Part of my role with the Buy California Marketing Agreement is to find foodservice industry partners who want to promote California-grown specialty crop ingredients on their menus or promote menu items that contain at least 50% (by weight) California specialty crop ingredients. When I tell operators, “I have federal specialty crop grant money to share with you,” most of them are eager to hear more.
PROMOTING PRODUCE
My first CA Grown foodservice partnership agreement was with Black Angus Steakhouse, a California-based chain that operates 32 restaurants across five states.
Their spring 2023 menu promotion featured a CA Grown Fire-Grilled Artichoke with House-made Lemon Aioli and Basil Pesto Mayo. The promotion was so popular, they extended the limited-time offer by six weeks, doubling the time their customers saw the CA Grown logo and had the opportunity to enjoy the appetizer. This promotion went so well they committed to a spring 2024 promotion featuring three menu items, CA Grown Fire-Grilled Artichokes, CA Grown Grilled Asparagus, and a dessert featuring CA Grown Strawberries.
SCHOOL DISTRICT SUPPORTS LOCAL
My attendance at the 2023 International Fresh Produce Association Foodservice Conference allowed me to meet Eric Span, director of nutrition for the Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) in San Diego County.
The bottom line is this is very gratifying work for me. It shows me how much enthusiasm there is for produce on menus.
The school has placed large CA Grown What’s In Season? posters, in both English and Spanish, in every cafeteria in the district. This district’s commitment to the California Farm to School program created an opportunity for CA Grown to wrap its produce delivery van with images of California-grown specialty crop ingredients and menu items made with them at SUHSD schools.
That beautifully wrapped van is driving throughout San Diego County, transporting produce throughout the district, including delivering Fruit of the Month purchases that allow students to try persimmons, finger limes, blood oranges, Barhi dates and more.
SEASONAL MENU ITEMS
Bella Bru is a café, bakery, and catering operation in Sacramento. The owners were excited to have a new way to highlight their support for local farms, and throughout 2024, they have featured multiple CA Grown menu items on their seasonally inspired menus, as well as on their website, and through social media posts.
Their biggest challenge was ensuring they were truly getting California-grown items from their produce distributor. Heavy winter rains impacted availability of crops they were hoping to include in menu promotions, but they were flexible.
PROMOTING SALADS IN SCHOOLS
Working with chefs to create grant-compliant menu items can be challenging, but working with the culinary team from Sodexo Education was easy. Their chefs are used to adhering to U.S. Department of Agriculture School Meals regulations, but ensuring all ingredients be sourced from California adds more complexity.
After identifying potential ingredients, Sodexo chefs worked with procurement partners to ensure California sourcing. They created five CA Grown salads, including a Cal-Mex Salad and Mediterranean Market Salad that would be grant-compliant at any time of the year, and three seasonal salads for fall, winter and spring. All the salads include a base of leafy greens topped with culturally or seasonally relevant fruits and vegetables.
The Sodexo culinary team developed the recipes during the summer of 2023. Its marketing department developed the training and marketing materials that fall, and a pilot program was launched in April 2024 in 93 school sites across Northern California. The Sodexo team was pleased with the results, and they have expressed interest in doing more work in California to promote locally sourced specialty crops for school nutrition programs.
MOVING FORWARD
As I move forward with this initiative, I know I will need to spend more time ensuring companies and their produce distributors can source from California. Grant funding can help offset price differences for domestic versus foreign production in some cases, while in other instances, the grant funding can cover the cost of printing new menus, social media and other promotional costs.
The bottom line is this is very gratifying work for me. It shows me how much enthusiasm there is for produce on menus. I get to work with foodservice colleagues, learning about their unique challenges and opportunities. And I get to support California farmers with federal grant dollars, which, for a tax-paying Californian, is very satisfying!
Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND is a farmer’s daughter from North Dakota, award-winning dietitian, culinary nutrition expert, and founder and president of Farmer’s Daughter Consulting, Inc. She is the retail nutrition marketing and foodservice partnership specialist for the Buy California Marketing Agreement/CA GROWN, a member of the Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture AgriLife External Advisory Board, a member of the Bayer Vegetable Seeds Horticultural Advisory Council, and co-author of Cooking á la Heart, a 500-recipe cookbook based on plant-forward eating cultures from around the world. You can learn more about her business at farmersdaughterconsulting.com and follow her insights on food and flavor on social media @alaheartamy.
