What's On Karen's Plate

Which one is a sweet potato?

2012-05-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was in my local Ralphs produce department, picking up my fresh fruits and veggies for the week, when I overheard someone ask, “Which one is a sweet potato?”

Here is the photo of what they were looking at:

As you can see, there are two kinds of sweet potatoes: one with dark pink skin (on the left) and one with blond skin (on the right).

So, what’s the difference?

It turns out that there are more than 6,500 different varieties of sweet potatoes around the world! The skin can range from dark red to light pink to blond to brown. The flesh can be dark orange to a pale yellow to almost white. There are even varieties that are purple inside and out! Sweet potatoes are produced in dozens of states, including North Carolina, Mississippi and California. But, all are from the same plant that belongs to the family Convolvulaceae. Click here to find out more about the different varieties.

Doug, my brother-in-law, is quite the sweet potato aficionado but has recently complained that his favorite variety, the Garnet Yam, is no longer grown commercially. He loves the sweet and creamy flavor and is frustrated that many farmers are growing varieties that are not as flavorful.

If you purchase sweet potatoes and are disappointed in the flavor, you’re probably on to something. Make a note of the variety, or ask your produce manager, so you know which sweet potatoes you prefer. You can also ask your produce manager the name of the grower and where they are grown!

If you think sweet potatoes are only for Thanksgiving, here is a recipe sent to me by my good friend Vicky. It’s from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and it's great year-round, especially for a summer potluck!

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Makes: 4 servings
Time: About 45 minutes

The red pepper dressing is tart, sweet, and spicy, with a touch of cumin. This is best served warm or at room temperature, though of course you can refrigerate and serve it up to a day later, as long as you take it out of the refrigerator beforehand to take the chill off.

4 large sweet potatoes
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and ¬ quartered
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (optional)
1/2 cup sliced scallion
1/2 cup minced fresh mint or parsley leaves
1 or 2 fresh minced chiles (jalapeño, Thai, serrano, or habanero), or to taste
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Put them on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast, turning occasionally, until crisp and brown outside and just tender inside, about 30 minutes. Remove and keep on the pan until ready to dress.

2. Make the dressing while the potatoes cook. Put the remaining 6 tablespoons oil in a blender, along with the vinegar, bell pepper, cumin, and zest if you’re using it. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Purée until smooth.

3. Toss the warm potatoes with the scallion, mint, chiles, and raisins if you’re using them. Add 1/2 cup of the dressing and toss to coat, adding more if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Source: Mark Bittman; How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Enjoy!

Karen

P.S. Did you know that sweet potatoes are technically not "yams"? Read my previous post about this.

Watermelon season is finally here!

2012-05-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

Watermelon is very popular at my house. Living with two picky eaters (husband Garry and daughter Sophia) keeps me on the lookout for ripe watermelon as they both love it.

Sophia always reminds me that watermelons only taste good when it is “peak of season,” which is late spring, early summer. Every time I buy them outside that window, we are all disappointed with the flavor.

A few weeks ago, I was eyeing the “personal-sized watermelons” from Dulcinea. Since I know the folks at Dulcinea, I am aware of the hard work they put into finding the best seed, growing areas and farmers to grow the melons. And their watermelons are ALWAYS ripe.

Dulcinea's PureHeart® Mini-Seedless Watermelons. Photo: Dulcinea Farms

I know the produce personnel at my store are great resources, so I asked one of the guys, “How do the watermelons taste?” I was so excited when he nodded and said, “Good.” But he did tell me that the cantaloupes were not sweet yet (I appreciate his honesty).

When I got home, I immediately put them in the refrigerator since watermelon seems to taste best cold. If they sit for too long on my counter, they become mushy rather than crisp.

Since these mini watermelons are easy to cut and yield the perfect amount for my three-person household, I always cut up the entire melon into 1-inch chunks and store them in a Tupperware® container. Since the watermelon is so good, it barely lasts us two days!

At Frieda’s, we are now receiving yellow watermelons! They have been around for over 40 years, and when my mom started selling them, produce buyers were in disbelief that they existed! But with all the colorful produce you can find these days, yellow watermelon isn’t so strange anymore.

Frieda's Yellow Seedless Watermelon

Yellow watermelons will be available closer to July in your upscale supermarkets. Orange watermelons won’t be available this season due to problems with the seed variety, but wouldn’t it be fun to serve all three colors of watermelon for dessert?

Remember, your produce manager is a great resource. Don’t be afraid to ask if it is “peak of season” for watermelons or any other melon.

Read my blog post for a refresher course on how to pick a good melon!

By the way, July is “National Watermelon Month” and there are Watermelon Queens crowned in many states, as well as a National Watermelon Queen. It is also the 100th birthday of the National Watermelon Association!

Katelyn Kelly, National Watermelon Queen 2012.
Photo: National Watermelon Association

And, of course, there are still watermelon seed spitting contests!

No wonder people believe that the watermelon should be the official fruit of the USA. I would vote for that!

Enjoy!

Karen

Frieda Caplan is the perfect mother for me

2012-05-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

I did not always feel that my mother, famed entrepreneur Frieda Rapoport Caplan, was the perfect mother. I found I was willing to share why I felt this way when the opportunity arose in the beginning of 2011.

Maureen Ford had called and said she was putting together a collection of more than 100 stories from successful women about things that changed their lives. She was co-authoring the book with my longtime friend, Patty De Dominic, and all proceeds would benefit the Women’s Foundation of California.

Patty is one of the first women who taught me the importance of philanthropy. In 1979, she helped set up the Women’s Foundation of California, a foundation that invests in women to strategically create an economically secure California. I donated all my honorariums from speaking events to the foundation when I first became President of Frieda’s.

After expressing their interest in including my story in their collection, I agreed and we arranged a phone interview. I had written down a few moments that I thought would be appropriate to share with their readers, but Maureen was fascinated by my struggle to accept my mother for who she was, and how I finally found a way to realize that she is the perfect mother for me.

Just last month, "Life Moments for Women" was published and I was pleasantly surprised to find my photo on the cover of the book!

And last week, Maureen emailed me to tell me that my story was featured on their blog!

You can read my story, called “A Watershed Moment."

Earlier this week, I brought the book to my CEO group where I am the only woman out of 15 entrepreneurs. I passed the book around and one of my colleagues read my two-page story. He commented that the last paragraph really rang true to him: “Accept your parents, family and friends for who they are. No one is perfect.”

As we get ready for Mother’s Day this weekend, I encourage you to accept your mother for who she is. She truly is the PERFECT mother for you!

Karen

P.S. Consider ordering a copy of the book to inspire yourself! It’s an easy read and very inspiring.

Work-Life Balance

2012-05-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

I spent the last four days in Dallas at the United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention. I was a junior in college the first time I attended a United Convention (in 1976) and I have seen a huge increase in the number of women attending and, more importantly, employed in significant roles in our industry. In 2003, I was honored to be the first woman chairman of United Fresh in 100 years.

On the last day of the convention, there was a brand new workshop called “Women in Produce: Inspiring the Next Generation.”

The panel was lead by an executive from Costco Wholesale Corporation, Heather Shavey, and included three major women leaders: Dan’l Mackey Almy, owner of DMA Solutions; Steffanie Smith, board member and former CEO of River Point Farms; and Cuban native Mayda Satomayor, CEO of Seald Sweet International.

Heather masterfully asked how each woman navigated through their careers, used mentors to grow professionally and faced challenges. The discussion ended with a question about work-life balance.

