Mahler: “We have chefs asking us if they can come;if they can bring more than one person from their restaurant chain. We are really excited about that because the chefs are asking us if they are able to come. That tells us that they are really excited and we are giving them something that is very special to them.”
The seminar ran for two days.
Mahler: “That included some presentations on U.S. potatoes, U.S. potato varieties, storage and handling. And then the chefs were also able to learn about food trends and U.S. potato nutrition. After the presentations the chefs were also able to get their hands dirty and use some U.S. potatoes in several different types of dishes.”
The Potato Board will do promotions with chefs who introduce new U.S. potato items on their menus. And Mahler says nearly every chef who participated in past seminars has done so.
Maher: “So we really have seen a great amount of success of this and have increased U.S. potato sales because of our International Chef Seminar.”