National Mango Board takes on foodservice in 2008
National Mango Board takes on foodservice in 2008
The National Mango Board in Orlando, FL, strives to affect the foodservice arena and provide restaurants with the tools they need to create excellent mango dishes. This year, the board organized a day with Chef Allen (The Mango Man) Susser for Sodexho and The Cheesecake Factory. The board will also be partnering with Sodexho in the spring and summer of 2009. It will wrap up the year by participating at the International Foodservice Editorial Council conference and updating the foodservice section of Mango.org.
"It's important for us to place mango versatility front and center in the foodservice industry and provide its members with innovative ways to incorporate mangos into their menus," Wendy McManus, director of marketing for the National Mango Board, said in a press release. "The foodservice industry has a tremendous impact in shaping what consumers eat [while they are] out, which influences what they cook at home. That's why it's so important for us to invest in effective programs in this industry."
The National Mango Board and Chef Susser hosted four top-level chefs from Sodexho and The Cheesecake Factory for a daylong workshop that provided an opportunity for them to get some quality hands-on experience with mangos. Chef Susser demonstrated 17 recipes that showcased the versatility of mangos in popular dishes such as green mango slaw and mango Cuban barbecue sauce.
To show the fruit's flexibility, a mango rum marinade was used to flavor entrees, and Chef Susser demonstrated how to incorporate warm grilled mango into different dishes. Sodexho attended an NMB co-sponsored dinner at Produce First!, where the firm initially thought there were too many obstacles to using fresh mangos on its menus, even though they are a desirable ingredient.
Now Sodexho looks forward to working with mangos in 2009. The company and the board are now working together on a limited-time-offer 2009 spring-summer promotion that will include NMB branding and fresh mango menu items created by Sodexho and served in more than 1,200 Sodexho managed locations.
The board also participated in the International Foodservice Editorial Council conference for the third year in a row Nov. 3-6 in Cleveland, playing an integral role throughout the conference. During the event, the board sponsored the Chef Showcase featuring chefs from around the area, and it co-hosted an editor's dinner at the Market Caf? & Wine Bar. The conference's silent auction also featured a box of mangos and a copy of Chef Susser's The Great Mango Book. Finally, the board participated in office hours with editors, where its representatives met with more than 18 foodservice publication editors to discuss how mangos can be incorporated into their 2009 editorial content.
In addition to creating and participating in these programs and events, the board has also updated mango.org to include a more extensive foodservice section. A detailed area dedicated to the selection, ripening and storage of mangos was designed to educate foodservice professionals on the three levels of ripeness -- unripe (green), ripe and fully ripe -- and how those flavors affect certain dishes.
The site includes information on best practices and expectations as they relate to average fruit yield per mango and a simplified recipe section that includes recipes with mangos of all ripeness levels.
The board's efforts this year have been nothing short of successful by taking a well-rounded approach to incorporating mangos into the foodservice arena. With solid relationships with members of the foodservice industry in place (both in and out of the kitchen), a firm position at key foodservice events and a more comprehensive foodservice section on mango.org, the board looks forward to a solid finish to its 2008 foodservice outreach and a promising 2009 lineup.
"It's important for us to place mango versatility front and center in the foodservice industry and provide its members with innovative ways to incorporate mangos into their menus," Wendy McManus, director of marketing for the National Mango Board, said in a press release. "The foodservice industry has a tremendous impact in shaping what consumers eat [while they are] out, which influences what they cook at home. That's why it's so important for us to invest in effective programs in this industry."
The National Mango Board and Chef Susser hosted four top-level chefs from Sodexho and The Cheesecake Factory for a daylong workshop that provided an opportunity for them to get some quality hands-on experience with mangos. Chef Susser demonstrated 17 recipes that showcased the versatility of mangos in popular dishes such as green mango slaw and mango Cuban barbecue sauce.
To show the fruit's flexibility, a mango rum marinade was used to flavor entrees, and Chef Susser demonstrated how to incorporate warm grilled mango into different dishes. Sodexho attended an NMB co-sponsored dinner at Produce First!, where the firm initially thought there were too many obstacles to using fresh mangos on its menus, even though they are a desirable ingredient.
Now Sodexho looks forward to working with mangos in 2009. The company and the board are now working together on a limited-time-offer 2009 spring-summer promotion that will include NMB branding and fresh mango menu items created by Sodexho and served in more than 1,200 Sodexho managed locations.
The board also participated in the International Foodservice Editorial Council conference for the third year in a row Nov. 3-6 in Cleveland, playing an integral role throughout the conference. During the event, the board sponsored the Chef Showcase featuring chefs from around the area, and it co-hosted an editor's dinner at the Market Caf? & Wine Bar. The conference's silent auction also featured a box of mangos and a copy of Chef Susser's The Great Mango Book. Finally, the board participated in office hours with editors, where its representatives met with more than 18 foodservice publication editors to discuss how mangos can be incorporated into their 2009 editorial content.
In addition to creating and participating in these programs and events, the board has also updated mango.org to include a more extensive foodservice section. A detailed area dedicated to the selection, ripening and storage of mangos was designed to educate foodservice professionals on the three levels of ripeness -- unripe (green), ripe and fully ripe -- and how those flavors affect certain dishes.
The site includes information on best practices and expectations as they relate to average fruit yield per mango and a simplified recipe section that includes recipes with mangos of all ripeness levels.
The board's efforts this year have been nothing short of successful by taking a well-rounded approach to incorporating mangos into the foodservice arena. With solid relationships with members of the foodservice industry in place (both in and out of the kitchen), a firm position at key foodservice events and a more comprehensive foodservice section on mango.org, the board looks forward to a solid finish to its 2008 foodservice outreach and a promising 2009 lineup.