That seems to be the common question I am asked by young women getting into business: How do you balance the demands of professional growth while wanting a happy and satisfying personal life? I never seem to have the perfect answer and, frankly, it is something I struggle with on a regular basis.

Read how these four women create a work-life balance:

“Balancing my entire life is just too much. I try to take it a week at a time. This week I will be balanced in this way. Next week I will have a different strategy.” I thought this was the most brilliant approach ever: Break it down into manageable parts.

“Marry the right guy. Meaning – you need to marry someone who understands the pressures and responsibilities of a career and is supportive, understanding and is willing to help.” I agree and feel that I am so lucky to have such a supportive husband.

“Be present, wherever you are. When you are at work – be fully at work, and not feeling like you are missing things at home. And when you are at home, have no regrets about being fully present and involved with your family." I call this compartmentalizing – and I have found it to be my secret to maintaining my sanity!

When I was heading to the airport to go back home to Orange County, this panel was still top of mind. As I settled into my seat, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me.

Will, only a few years younger than me, is the managing editor of over 40 editorial offices across the country, holds 3-hour daily conference calls with all his writers AND actually edits columns for The Huffington Post! He and his wife, a graphic artist, have two teenage kids.

Of course, I brought up the workshop and he almost jumped out of his seat when he said, “Work-life balance is a challenge for men, too!” He feels both men and women struggle with the pressures that double income households face, as compared to older times when the man worked and the woman was home to take care of the children and household duties.

Will told me that it’s difficult for him and his wife to come home after a full work day and figure out who will make dinner, interact with the kids, pack lunches and do laundry. Who wants to even talk about the day they just had?

That’s when it dawned on me. Work-life balance is now a universal issue, not just a women’s issue.

If you are struggling with this, realize you cannot do it all 100% of the time, and that it’s okay to ask for help. Take a break, admit you’re human and take a few things off your plate, or you will be relegated to a stressful life that will frustrate you and those around you.

One thing not mentioned in the panel was the importance of communication with all of your partners. Whether it’s at work or at home, we all have partners and sometimes need to talk with them about our needs in the area of work-life balance.

Being Superwoman or Superman is not reality, nor is it necessary.

Fortunately, there are more and more companies who do value the importance of work-life balance. As an employee, sometimes it’s a little scary to speak up and let your boss know what your needs are. But, as demonstrated above, today’s leaders recognize that there are many ways to have work-life balance.

So, don’t be afraid to ask for it…

Karen

Who took the vegetables out of Charleston?

2012-04-27T09:19:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, Garry and I visited Charleston, South Carolina. It is a beautiful place and we were fortunate to stay at our dear friends’ townhouse on Kiawah Island.

Kiawah Island, South Carolina

As can be expected, I was on the hunt for some fabulous places to eat. One of my new favorite newsletters, John Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet, had just featured some great looking restaurants in Charleston. During our trip, we chose to eat at The Grocery, one of the featured restaurants.

I knew to expect some fantastic tasting meats – and the beef and pork dishes we ordered were to “die for.” But there was something missing. Who stole the veggies? The appetizers and first courses were sparse on fresh vegetables, so I thought maybe this was an aberration. After all, John had written that it was primarily a charcuterie.

The Kiawah Sanctuary Hotel

So, the next night, we dined at the Ocean Room at the Sanctuary Hotel, a large, Southern-inspired estate that reminds me of the Grand Floridian at Disney World in Orlando. It is magnificent to walk through. But, again, when looking at the menu, I was surprised that most of the vegetable choices were potatoes. Don’t get me wrong -- I do like potatoes, and have many friends who are potato growers, but I was looking for broccoli, beets, green beans, asparagus, carrots…or something crunchy and not starchy.

As it turns out, I had a couple of revelations during this trip to the South. We have a long way to go to change the eating habits of Southerners. Almost everything I ordered was greasy or oily. Too much butter or oil in the pan. When I asked them to hold the sauce, cook things lightly, or not use butter – I would get a strange look, as if I was un-American!

Although the top chefs from this region are famous for their high-flavor foods, I hope they will consider the health of their clientele and provide some leadership by featuring more fresh fruits and vegetables on their menus. It’s no wonder that we continue to have a serious obesity problem with many of our fellow Americans… And we aren’t getting any help when we go out to eat.

After Southern food celebrity Paula Deen announced that she had diabetes and planned to make some serious lifestyle changes, I thought we would start to see some changes in the South.

Not yet.

For fear that my Southern friends think I may be singling them out – I do need to share that earlier this week I had a dinner meeting at Wolfgang Puck’s famous SPAGO Restaurant in Beverly Hills. I was a bit disappointed that there were few vegetables served at our dinner. My friends who had steak had a few baby Brussels sprouts on their plates and I counted four baby carrots under my salmon.

I hope this is not a trend with cutting edge chefs. They seem to be cutting back on fresh vegetables instead of adding them. If you want to see more fresh veggies when you go out to eat, please join me and let chefs, restaurant owners and servers know that you want them!

Karen

Ask Karen

2012-04-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

The great thing about traveling so much is catching up on my reading during a long flight.

In the produce industry, we have many trade publications. We have newspapers like The Packer and The Produce News, and magazines like Supermarket News, Progressive Grocer and California Farmer. We even have an online video resource called AndNowUKnow.com. And I definitely get funny looks on the airplane when I am reading Valley Potato Grower Magazine, Produce Business and Fresh Cut.

When I was thumbing through a recent edition of Supermarket News, a headline caught my eye: “Consumers 'Ask Karen' About Food Safety.”

Turns out "Ask Karen" is the food safety website created in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service for consumers to ask any food safety question they may have.

If you can’t find the answer to your food safety question in their FAQs, you can email your questions and wait for a response, or you can "live chat" with an AskKaren.gov representative. They even launched a mobile site for Android phones and now have a mobile website: m.AskKaren.gov.

Surprisingly, some of the FAQs aren’t about produce. Most of them are about thawing meat, code dates versus use by dates and refrigeration.

But what a great resource to have when you need a food safety question answered. One question you may have is, "After last summer’s cantaloupe listeria outbreak in Colorado, are cantaloupes safe to consume and should I wash them before cutting and consuming?” The answer is YES, they are safe to eat and YES you should wash cantaloupes thoroughly before cutting and consuming.

Although, one thing is for sure—it won't be this Karen answering your food safety questions on AskKaren.gov!

Speaking of websites, my company just relaunched our website, Friedas.com, in celebration of our 50th anniversary! Be sure to check it out, as it is filled with recipes, photos, information, and much more.

Enjoy!

Karen

Wikinomics and Asthma Inhalers with GPS

2012-04-13T10:03:00.001-07:00

My travels this week took me to Calgary in Alberta, Canada, the home of the famous Canadian rodeo, the Calgary Stampede. I was in town for the annual Canadian Produce Marketing Association Convention, where I spent a few days with 1,500 of my closest Canadian produce friends.

As with all produce conventions, there were world class speakers and the speaker at Thursday’s lunch was no different.

His name is Anthony D. Williams, the author who wrote Wikinomics (2007) and taught us how mass collaboration was changing the way companies communicate, compete and succeed.

Macrowikinomics, his latest book, teaches us that, “in every corner of the globe, businesses, organizations, and individuals alike are using mass collaboration to revolutionize not only the way we work, but how we live, learn, create, and care for each other.”

I have not read his books yet, but I was fascinated by the examples he gave about the cultural shift in the way people are collaborating, resource sharing and solving problems at a much more rapid speed than ever thought possible.

