NEW YORK -- The strong presence of produce professionals at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, held here March 4-6 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, was a clear indication of the importance of the restaurant category to the industry. Fresh produce distributors, importers, producers and marketers increasingly recognize the need to maintain a strong promotional hold on the foodservice industry.

In Miami, real estate developers say the location of a Whole Foods supermarket on the ground floor of the 74-story Met 3 condo tower helped drive sales. In San Francisco, Bristol Farms' first entry in that eclectic market is its the basement store in a high-rise shopping mall. Twin condominium buildings towering 20 stories near downtown Atlanta opened last year with a Publix supermarket anchoring the ground-floor retail space.

Dan Spain, whose produce industry experience includes 20 years with Vons Supermarkets, was recently named vice president of sales and marketing for Kingsburg Orchards in Kingsburg, CA.

In an interview with The Produce News, Mr. Spain said that "there is a story to be told" to the trade about Kingsburg Orchards that largely has to do with the special varieties, many of them proprietary, that the company offers. Mr. Spain said that he plans to "get out in front of customers" to tell them about "what proprietary new products we have going on."

Spinach growers in and around the Salinas Valley are preparing to harvest their crops again. While some are a little wiser, all are battle-tested after the E. coli outbreak last fall that implicated fresh spinach.

Salinas, CA-based NewStar Fresh Foods LLC's spinach plantings are on a par with last year's plantings, and the company will begin harvesting in a few weeks. NewStar was not implicated in the E. coli outbreak, but like every operator in fresh spinach took a sizable hit in the fallout.

FRESNO, CA -- Crown Jewels Marketing & Distribution, here, has hired Lance Shebelut, a partner in Madera, CA-based Dell Shebelut Farms, to head grower relations and help expand the company's production base.

"Lance is a great asset to the company," John Hein, vice president of sales and marketing and a partner in the company, said in announcing the new hire.

PLEASANTON, CA -- The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held its first-ever Northern California Expo March 6, here, at the Alameda Fair Grounds.

FPFC President Linda Stine said that the expo was developed by the council's Northern California committee and was a natural progression of the expansion that the FPFC began several years ago.

Since 2002, the council has been holding regular events in Northern California, including two membership luncheon meetings per year as well as an annual golf tournament and produce tour.