Fresh Cut Magazine

Fresh Focus: How Local Foods are Defining a Town

Last month in Fresh Cut magazine, Edith wrote about several aspects of local foods. Since then, we have had several calls asking for some more information. This month, I will look at how local foods are being used to market – and define – Asheville, N.C. It’s not officially a trend anymore. It is a reality. Local foods are driving foodies to eat out – even in a down economy. Don’t believe me? Ask your own local chef-owners. The other day I met a woman, Erin, who trained to be a chef at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. We had a wonderful three-hour talk about the CIA, local foods and fresh-cut produce. Last June, Edith and I had a terrific dinner at one of the CIA’s five on-campus restaurants. The American Bounty was exactly what you would think. Fresh, local and purely…  » Read more

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Las Vegas distributor and processor grows into modern, upscale plant

Step inside the new lobby of Las Vegas-based Get Fresh Sales Inc., and you might think you’ve stepped into a trendy club. A polished concrete floor, concrete reception desk, hip furniture and stainless steel and glass give off a classy, upscale vibe. That impression was intentional because impact is important in a flashy town like Vegas, so the plant needed a “wow” factor, said Barbara Hulick, director of operations for Fresh Cuts LLC, a sister company to Get Fresh Sales housed in the new building. Fresh Cuts, and Get Fresh Sales, service foodservice customers in the Las Vegas area, and that means casinos. The owners Dominic Caldara, Scott Goldberg and John Wise wanted to bring customers in to see the new distribution and processing facility, so the interior design had to be impressive. It doesn’t stop in the lobby – even the receiving area in the…  » Read more

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Fuel prices, regulations make shipping tough on processors

Rising diesel fuel prices are driving trucking companies out of business and raising rates with additional fuel surcharges. But the trucking and produce industries are working with the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies to help growers and processors get their produce from the field and eventually to consumers. Fuel Consumption Passenger cars and trucks consume the most fuel in the United States – 64 percent, according to the Department of Energy. The trucking industry is second, consuming about 19 percent, but all diesel fuel. Airlines use 10 percent of the fuel consumed in the United States, and buses, railroad and water transport use a combined 7 percent. Worldwide consumption of petroleum is expected to increase by 1.2 million barrels a day, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration. About one-third of that increase in fuel will be used by China, with Russia, Brazil and…  » Read more

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