As his first example, Anthony used the major oil spill, in which the cold waters on the ocean floor made the oil turn to sludge, halting the clean up efforts. The problem was posted on innoCentive, a global network of 300,000 scientists who help problem solve. A scientist in the cement business offered an easy solution and solved this major crisis, allowing the clean up to resume.

Have you heard about freelance service providers, like Elance and Odesk? These professional service marketplaces have more than 40 types of work listed with 1.5 million freelancers. You can negotiate with them directly and approve their work before payment.

And Flipped High School is revolutionizing education by allowing students to get lectures at home (via video) so they can do homework in the classroom. This new method, used in a Michigan high school, has significantly improved comprehension and student engagement.

But, I have to say, the idea that amazed me the most was a product developed just a few years ago called Spiroscout. Basically, it attaches a GPS device to asthma inhalers to track the frequency and location of asthma episodes! For modern medicine to have real, collaborative data about the causes and occurrences of asthma attacks is impressive and meaningful to those who have, or know anyone who has, asthma. (My daughter, Sophia, suffered from asthma when she was very young.)

As you can tell, I learned about more than produce during my latest trip. But, I did see some amazing yellow, orange, black and brown tomatoes, new flavorful apple varieties, big and little potatoes and a lot of dragon fruit. Canada is a huge melting pot of cultures with plenty of fresh produce to enjoy.

There is a lot we can learn from our northern neighbors!

Karen

Dallas vs. Chicago

2012-04-06T11:11:00.001-07:00

I’m not referring to sports teams here. I’m talking about airports, and the food choices available.

I have been spending a lot of time in airports lately, and my personal choice is to always eat fresh fruits and vegetables and gluten-free products, so I pay attention to what is offered.

When I was in Chicago's O’Hare International Airport last month, I was astounded by the healthy food options that presented themselves: cut fruits and veggies, hummus and veggies, fresh fruit juices, unsalted nuts, gluten-free snacks and fruit smoothies. Multiple kiosks in each corridor of the airport offered many healthy dining options.

Then, this past week, I spent a lot of time at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport -- thanks to the tornado activity. Although fresh salads were available in many terminals, I did not find a lot of variety when it came to just plain old fresh fruits and veggies and other healthy options. (In full disclosure, I will say that I found many displays of the basics: fresh whole apples, bananas, and oranges.)

So what is the difference between these two major hubs. Is it lifestyle? Texans are well known for their “steak and potato” propensity.

Is it the politics? Chicago is a well-known bastion of Democrats and liberals. Dallas is known to be more conservative and Republican.

Or is the airline that has the hub there driving the food choices? United Airlines in Chicago and American Airlines in Dallas.

I can tell you that as a consumer, a mom, and a fresh produce advocate, I want more fresh choices when I travel.

I feel better when I eat healthy during my plane flights. I find myself packing or purchasing fresh snacks before I board so I am not held hostage to what the airlines offer -- mostly crackers, pretzels, candies and cookies. There is not much fresh produce offered by the airlines. What happened to the small bags of carrots that United Airlines used to give out?

I hope you will all agree that offering healthy options at airports and on airplanes is a good idea. Feel free to offer your comments or special requests to all the major airlines:

JetBlue Airways
US Airways
American Airlines
United Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Southwest Airlines
Virgin America

Travel safe!

Karen

Discover Fresh Turmeric

2012-03-29T14:29:00.002-07:00

With the increasing popularity of Asian cuisine, and Indian curries in particular, you’re going to start hearing more about a spice called turmeric.

Fresh turmeric root looks like an old russeted carrot. But when you break a piece open and smell it, you experience a wonderful aromatic and spicy essence. Turmeric also has a deep orange color and was once used as a dye – it can stain your hands, too.

A cousin to fresh ginger, turmeric is native to tropical South Asia. Like ginger, turmeric is technically a rhizome, not a root, which is essentially an underground stem that looks like a root.

What’s so interesting about turmeric is that in addition to it being one of the secret ingredients in Indian curry, it also has many purported health benefits.

My sister, Jackie, shared an article with me last week about the health benefits of spices. A recent study was done on a “special blend” of spices, including: turmeric, garlic, oregano, paprika, rosemary, and ginger. Researchers found that increasing the amount of spices in your diet may lower the level of potentially harmful fat in your bloodstream.

I also found an interesting article listing 20 health benefits of turmeric.

But remember, just because you read it on the Internet does not mean it is 100% true. (Read my previous post on this.) That being said, turmeric must have some health benefits so I’ll definitely be adding it to my arsenal of spices.

If you’re looking for fresh turmeric in your produce department, you may not find it. It is pretty pricey and many retailers don’t even know the FRESH version is available!

So, if you can’t find it fresh, you will certainly be able to find it in the dried spice aisle of your grocery store. However, there really is no comparison in flavor between the two. And remember, dried spices do not last forever. If you buy DRIED turmeric, be sure to tightly seal the jar or bag and use it within a month.

Or, you could ask your produce manager to order some fresh turmeric for you!

Add some spice to your life!

Karen

Today is World Water Day!

2012-03-22T09:26:00.001-07:00

I get more than 250 emails a day. While they often overwhelm me, I eventually open them to see if they are relevant to me.

This is why subject lines are so important. When you send an email, make sure you label the subject line appropriately.

An email from the Jewish National Fund caught my attention: “Tomorrow is World Water Day - Change Begins with a Drop.”

Water is the one commodity that we all have in common. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, Mark Twain said, “"Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."

Here in California, the water supply -- or lack thereof -- has a huge effect on the viability of the produce industry. As you probably know, California’s number one industry is agriculture, and the state is the top supplier of many foods to the world (almonds for example). Well, you can’t grow food without water.

What can you do personally to conserve water, whether you live in California or elsewhere?

First thing – figure out how much water you and your family use, then find a way to consciously conserve.

The World Water Day email I received contained a fascinating “calculator” which allowed me to figure out how many gallons of water my family and I consume in a week. Frankly, it was a bit humbling to find out that my household of three uses almost 2,400 gallons of water a week! This doesn’t include the water that is used outside our home to produce the food we eat, the clothes we wear, wash our cars, etc.

Calculate your own water usage here.

For more ways you can personally conserve water, visit WaterUseItWisely.com. Their ideas are easy and user-friendly.

And for more information on what’s happening with California’s water supply, go to WaterEducation.org.

Conserving,

Karen

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet

2012-03-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I have learned this lesson many times over, and it doesn’t apply only to the Internet.

I learned that even if it’s written in a newspaper, it is not always the truth.

I learned that just because it’s on an Excel spreadsheet, it does not mean the numbers are correct. (Always verify the data and check the formulas.)

I recently received a forwarded email from several friends, and the information did not seem accurate.

The subject was, “The key to preventing moldy berries...is to wash them in vinegar.” My friends wanted to know if it was true.

So, I went straight to the source. I contacted our good friend Chuck at Driscoll’s, one of the largest strawberry growers, and asked him if it’s a good practice to wash berries in vinegar to prevent them from molding.

Chuck told me that the best way to prevent fresh berries from molding is to keep them cold! He said no amount of vinegar would substitute the good practice of maintaining the “cold chain.”

In produce industry lingo, the “cold chain” is the practice of cooling produce after harvest and keeping it at a consistently cold temperature through all the steps in transit, from trucks to warehouse to your supermarket shelves, and then on to your refrigerator at home.

So, what happens if you buy berries at a farmers market or fruit stand with no refrigeration? Chuck recommends that you consume any farmers market produce within the day you purchase it. “Without proper and modern, post-harvest handling and cooling, fruits and vegetables just don’t hold up,” Chuck says.

