continue to offer more sweet potato options.
