FreshPoint

Fresh Things Video: Using Sea Beans

Hi I’m Chef Dan with FreshPoint, and I often get asked how to use sea beans.   I like ’em raw, thrown in a salad, or even as a garnish. It adds a bright crunchy texture with a vibrant salty flavor. They get their name legitimately It does taste of  salt water and of the sea. More...

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Produce 101: Cruciferous Vegetables

Produce 101: Cruciferous Vegetables Here, Dan talks about cruciferous vegetables–a vast category, also known as Brassica. Here’s the basics you need to know to get started. History Cruciferous, or brassica, vegetables are an amazingly diverse group of vegetables, ranging from stalky items such as broccoli, to leafy greens such as arugula and even root vegetables...

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Why Local Farmers Need You

When you look at a restaurant menu, one word jumps off the page repeatedly— local. The local movement is supported by every generation from Baby Boomers to Generation Z. Regardless of the size of your company, local is important to consumers and they want to see it on your menu. Nothing Beats the Taste of...

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The Benefit of Developing Leaders from Within

Why work on developing leaders from within?  Without a doubt, the most fulfilling part of my job at FreshPoint is coordinating our Leadership Development program. I feel that it is an obligation of top management in our company to grow leaders at all levels of our organization. A Structured Program At FreshPoint, we have developed...

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Produce 101: Asparagus

Produce 101: Asparagus Dan spearheads a discussion on asparagus in this edition of our series, Produce 101. Asparagus History Asparagus is a true harbinger of spring, though these days, it is available year-round. Related to the onion, this member of the lily family has been grown for thousands of years, in fact, we have historical...

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The Art of Culinary Cocktails and Mixology

mixology noun mix·​ol·​o·​gy | \mik-ˈsä-lə-jē  \ Definition of mixology  : the art or skill of preparing mixed drinks Culinary Cocktails Mixology and craft cocktails are currently two of the hottest trends in the restaurant industry. The bar is being treated as an additional kitchen, and mixologists are viewing cocktails as culinary menu items. Focus is being placed on seasonal offerings and...

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The Significant Cost Benefits of Natural Brand

Several years ago, I was on a customer call with a sales associate. The customer asked us for our price on 24ct iceberg head lettuce. When the marketing associate quoted the current price, the customer said that our price was about 20% too high.

We both walked away from the call perplexed and wondering, “How could our competitors’ price be so much better than ours when we are the leader in the industry?”

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FreshPoint Employee Donations Making a Difference this Holiday Season

“Did you know FreshPoint supports hundreds of organizations throughout North America? We give millions of pounds of produce, we participate in hundreds of fundraisers, and we are very active with charities and special causes in our communities during the year and holiday time. I feel it is very important to be involved in these causes...

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The Honeybell Orange: a sweet, but short season

When my mother was a little girl growing up in Ohio, the real treat in her Christmas stocking was not the peppermint candy canes, but rather, an orange.  Land-locked Ohio was so far, far away from the swampy Indian River of Florida where she would one day move, that this edible gift was exotic and...

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2019 Culinary Trends: What Our Experts are Talking About

Our experts are pretty passionate about produce. Here’s what they have to say on a few 2019 Culinary Trends they are reading about, eating, and seeing in the industry. Targeting Specific Diets Lisa Pettineo, Digital Marketing Manager The healthy eating trend has been around for years. Like Dan says below, the momentum of whole food,...

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Fresh Things Video: The Difference Between a Mandarin and an Orange

Hi, I’m Chef Dan, and one of the questions I get asked all the time is: “What is the difference between a Mandarin and an orange?” Well, there’s a few differences They’re both in the citrus family, and they both have that wonderful bright slightly acidic sweetness. Mandarins are smaller than regular oranges. Typically much...

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Root Vegetables and Tubers

Root Vegetables and Tubers: A Brief History Before the widespread domestication of plants, our earliest ancestors foraged for wild root crops, like carrot and beets. Later cultivated, these underground riches included nutrient-dense root vegetables and tubers with limitless culinary uses.  Now a common food staple, these nourishing veggies became fundamental ingredients of regional cuisine across...

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Fresh Things: How to Cook a Chestnut

Hi, I’m Francy Deskin with FreshPoint and today we’re going to talk about how to cook a chestnut. The best way to cook a chestnut is just like the holiday song would imply, roasting them over an open fire. Don’t have one of those? No problem…pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees then  you’re gonna take...

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Why are Black Winter Truffles so expensive?

*Editor’s Note: Black Winter Truffles are a luxurious addition to winter menus, and we want everyone to get the best possible quality, so a special order is required.  Please contact your account representative if you want to serve Black Truffles. Definitely not chocolate… Often confused with the other black truffles such as Summer and Chinese...

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Why Clementines are Mandarins, but not all Mandarins are Clementines…

Clementines vs. Mandarins… When it comes to Clementines vs. Mandarins, the Mandarin is the master orange of the family, and Clementines, tangerines, and satsumas all fall under this umbrella. Referred to as mandarins because they are thought to have originated in China, and as they passed through the trade route across Africa (Tangier in particular,) they...

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FreshPoint Oklahoma’s K.C. Ely Appointed to USDA Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee

November 13, 2018 OKLAHOMA CITY – The Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee (FVIAC) recently announced the appointment of 25 members to their organization – with one of them being FreshPoint Oklahmona‘s very own K.C. Ely, Food Safety Manager. The newly-appointed members, which can be viewed here, will serve terms of up to two years, beginning immediately and ending in 2020. Originally...

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Fresh Things: What Do You Use a Shallot For?

You may have seen shallots in the kitchens before on all the cooking shows and you may wonder, “What do you use a shallot for?” What do you use a shallot for? Well, traditionally, it’s always been used like garlic, as the base of certain ingredients. Classically, in French cuisine, the sauce beurre blanc always...

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Fresh Things Video: What is an Heirloom Apple?

You may be wondering, what is an heirloom apple? While there is no true consensus on what defines an heirloom apple, most botanist and food scientists tend to agree that any variety released from 1945 or earlier qualifies as an heirloom. You may wonder why 1945? There’s a watershed moment in history, World War II...

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Why Mashed Rutabaga Should be on your Thanksgiving Menu

Potatoes are great. Mashed potatoes are even better. But there’s more to mash than the potato. You can mash sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or cauliflower…however, there’s one underutilized root veggie that I’d like to call attention to: the rutabaga. Ok, your nose just wrinkled. Rutabaga? You bet. They make an incredible mash. I took over...

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What’s the difference between a shallot and an onion? 

What’s the difference between a shallot and an onion? Just ask my first restaurant chef when I graduated from The Culinary Institute of America.  He’d be happy to share the difference with you, just as he did me that fine day so early in my chef career when I used shallots instead of red onions...

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