I agree with Chuck on this one. If I buy berries at a farmers market, I know to use them within a day (two at the max).

Chuck explained that the same holds true when purchasing produce in a supermarket. He says he’s very picky about the berries he buys, and he never purchases non-refrigerated berries at the supermarket. I, too, am a picky berry buyer! I always buy my berries from a refrigerated display, plus I turn the clamshell over and inspect closely for mold and shrivel.

Chuck also recommends shopping at stores that sell a lot of produce, because you’re probably getting fruit closer to harvest, which means a longer shelf life for you.

When you get your berries home from the store, keep them in the original clamshell package and place them in your refrigerator. Don’t wash them until right before you plan to eat them, and only take out the amount you need at that time. Put the remaining berries back in the refrigerator right away. And although you should always store them in the fridge, Chuck and I both agree that strawberries taste best when served at room temperature.

And what about washing berries in a vinegar solution? I don’t think it’s a good idea because you should not wash your berries until you are ready to consume them. And it would probably make them taste funky. Neither Chuck nor I have ever heard about the “vinegar” idea. I think it must be an urban legend!

If you want to know more about fresh strawberries, I recommend you check out the California Strawberry Commission. (Did you know there was such a thing?) It was started in 1993 and you can read all about its history and purpose.

Now that spring is here (today!), you will begin to see plentiful supplies of all kinds of fresh berries -- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries -- in all your markets.

They are the perfect dessert -- all by themselves.

Enjoy!

Karen

Welcome to my gluten-free world

2012-03-16T11:47:00.007-07:00

Like many people, I have discovered that I am allergic to wheat. When I eat anything with wheat in it (bread, pasta, etc), my stomach starts to hurt.

So for the last few months, I have been extremely diligent about making food choices that exclude wheat, and a whole new world has opened up for me. It seems as if everywhere I turn, there are gluten-free alternatives available.

I went to my local Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market™ that just opened up and they have an entire gluten-free section.

I also found out about a website called GlutenFree.com, where you can purchase all kinds of products!

But, what happens when you go out to lunch or dinner? Especially for Italian food?

Well, what I am about to tell you has me excited!

On Wednesday, I had a business lunch in downtown Los Angeles and we selected Maria’s Italian Kitchen for our meeting.

Madelyn Alfano is the founder and owner of Maria’s, which has nine Southern California locations. Madelyn named the restaurant after her Italian mother, Maria, and they are well-known for their fantastic Italian cuisine.

I first met Madelyn because she has a woman-owned business (just like Frieda’s) and we are both members of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO-Los Angeles). Madelyn is actually the current President of NAWBO-LA.

I always try to support other women business owners, so it was especially nice that Madelyn surprised me and showed up for my business lunch! (She and her general manager even wore purple shirts – our company color!)

So, you can imagine my surprise when I opened up the menu and found in big, bold letters, “Gluten-free items offered, including pizza and pasta!”

I have never seen a complete gluten-free option offered in an Italian restaurant. You can see the entire gluten-free menu here.

Although I opted for the Chopped Italian Salad with Chicken, I plan on trying their gluten-free pizza on my next visit. And I would highly recommend Maria’s Italian Kitchen if you are in Los Angeles and want “Real Italian food by Real Italian Women.”

One more connection to Madelyn – next Friday March 23, she will be presenting the NAWBO-LA Legacy Award to my mother, Frieda Caplan, in recognition of her pioneering efforts and accomplishments during 50 years of business, mentorship, and inspiration to women. If you want to send your own congratulatory note to my mom, click here.

If you have a favorite gluten-free product, I would love to hear about it! Please comment at the bottom of my online blog post and maybe I will try something new AND gluten-free this weekend.

Karen

Vegan and pork

2012-03-15T11:24:00.002-07:00

Last Friday night, we held a small event at our company for 60 of the most influential women leaders in Southern California. The theme for the event was food, of course, so we invited a few local thought leaders to talk on a panel about the future of food and food trends: Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times food editor; Colleen Dunn Bates, journalist, restaurant critic and editor/publisher at EAT-LA; and Sue Klug, president of the Southern California division of the Albertson’s supermarket chain.

I served as moderator and had several questions prepared to get the conversation going. Plus, the members of the audience were anxious to ask our panelists their opinions.

My first question was about food trucks. You know those decked-out mobile kitchens that congregate in public venues and sell food. We used to call them “roach coaches” when I grew up on the produce market. (Back then they were mostly selling breakfast foods, sandwiches, burgers and fries.)

Today’s food trucks feature the latest trendy food, whether it is Korean Beef or an awesome Mexican food truck, like the one I saw at an HEB market in Houston, last month, it seems to me that the food truck trend is going strong.

So, when I asked Colleen what she thought of food trucks, I was taken aback when she said, “Food trucks are so 2009!” She said that they were definitely over their peak.

She and Russ told us that, as a replacement for food trucks, they have observed “pop-up restaurants” becoming more present and popular.

Russ commented that the biggest challenge for new restaurant owners is the $4 to $5 million they have to put up to build a conventional restaurant. With a pop-up restaurant, their investment is only about $30,000. Quite a difference!

My third panelist, Sue, shared that even Albertson’s had experimented with a pop-up grocery store in a local mall for Valentine’s Day! It was a low cost way for them to build their brand, sell some additional product, and do some test marketing.

As far as food trends in restaurants, Colleen and Russ agreed that the two top trends are “vegan” foods and “everything pork.” Naturally, I was excited to hear about the growing popularity of vegan food, as eating more fruits and vegetables makes perfect sense to me.

It was also interesting to hear what our panelists had to say about the MyPlate.gov program, sponsored by the USDA to encourage consumers to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables. Colleen and Russ both thought that although it is a noble goal for consumers to increase their produce consumption, it is unlikely that having the government tell them to do this will make a big difference.

I have to disagree a bit with them, because I know that the policies and programs created by the USDA have a far reach in influencing other decision makers. It affects the WIC program, the fruit and vegetable snacking program and all kinds of federal funding and guidelines.

Even though the launch of this program may not have a short term immediate effect on consumption, I believe that the credibility of the USDA, along with all the supporting messages from my fellow farmers and marketers in the produce industry, will help us educate consumers and shift consumption patterns.

We also discussed food safety, farmers markets and generational differences in cooking knowledge. It was a fun evening and even I learned something new.

Vegan is hot! Food trucks are not!

Karen

What do you get when you cross Women and Agriculture?

2012-03-09T11:32:00.003-08:00

I’ve heard for a very long time that there is no such thing as a coincidence! Ever since we read the book The Celestine Prophecy many years ago, my sister Jackie and I repeat that saying quite often.

So yesterday, as I opened up my Internet browser, I noticed that Google’s home page had an interesting image:

Ah – March 8th was International Women’s Day! You can read about the history of the holiday here, but I found it interesting that the United Nations theme this year is “Empower Women – End Hunger and Poverty.”

As I continued through the hundreds of emails that I received yesterday, I also discovered that March 8th is National Agriculture Day – a day when farmers, companies, government agencies and others join together to recognize the vital role of agriculture in our society.

For me, the fact that both these celebrations fall on the same day is a wonderful coincidence.

Growing up, when I thought of agriculture and farming, I always pictured male farmers out in the field. I thought of fathers passing the businesses on to their sons. I don’t think I ever imagined women playing a significant role at the farm level.

Well, now, I know better.

Not only were many of the family farms co-managed by husband and wife teams, but many of the daughters and granddaughters were raised to take on important roles in their family businesses.

