California Avocado Commission Cooks Up A Tasty Plan For Fresh Summit

IRVINE, Calif. – How do you top an award-winning performance by a celebrity chef at PMA’s Fresh Summit? You bring two celebrity chefs! The California Avocado Commission (CAC) has put together a plan for the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit this October 26-28 in Anaheim, Calif. designed to deliver an informative as well as enjoyable California avocado experience.

With this year’s event occurring within driving distance of California’s avocado groves, CAC expects good attendance from California avocado growers as well as retail and foodservice customers. CAC’s vice president of marketing, Jan DeLyser, also serves as the incoming chair of PMA.

The Commission is tapping into celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger to share innovative California avocado recipes in CAC’s booth on both Saturday and Sunday. Both chefs are huge fans of California avocados and have served as spokespersons for the Commission for a number of years. They own the critically-acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Calif. and Las Vegas, Nev., as well as the Border Grill Truck. Feniger and Milliken are well known as the Too Hot Tamales and for their participation on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. They will be available for photos during specified times to be announced at the show.

CAC staff also will share avocado consumer insights with data on hand demonstrating opportunities to maximize avocado category performance. Additionally market-level category score cards will be available for U.S. markets.

The Commission will engage in social media in advance of and during the show, with Twitter® tweets and Facebook® posts directed both to trade and consumer audiences. CAC plans to hold a consumer contest on Facebook with chefs Feniger and Milliken selecting and responding to one winning question each day of the show; the winners will receive prizes.

“We are thrilled to be able to showcase California avocados in our local area during Fresh Summit this year.” DeLyser said, “We have fruit coming mostly from the northern districts in Ventura County up through north of San Luis Obispo and the eating quality is outstanding.”

About the California Avocado Commission

Created in 1978, the California Avocado Commission strives to increase demand for California avocados through advertising, promotion and public relations, and engages in related industry activities that benefit the state’s nearly 5,000 avocado growers. The California Avocado Commission serves as the official information source for California avocados and the California avocado industry. For information about California avocados, visit CaliforniaAvocado.com, become a fan at Facebook.com/CaliforniaAvocados and follow the California Avocado Commission on Twitter at Twitter.com/CA_Avocados.

Source: California Avocado Commission