Representatives from To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms Inc., in Avondale, PA, enjoyed tremendous success at Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Exposition in Monterey, CA, in July.

Paul Frederic, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the company, told The Produce News that the response to its new Simply Sautee item was outstanding.

To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms’ eight-ounce Portabella Sliders.“Simply Sautee is a fully prepared white mushroom product that has a six-month refrigerated shelf life,” said Mr. Frederic. “The restaurant operator merely heats and serves the product. The mushrooms are sliced and sautéed in a proprietary garlic, butter and flavoring system.”

Mr. Frederic explained that Simply Sautee is perfect for topping hamburgers, but by just adding a splash of wine or steak sauce you can provide the finishing touch to a fine steak or a chicken breast, and it even makes a terrific sauce for pasta.

“The benefits to operators, besides the outstanding flavor and extended shelf life of Simply Sautee, include reducing labor from the back of the house,” Mr. Frederic pointed out. “This is a significant concern for companies today. And for chain operations, the product is consistent across all units regardless of where in the country they are located, where with fresh mushrooms consistency is dependent on the area the restaurants are located.”

Mr. Frederic was also excitedly enthusiastic about the Mushroom Council’s Swapability meat-mushroom taco recipe winning first place in the winning the kids’ and adults’ choice in the Chef Demo Challenge at the PMA Foodservice expo. The taco was cooked by Culinary Institute of America’s Chef Doug Goettsch. The recipe called for “swapping out” 50 percent of the ground beef with 50 percent ground mushrooms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new Choose My Plate dietary guidelines call for the largest portion of the plate to consist of fruits and vegetables.

“But that proved difficult to accomplish, especially at the school level because kids simply will avoid vegetables,” said Mr. Frederic. “The Mushroom Council’s efforts such as creating this taco recipe, puts an extra portion of vegetables in a meal. Kids don’t even notice the difference, and the mushroom actually add flavor to the dish. This winning recipe was truly an industry accomplishment.”

He also noted that with the cost of meat, dairy and poultry proteins so expensive today, that “swapping” a portion with a protein extender like mushrooms can also have a tremendous money saving aspect for foodservice operations and consumers alike.

“Add these benefits to the high nutritional value of mushrooms, and you have a winning combination,” said Mr. Frederic. “To-Jo is capitalizing on every one of these benefits, and we see only continued strong growth in the future.”

For foodservice and industrial processing use, To-Jo has developed a proprietary process which makes the concept of Swapability very easy. Because the mushrooms are washed, chopped and precooked, there is no weeping or moisture release when the product is used.

“This product can be used in any number of applications,” Mr. Frederic added. “We offer industrial size packs for the customers in these categories.”

On the retail front, To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms is wrapping up some strong promotions that had great results.

“We found that the demand for Portabellas was particularly good,” said Mr. Frederic. “We offered a new slider pack of six small Portabella caps in an eight-ounce retail pack. Each cap is two-and-a-half to three inches — a perfect size for sliders. Consumers can marinate them, throw them on the grill, top them with roasted peppers, a slice of cheese of any number of other products, and put them on a slider bun.”

He added that Portabella sliders make a great appetizer, or served a few on a plate, are a perfect entrée.

To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms plans to again participate in the Pink promotion. The fund-raising campaign is organized by the Mushroom Council. Mushrooms sold in pink containers from mid-September to mid-November help to support breast cancer research at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, CA.

“We have participated every year, and every year we are more successful,” said Mr. Frederic. “We look forward to another outstanding campaign this year.”