At our annual produce industry convention in October, I had the good fortune of having two produce families stop by our booth for a visit. What is so interesting about these families is that both fathers were super proud that their daughters were joining them in their family businesses. (Because Frieda’s is still one of the few women-owned businesses in the produce industry, we often get introduced to young women in our industry so we can mentor and support them.)

Marchini Family

Here is the Joe Marchini Family, large growers of Radicchio — that bitter red lettuce — in Northern California. They also grow some amazing Marchini Almonds!

Reiter Family

And here is the Miles Reiter Family. Ever heard of or seen Driscoll’s Strawberries in your market? Well, Miles and his family are the primary growers and owners of Driscoll's! Miles was especially proud that his two daughters have chosen to join him in their business.

My daughter, Alex, stopped by my office yesterday to ask me if I knew that March was Women’s History Month. In honor of this month, I want to share with you the women who have inspired me. Well, it’s no surprise that I didn’t have to look far…

Caplan Family of Frieda's Inc.

My mother Frieda, and my sister, Jackie are two women who continue to inspire and support me. I hope you are as lucky as I am to have women in your life that inspire you every day!

Happy Women’s Day and Agriculture Day!

Karen

Just doing the right thing

2012-03-07T19:32:00.002-08:00

In the highly perishable business of fresh produce, time is not always our friend. Sometimes fruits and vegetables just won’t stand up to a cross-country shipment, or the size or appearance isn’t quite right for a particular customer.

So, what do we do with these unsalable items?

All food companies have excess product and, instead of dumping it, many of us have established regular donations to our local food banks. My mother, Frieda, established this practice at our company long ago.

There is also a fantastic organization called Share Our Selves through which many well-known and community-minded chefs and restaurateurs donate THEIR leftover foods.

So, last week, we received a visit from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County. When the two ladies arrived, they announced that they were giving us an award for being the second largest donor of fresh produce in 2011! (The number one donor, Orange County Produce, is a close family friend of ours.)


From Left: Jackie Caplan Wiggins, Tricia Espinoza of Second Harvest, Frieda Caplan, Alex Jackson, and Karen Caplan

The award from Second Harvest - very cute!

As we were talking and taking photos, Frieda started recounting stories of how her friend Mickey Weiss really started the whole produce and food bank connection many years ago. Robert Strube was another produce industry leader involved in this movement.

Then, my sister Jackie and I couldn’t resist. We had to ask the burning question:

“Isn’t it kind of strange to be giving out exotic fruits and vegetables to homeless or hungry people? Do they have any challenges with that?”

And that’s when we learned about the most amazing thing…

Second Harvest goes to our website to print out recipes and information on Frieda’s exotic produce – to share with the donations as they are picked up at their Mobile Pantry events! The food bank realized that many of the pantry visitors didn’t know how to prepare some of our more exotic donations. So now they include the printed information in their displays, and people are trying new things!

The Second Harvest Mobile Pantry program is pretty innovative. Here’s how it works:

Mobile Pantry trucks arrive at the designated parking lot and set up a mini-farmers market to distribute the food to the needy. People line up to “shop” for the food they need. You can see a short video here.

These Mobile Pantries are such an innovative way to share donated food, and because they are set up like farmers markets, it preserves the personal dignity of those who are in need of food.

If you know of any food company, restaurant or grocery store with non-salable edible food, I hope you will encourage them to contact their local food bank (which will pick up the food themselves). Or, here is a connection to a national network.

If you want to donate your time, or host a Mobile Pantry at your place of business or church, they are always looking for support.

As our company, Frieda’s, celebrates 50 years of Changing the Way America Eats Fruits and Vegetables, it feels good to know that we are helping those who cannot afford to buy fresh produce.

Doing good, by doing the right thing, feels good to all of us.

Karen

My trip to the Caribbean

2012-02-28T16:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just want to count my lucky stars. About 10 years ago, I met a wonderful couple, Bert and Veronique. Our children went to elementary school together and we have become close friends.

Every couple of years, in celebration of her birthday, Veronique likes to gather a few of her close girlfriends to travel to a far away destination to rest, relax and enjoy each others company.

This year, her chosen destination was St. Kitts, which is a small island country located in the Caribbean. So, last week, I took a red-eye flight through Miami and arrived in Basseterre, St. Kitts, on Thursday afternoon. This was my second visit to the home they built there, but this time their house was finished and about a half dozen of us spent a few days eating, sun bathing and exploring the island.

St. Kitts sits next to an island called Nevis

Landing in St. Kitts

Everyone knows that because I am in the produce business, some part of every trip I take will either be spent in a supermarket checking out the local offerings, dining at a local restaurant or visiting growing areas.

On this trip, I got to visit a start-up nursery and tree farm. The young man, David, who built the home we stayed in, is quite the entrepreneur and has started a nursery and hopes to develop a tree farm to supply all the local home developers who want native plants to landscape their properties.

You can see from these photos that the nursery is small, but I got to see fruits I had only heard of before. I have never seen a “NONI” fruit – and he had a few small trees, one with a piece of fruit. NONI is a fruit that I heard about almost ten years ago, but only could find it in juice. Now – I got to see it, and was surprised that it looked like a mini Cherimoya!

David's small nursery

Noni tree

David is also growing some vegetables, including tomatoes, eggplants and zucchini squash. I shared an idea with him that he should offer the local upscale chefs some “Courgettes” (squash blossoms). He had never thought of that, but began to reminisce that his Italian grandmother used to stuff and fry up the squash blossoms for special family meals. David and I harvested a dozen squash blossoms that day and he then dropped them off for a local chef who immediately placed an order!

Squash Blossom

On our return drive from the farm, we stopped at a small shoppe to get a beverage. The owner offered us some Carambola (Starfruit) she had picked off a local tree. You can see her here, with my friend Veronique.

Veronique with shoppe owner and some freshly picked Starfruit!

Well, I don’t want you to think there was no time for regular fun. Bert took me on a tour of the island on his four-wheeler – a first for me!

4-wheeling!

And we did lounge around the pool!

Lounging by the pool

But the best part for me was meeting Chef Kelly, a St. Kitts native, who prepared the biggest freshly caught lobster I have ever seen. And a feast of a dinner.


Chef Kelly and the HUGE lobster

The Feast

As for David’s tree farm, it is still a dream. As we drove home from his plot of land and future tree farm site at the base of a mountain, I shared with David the possibility that a graduate of EARTH University in Costa Rica would be a perfect candidate to do a feasibility study and be the farm manager for the enterprise.

Site of David's future tree farm

Amazing what happens when the stars align.

Karen

The continuing saga of how we find new products

2012-02-23T10:02:00.001-08:00

One of the most frequently asked questions we get at Frieda’s is, “How do you find new products? Do you travel the world searching for new fruits and veggies?”

In today’s digital world, we don’t always have to travel the globe to find something new. Sometimes it finds us. Here is the story behind our latest discovery.

Willette, a friend of Frieda’s and mine, is a world-renowned theatrical producer (Twist is her latest musical) and world traveler. Last month she was in Paris dining at a restaurant called Passeig 53.

She saw a fruit she did not recognize, so she took a few photos and emailed them to Frieda and me, asking if we knew what it was.

Frieda and I started guessing at what it might be. At first, I thought it was a variety of yellow passion fruit from New Zealand that I had seen many years ago. But Willette told us that it tasted like a lemon and the insides looked like a finger lime (see my previous blog on these). And, it was quite large.

We were now on a hunt!

