MONTEREY, CA — A crowd of about 1,700 industry members attended the 32nd annual Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference, held here July 25-28.

MONTEREY, CA -- A chef panel and cooking demonstrations, as well as several business speakers, and of course the trade show, attracted an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,700 industry members to the 32nd annual Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference, held here July 25-28.

Orange, CA-based Interfresh Sales welcomed KEN VIDA to its sales staff.

Vida’s primary role at Interfresh will be to expand national avocado sales, a company press release stated.

“From our perspective, there is no more important issue for all growers, but particularly for growers of table grapes,” than immigration reform, because table grape production is “so labor intensive,” said Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League, in an interview with The Produce News.

“Rambutan is truly an exotic gourmet fruit with an appearance that will impress food lovers around the world,” Marc Holbik, director of grower relations for Ecoripe Tropicals in Medley, FL, told The Produce News. “The translucent flesh of this tree fruit has a crisp, agreeable, sweet grape-like flavor with just a hint of tartness. The reddish exterior shell is covered with soft, flexible, hair-like bristles that give Rambutan one of the more exotic appearances for a fruit.”

SALINAS, CA -- The evening prior to the opening of the Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice expo, several hundred members of the industry gathered at the Church Bros. ranch in Salinas to get reconnect and indulge in some good food, drinks and fun. But doing business was not necessarily on the agenda.