"I attended a two-day intensive seminar at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City recently," Fred Recchiuti, general manager of Basciani Mushroom Farms in Avondale, PA, told The Produce News July 6. “Some of the feedback I got from the chefs who were in attendance was that Portabella mushrooms are almost too big today. It was mentioned that it's too bad that a petite Portabella — one that could be eaten in just a few bites — wasn’t available that could fit onto a slider.”

West Pak Avocado Inc. in Temecula, CA, has exhibited at the Produce Marketing Association's foodservice expo in Monterey, CA, "for several years already" and will be there again this year, according to Doug Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing.

“This year we will have a new booth design that we will be rolling out” with updated graphics and new display units to showcase the company’s fruit. The messaging for the exhibit is built around “our customized preconditioning program,” Mr. Meyer said.

Rejuvenating business is the theme of Produce Marketing Association's 2010 Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, and the opening session keynote speaker has proven that he knows how.

A.G. Lafley, former chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Procter & Gamble, turned the global company around after taking over in 2000, doubling its sales and more than doubling its portfolio of billion-dollar brands. Mr. Lafley will explain how he did it during the convention opening general session on Friday, Oct. 15.

Prime Time Sales LLC, the exclusive sales representative for Prime Time International in Coachella, CA, is a long-time exhibitor at the Produce Marketing Association's foodservice expo, to be held this year Aug. 1 in Monterey, CA. But for Mike Aiton, who joined the company in November 2009 as marketing manager after 22 years with King Soopers and 18 years with Sun World International, this will be his first time at the show representing Prime Time.

The Idaho Potato Commission in Eagle, ID, which has been exhibiting at the Produce Marketing Association's foodservice expo for "at least the 21 years" that Don Odiorne has been with the commission, will be there again this year at the Aug. 1 expo in Monterey, CA.

“What we are featuring at the booth is a mini-version of what we did at the National Restaurant [Association] Show,” said Mr. Odiorne, the commission’s vice president of foodservice. At the NRA show, which was held May 21-24 in Chicago, “we introduced a new web site that is targeted towards a younger audience.”

PHILADELPHIA -- "Dredging is underway as we speak," said Robert Blackburn, the senior deputy executive director of the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, based in Philadelphia.

On June 22, he spoke of work by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deepen the Delaware River channel to 45 feet. The port authority had a leading role in deepening the channel. This concept eventually overcame resistance from environmentalists and some political sectors in New Jersey and Delaware, which also face the river.