We forwarded Willette’s comments and photos to some of our favorite citrus Aficionados, and, of course, it was one of the experts at the University of California – Riverside’s Citrus Collection – Toni -- who solved our mystery.

She guessed that our ‘mystery citrus’ is possibly a Faustrime or Faustrimedin, a hybrid of finger lime and limequat. Here's more info on this fruit:
http://www.homecitrusgrowers.co.uk/photos/faustrimefruit.html

Although we don’t know the country of origin of the citrus fruit that Willette found, we do know that they are being commercially produced somewhere. Maybe one of the small citrus growers in Central California will be interested in planting a few trees so we can see how they produce and taste.

We know that citrus, in general, is exploding in terms of new varieties, and it’s all about taste and flavor! Maybe the Faustrime will be the newest taste sensation. Or not.

Only time will tell.

So, to all my friends reading this blog: When you are dining or shopping while you travel, I would love to receive photos and information about what you see. If you want to share them, please post them on Frieda’s Facebook page. Who knows what the next hot trend in food will be…

Enjoy!

Karen

Make your produce last longer

2012-02-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

You purchase fresh fruits and vegetables with the best intentions. You plan to use up all the lettuce, broccoli, and strawberries before your next shopping trip -- before they become old, stinky and inedible in your refrigerator.

And then, your week gets the best of you. All of a sudden, your fresh produce is rotting produce and you have to throw it out.

I have a solution to this problem!

It all started about 12 years ago when I was first introduced to Peakfresh bags.

The company’s founders had developed a mineral-coated, perforated bag designed to keep produce fresher during shipping and in home refrigerators, and they came to Frieda’s, since we’ve always been open to new products and ideas.

Because I have to prove everything to myself first, I took the bags home and tested them out with two clamshells of fresh strawberries. I put one strawberry package straight in the refrigerator, and I put the other one inside the Peakfresh bag, then into the refrigerator.

I was impressed. Even after two weeks, the strawberries inside the Peakfresh bag were PERFECT compared to the shriveled up, molding regular strawberries. Then I tested the bags with fresh broccoli, and the same thing happened.

As it frequently happens in the business world, we were “ahead of our time.” Although we enthusiastically introduced these shelf-life extending bags to our supermarket customers, the concept did not catch on.
What did catch on however, were commercial-sized bags. The company went on to develop bags to wrap entire shipments of fresh produce, such as strawberries and chile peppers, to keep them fresh during cross-country transit. Several other companies have gotten into the business, and this segment of the industry is booming.

Then a few weeks ago I saw a display of my beloved Peakfresh consumer-sized bags at my local Sprouts Market. I was thrilled, and I purchased a box of 10. (If your local market doesn’t have them, you can buy them on the Peakfresh website.) The great thing about these bags is that you can reuse them – just rinse them out and let them dry. I call them my new best friend.

If you are concerned about wasting food, or have a hard time scheduling in fresh produce shopping during the week, I encourage you to try these bags. They are a life saver.

Or really – a produce saver!

Karen

My quick trip to Berlin

2012-02-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

I was heading to Berlin last weekend for Fruit Logistica -- the largest produce trade show in the world. More than 2500 companies from 84 countries exhibited -- only 35 from the United States.

But on Sunday morning, I found out that my flight to London had been cancelled. I decided to make the most of it. I let American Express find me an alternative flight to Berlin, which bypassed the snow and ice in England. I would be leaving a full 24 hours later, but that allowed me to spend the day with my youngest daughter, Sophia. That was an unexpected gift!

Then on my flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, someone had a medical emergency, so we had to make an unplanned stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My sister Jackie texted me that maybe I was not meant to go to Berlin, after all. But, I made the most of it, and made a new friend, Alicia, who was also traveling to Berlin.

We finally arrived in Berlin on Tuesday afternoon.

Since my company wasn’t exhibiting at Fruit Logistica, I was able to spend my time walking the 26 buildings (and the 2537 booths) looking for new products, new packaging ideas and all sorts of innovations.

Ten companies were nominated for product innovation awards. My personal favorites were Purple Sprouting Broccoli -- colorful, but a little mushy when cooked; Angello Sweet Seedless Pepper -- amazingly sweet and crunchy; and Achacha, an Amazonian fruit grown in Australia that looks like a loquat on the outside and a mangosteen on the inside.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Angello Sweet Seedless Pepper

Achacha fruit

Read about all 10 nominated products here. As you can see, some are not fresh produce – but packaging, processed products and juice and even an interactive website.

Trade show attendees are encouraged to evaluate and vote for the nominated products. My personal favorite was the Angello red seedless pepper. I can see it becoming successful once planted here in the states – it is much like the Veggie Sweets and Mini Sweets we have, but seedless. Being seedless is a big plus, and it would be great in restaurants for stuffing and grilling.

The final votes were tallied after I left Berlin on Friday afternoon – and I just checked online and the winner of the Innovation Award for 2012 was the Angello! I’m sure it was my vote that made it a winner!

So, was it worth spending two days flying to have two days at Fruit Logistica? Yes, and the best part was the personal connections I made. Conversations and connections turn into relationships that eventually become business.

By passing out my business cards to everyone I meet, I receive follow-up emails, connections on LinkedIn, followers to my blog, and eventually some new business relationships. I always strive to make the best of any situation, even if it means my flight is cancelled and my trip is cut short.

My only regret was that I had no time in Berlin to sight see! This was the fourth time I have visited Berlin for Fruit Logistica, but there never seems to be time for a tour of the city. (Read my post about the show two years ago.) I guess that’s a reason for me to go back in another two years.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Karen

Esquire Magazine and the Man Who Knows Everything

2012-02-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

As you may recall reading in a previous blog post, when I travel I always purchase a magazine or two at my departing airport. I take special care to choose one that I would not normally read. I learned this technique more than 20 years ago from a speaker at a leadership conference. You’d be surprised at how much new information you will learn.

So last week, as I was departing for Berlin, Germany, for the Fruit Logistica International Food Show, I picked up Esquire Magazine.

I have to admit that seeing President Bill Clinton on the cover with the title, “Bill Clinton and 78 other things we can all agree on,” caught my eye.

I started my journey through Esquire by scanning the QR code on the cover. It said “Scan this for a message from President Clinton.” I used the RedLaser App on my iPhone to scan the code and watched a short video clip of President Clinton.

Link to video

If you are uncertain about QR codes – here’s a quick tutorial. You’ll start noticing them everywhere!

To say that I devoured this magazine is an understatement. I read about actor Woody Harrelson. I read about Roger Craig, who won the most money ever on “Jeopardy!” and how he trained himself to learn everything. I read a hilarious story called “The Man’s Guide to Valentine’s Day.” But it was a story near the end that really grabbed me.

It is the story of Vivek Ranadivé, the CEO of the $4 billion software company, TIBCO Software, Inc. His personal goal is to harness the ocean of data in this world. And save civilization.

I could completely relate to the opening quote in the article: “If you take all the data that was generated from the dawn of man to, say, the day Barack Obama became president, that’s X. And then if you add up all the data that’s been generated since then, in just three years, that’s 10X. We are drowning in data.”

Amen, brother. That’s exactly how I feel.

The article shared examples of how he and his company organize and make sense of all the data, so that the right information reaches the right place at the right time with the right context. Industry by industry. And coincidentally, he is also the owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. They are a real live example of how he plans to leverage the data about the people who attend NBA games to provide a truly “WOW” experience, and to maximize sales for the NBA franchise.

