AVONDALE, Pennsylvania – To-Jo Mushrooms announced that its partnership with the Southwest Minnesota State University Culinology Department was a resounding success. To-Jo teamed up with students from the Culinology Department to develop Mushroom “Blended” recipes for submission into the 2014 Research Chefs Association annual student recipe competition recently held in Portland, OR.
To-Jo provided all the raw materials for the students to use in their Food Product Development Course work during the fall semester. The teams created a variety of dishes utilizing To-Jo’s value-added line of White and Baby Bella mushrooms that utilized “Mushroom Blendability”, a concept which replaces a portion of protein with chopped mushrooms in familiar recipes to deliver healthy, low calorie, flavorful dishes. The finalists then submitted their recipes to the RCA for entrance into the competition. Team Pufflings created a trio of items that included a mushroom infused formulation that made it all the way to the finals.
Anthony D’Amico, To-Jo’s President added, “Having young aspiring chefs ideate with mushrooms in Culinology course work is a win-win for everyone. It exposes the next generation of food technologists to the health benefits and functionality of Mushrooms while giving consumers an opportunity to experience healthy alternatives to Iconic menu items. Mushrooms are one of the most versatile items in the produce aisle and can be used seamlessly in blended recipes with a variety of proteins.”
The Culinology® department at SWMSU is run by Professor Michael Cheng. Culinology® is the blending of the culinary arts and the science of food. It is defined as "the collaboration between culinary expertise and food science and how this collaboration affects the food we prepare and serve for consumption."
To-Jo Mushrooms is a 4th generation Grower/Shipper of fresh and prepared mushrooms for both the Foodservice and Retail industries. To-Jo grows over 40 million lbs. of White, Brown, and Specialty mushrooms annually, and distributes its full line of fresh mushroom products to over 22 states by its company-owned fleet of vehicles. To-Jo’s value-added lines of processed products are distributed nationally through a wide network of distribution partners.
Source: To-Jo Mushrooms