But perhaps the most interesting part of this article was what Mr. Ranadivé has created: TopCom. He believes it will change the world.

TopCom is a private communications platform for the two hundred most powerful people in the world. It’s meant to be a kind of combination of Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, texting and Skype. A private social network, in this case, for world leaders.

Can you imagine the implications for achieving world peace or solving world hunger? Ranadivé actually gives an example in the article about how the Tsunami in Japan could have been handled differently which would have hastened rescue efforts and potentially saved thousands of lives.

The bottom line is that all of us are drowning in data. We all feel overwhelmed by our emails and just want to get our work done and our lives back to normal. It’s good to know that there is someone who can sort this all for us!

Here’s the article, if you want to read more:
http://www.esquire.com/features/vivek-ranadive-profile-0212

Karen

Lemongrass could be a miracle herb

2012-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

I don’t remember how long our company has been selling Lemongrass, but I do remember our first Lemongrass grower. It was a couple from Bakersfield, California, who brought these wonderfully aromatic plants to us more than 35 years ago, and told us it was a popular ingredient in Asian cooking.

The Lemongrass looked like puny leeks with dried out yellowish tops, but they emitted a wonderful, intense lemony scent when you cut them. (Back then, I remember thinking the smell reminded me of a popular teen fragrance at the time – Love’s Fresh Lemon.)

Three decades later, we continue to sell fresh Lemongrass. Some of our supermarket customers sell it packed in small plastic bags or clamshell packages, but most ethnic supermarkets sell it loose in large displays so you can purchase large quantities. They must be on to something.

Today, I predict that Lemongrass will become the next “big thing” – and here’s why.

I have been reading some interesting email chains lately between people in the scientific community who I personally know and respect. And the subject? Lemongrass.

Among them are botanist Dr. James Duke, who developed the USDA’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, Dr. Roberta Cook of the University of California-Davis, and Mark Dafforn of the National Research Council, who is involved in Vetiver Grass research. (Read my previous blog post about Vetiver Grass.)

It all started with this article: “Israeli researchers find way to make cancer cells self-destruct.” It describes the process of apoptosis, in which cancer cells self-destruct, caused when one consumes tea made from fresh Lemongrass.

As Dr. James Duke wrote to us:

“…lemon grass is one of the 300 plants in my Green Farmacy Garden. And lemon grass is one of 3,000 medicinal plants for which I have dense boring write-ups. I suspect that more than 10 percent of them have some apoptotic effect on cancer cells. So I dutifully record it in a database.

I am more excited these days about herbistatins, now that Lipitor® has been proven to double the rate of diabetes in women. Herbistatins are safe herbs and spices that raise the good HDL and lower the bad LDL cholesterol… Some more familiar herbistatins include almond, black cumin, black pepper , chickpeas, chocolate, cinnamon, coconut, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, flax, garlic, ginger, green tea, lemon, oats, peanut, peppermint, pistachio pumpkin seed, sage, sesame, soy, tamarind, wasabi, and watercress.

Spiced hummus or tahini anyone? Could be healthier than Lipitor!”

Here’s a link to one of Dr. Duke’s books, for more on this: http://www.amazon.com/Green-Pharmacy-Ultimate-Compendium-Authority/dp/0312966482

Read more about Lemongrass here:
http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Lemongrass--Encyclopedia-of-Alternative-Medicine

Back in the 1980s, I gave many talks about “Food as Medicine.” I spoke about the healthful qualities of garlic, dark green vegetables and tomatoes.

It seems that I may have been on to something!

Healthfully yours,

Karen

Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y... and how to keep them straight

2012-02-02T13:54:00.000-08:00

What happened to the good old days? When everyone thought like us Baby Boomers?

I don’t think I’m alone in trying to figure out how to work with the younger generations and understand how they think.

This is one of the reasons I chose to attend an industry leadership forum a few weeks ago. The featured speaker was an expert in the field of managing and leading the four working generations. And I actually got to meet the speaker in person about 2 weeks before the seminar, as he wanted to interview some of the attendees in advance to get a sense of our industry.

The speaker was Seth Mattison, and you can read about him here. He is a 30-something Gen Y (which I learned can be interchanged with the word Millennial). Seth came to visit my office in early January, and he looked just like I would expect a Gen Y person to look.

In jeans. Wearing a zipped up vest over a nice shirt. And carrying a cup of Starbucks coffee. Everywhere we went in our building, he would pull out his iPhone and take a photograph.

Does this sound familiar to you? Yes, I learned that is typical of a Gen Y – they are always connected (via their iPhone).

When Seth presented to the group of 75 produce industry professionals, he was spell-binding. Our group was made up of all 4 generations currently in the workforce, and Seth was masterful at giving examples we could all relate to.

You will clearly be able to identify your generation: Traditionalists (born prior to 1946), Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964), Generation Xers (born 1965 – 1981) and Millennials (aka Gen Yers – born 1982 – 2000).

Check out this easy “cheat sheet” on who we are and what we stand for:

(If you can't read the chart, go to www.friedas.com/eMail/websiteimages/Untitled-34.jpg)

I am a Baby Boomer. My husband is a Traditionalist. Most of my colleagues at work are Gen Xers and my two daughters are Millennials. So I was intrigued with the information that Seth shared.

Seth shared with us how to work with each generation. Here’s another snapshot of which strategies to use to recruit, engage, manage and retain each group:

(If you can't read the chart, go to

http://www.friedas.com/eMail/websiteimages/Untitled-35.jpg)

After the presentation, my long-time friend, Rich, and I spoke with Seth.

“Now I understand why it is always so tense and chaotic at my house,” Rich said. He shared with us that both at home and at work, he has all 4 generations, and it really does take some effort to communicate and relate to each of them in their preferred style.

Rich spoke with Seth about coming to speak at one of his company’s management conferences. What a great idea! Wouldn’t it be easier if we all understood each other better – not just based on our personalities, but on our generation?

For example, Traditionalists are always annoyed with Millennials who are constantly checking their emails and texting on their iPhones, while seemingly engaged in a conversation.

If you are intrigued with this concept, check out Seth’s company, BridgeWorks. If you're a Millennial, you will probably want to “Like” them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

Facebook.com/BridgeWorks

Twitter.com/TheGenPeople

And here’s a photo of me and Seth after his presentation. On the screen, you can see that he included a couple of the photos he took during his visit to Frieda’s as part of his presentation.

One last thing. After the presentation, I let Seth know that I tweeted about him during his talk. (I didn’t want him to think I was being rude and checking my emails.) He looked at me funny and we both chuckled.

A Millennial would never think that was rude…because tweeting during presentations is WHAT they do!

Karen

The influence of my dad

2012-01-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

About a year ago, I received an email from a former childhood neighbor, Steve, who asked why I never talked about the influence my father had on me growing up.

My dad, Al Caplan, was a force to be reckoned with. His mom died when he was 13 and he caught a freight train from Chicago to move out to California when he was a teenager. Then he joined the Marine Corps. He was underage when he enlisted, and there was no Internet to verify his date of birth.

After working as a union organizer for several years, he started his own company as a labor relations consultant. Some of his largest clients were in the scrap iron and metal industry, and many were grape growers.

Actually, it was my father who negotiated the first contract between Cesar Chavez/United Farm Workers and many of California’s grape growers (my dad represented the growers). My first job was working for my dad in his office, but after a short time I ran out of work and ended up working for my mother, Frieda, in her wholesale produce business.

My dad taught me many things about life and about business. Most importantly, he taught me about personal accountability. After I got my drivers license on my 16th birthday, we were negotiating to purchase a car for me. The deal was: I paid for half and he paid for half. We got the car and I handed over $1,500 (my life savings at that time – age 17). But I still owed another $1,500.

Dad and I got into a bit of a disagreement a few months later and he gave me a deadline. “Pay me the remaining $1,500 by Labor Day, or you lose your car.” I think that was the original “tough love” from a parent. I knew my dad was serious – so when I was a few hundred dollars short, I borrowed some money from my sister, Jackie, and paid him on time.

(FROM LEFT) My dad, Al Caplan, with my mom (Frieda), my Uncle Paul, me, and my sister Jackie in 1966.

And when I wanted to live at home during summers when I was in college, my dad told me I had to pay rent: $50 a week. Yes – he was tough.

But, my dad was also fair and very generous. He quietly (and many times, anonymously) gave money to family members and close friends who were in need.

Sometime after I became president of Frieda’s, Inc. in 1986, I invited my dad to come speak to my management team about employee relations. I will never forget the title of his talk: “Firm, fair, and friendly.” That was my dad’s philosophy on how to work with people.

And I would say that those values have prevailed in the more than 25 years that I have been president of Frieda’s.

The reason I have chosen to write about my dad this week is because it is the 14th anniversary of his passing (on February 5, 1998).

When I think of my dad, however, I do not think about business. I think about health. On the day his first granddaughter, Jennifer, was born in 1964 (he was 46), he decided to quit smoking (cigarettes and cigars). He decided that he needed to take care of his health so he could enjoy all of his grandchildren.

He then became quite the health food nut. His favorite book was “Let’s Eat Right to Keep Fit” by Adelle Davis. From then on we only had whole wheat bread in our house, no sugary snacks, cookies or ice cream, and we ate lots of fruits and vegetables. My dad exercised every day, and often times watched Jack LaLanne on television while doing his daily exercise routine.

My dad lived past his 78th birthday to see all of his seven grandchildren. We all have our various memories of my dad, but I think my personal favorite was the day my first daughter, Alex, was born.

I told my parents that they could be in the delivery room as she was born. And there was my dad – camera in hand – recording the moment.

You know a lot about a person when you know about their heritage. No wonder my dad was tough, yet tender. We miss you, Dad.

Karen

I’m sorry it’s 85 degrees today

2012-01-27T12:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning I made a phone call to a client in Pennsylvania. As part of the conversation, I asked about the weather. "Cool and raining" was his answer.

I apologetically told him it was going to be 85 in Southern California.

What I didn't tell him was that I was going to be trekking throughout the citrus groves of the Citrus Variety Collection at the University of California Riverside (UCR) later in the day.

At 8 a.m., my colleague Dorian and I got in my car, and by 9 a.m. we were under a tent in Riverside with 200 other citrus enthusiasts being welcomed by Marylynn Yates, the new Dean of the College of Agriculture.

Marylynn Yates, UCR's new Dean of the College of Agriculture

My first hour was spent listening to two women from the global multi-billion dollar company Givaudan, which is the leader in developing flavors and oils used in our foods, beverages and fragrances. I learned that citrus – lemons in particular – are the base of most beverages, from colas to fruit punches and more. Givaudan recently made a large endowment to the UCR Citrus Variety Collection, to ensure its future viability, because they have found that this repository of citrus germplasm has become their primary source of flavor inspiration worldwide. Over the past few years, Givaudan has brought more than 200 of their flavor developers from around the world to Riverside to sniff, smell, taste and play with the citrus. (Givaudan was recently featured on 60 Minutes. Click here to view “The Flavorists” – second story, about 16:30 minutes in.).

Brochures from Givaudan

We then sampled more than two dozen varieties of Mandarins and grapefruit hybrids. Growers next to me were whispering to each other what they thought were the best tasting, and which ones had future potential. Some of them planned to tear out their acreage of white grapefruits and oranges and were looking for a better-selling citrus fruit.

We convened for lunch (barbecue, of course). I was able to snap this photograph of two of the most famous Citrus Aficionados: David Karp (aka the “Fruit Detective”) and Tracy Kahn (curator of the Citrus Variety Collection). These two people know more about citrus fruits than anyone on the planet!

From left: David Karp, me, Tracy Kahn

As I turned around to leave, I noticed a man smiling at me. His name tag said "Bob Knight." He was about my age, and I thought to myself, could it be?

I went to introduce myself: “Are you related to THE Bob Knight? Yes, it turns out he is the son of one of my mother’s first kiwifruit growers! We started to recount memories of the 1970s, when we were both teenagers helping our parents market the first California-grown Kiwifruit.

Me and Bob Knight

Yesterday was such a beautiful day in Southern California, in many ways!

Karen

Turning your passion into a business

2012-01-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote about my recent trip to the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. Held by the National Association of the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT), this show brings together many foodies, producers of artisan foods and buyers, and many others.

For many, it’s also a show for reuniting with old friends in the food business.

As I headed down the last aisle on the show floor around 3 p.m. that Sunday, a big smile came over my face. I saw my long-time friend, Paula Lambert, of the Mozzarella Company in Dallas, Texas.

Paula started The Mozzarella Company in 1982 – which means she is celebrating 30 years in business. My mom and I met Paula years ago at another food conference – I think it was the American Institute of Wine and Food. That’s where we also met Julia Child.

When I came up to Paula’s booth at the Fancy Food Show, she had laryngitis. One of her cheeses (Hoja Santa Goat Cheese) had won a national award the afternoon before at the Good Food Awards at the Ferry Building in San Francisco and she had spent the afternoon handing out samples and talking with consumers (thus the laryngitis).

Since I was travelling to Dallas for business the following week, I asked if Paula wanted to get together in her hometown when she had her voice back.

So, during my trip to Texas last week, I caught a taxi and was whisked off to a small community near uptown Dallas.

Paula’s home is adjacent to a cemetery and after navigating down a cobblestone walkway, and through a rusted gate (I felt like I was in a Harry Potter Movie), I came upon a Booziotis-designed modern home. I then felt like I was walking into an Architectural Digest photograph.

Paula recently became a widower, so she always fills her home with friends and food. It was my great luck to share a short dinner with she and her longtime friend and former neighbor, Bill. And of course, we sampled many of the cheeses she makes in her local cheese “factory.”

My absolute favorite was what she calls the “Christmas Cheese.” It has the texture of polenta, and crumbly cheese with chile pepper overtones. I could not stop sampling it!

I asked Paula how she ended up starting a cheese business, in Dallas, of all places.

When Paula was younger, she lived in Perugia, Italy to learn Italian. After returning to Dallas, she missed the delicate homemade cheeses of Italy. Thus, her idea for a business was born. That was 1982 (and you can read about it here). Paula has grown the business from producing 100 pounds of cheese her first week, to now more than 5,000 pounds a week!

Not only did Paula and I sample some of her amazing cheeses, we also made dinner together. I found out that Paula takes small groups to France and Italy twice a year to cook in farmhouses. She’s a fabulous cook, so, it was especially fun for me to learn a new way to prepare broccoli and a recipe for homemade vinaigrette from her.

If you love cheese (and who doesn’t), I encourage you to check out her clever website, MozzCo.com! You may even want to order some cheese from her.

One of the joys of being in the food business is that you not only get to taste some delicious foods and travel to interesting places – you also get to meet some amazing, sincere and passionate people who become lifelong friends.

And if they are like the beautiful, charming and genuine Paula Lambert, you also get inspired to live your passion.

Thank you, Paula, for an amazing dinner!

Bon appétit!

Karen