Chefs Nobu Matsuhisa, Paul Prudhomme and David Burke are among 11 chefs sharing their favorite recipes using Idaho potatoes in the Idaho Potato Commission's Recipes for Relief on-line program running through the end of this year. The goal of the program is to celebrate the United Nations' declaration of 2008 as the International Year of the Potato by raising awareness and $50,000 for UNICEF, an organization that provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water and education to children in more than 150 countries around the world. Every month in 2008, a chef and his or her potato recipe is featured

Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner has been selected to receive the 11th annual Friend of Chile Award presented by the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia, an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will honor Gov. Minner Nov. 20, 2008, during a luncheon at the Union League of Philadelphia. "I am very flattered to be among the winners of the Friend of Chile Award," Gov. Minner said in a press release. "This is a testament to our efforts to strengthen our state's economy through promoting business opportunities with Chile, and I thank the

Between the two of them, brothers Marc and Nic Marchini have the family business covered. Marc Marchini, 25, handles sales and cost-analysis for radicchio specialist J. Marchini Farms, while Nic Marchini, 23, serves as the Le Grand, CA-based company's production manager. "He is the grower and I am the marketer," Marc Marchini said. The pair will be in attendance at PMA's Fresh Summit in Orlando, FL, Oct. 24- 27, where in addition to taking in supplier presentations, they are hosting a cocktail reception for their customers. The brothers took similar paths to their current places in life, with

The fresh potato community in Colorado's San Luis Valley is bidding farewell to Jim and Sandy Tonso of Ca?on Potato Co. with great sorrow but best wishes for the future. Thomas R. Ford, a recent inductee to the Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame and chairman of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee in Monte Vista, CO, took time to speak with The Produce News from his tractor as this year's potato harvest began. "They are well-respected people," he said of the Tonsos. "[Jim] has just been dedicated to the potato industry most of his life. He's a heck of a guy." "We will miss both of their

Nunhems, the vegetable seed business of Bayer CropScience, brought together experts from different parts of the watermelon supply chain at its first International Watermelon Conference Oct. 2 in Valencia, Spain. The symposium served to exchange experiences, establish contacts and learn about new trends and developments in the watermelon industry. Presentations by external speakers covered multiple aspects ranging from global trade and consumption statistics over business cases to innovative marketing models, offering unique insights into what will determine tomorrow's watermelon production

St. Louis-based Sev-Rend Corp., a manufacturer of tags and labels for various bagged and netted products, is rolling out biodegradable tags for fresh produce. Sev-Rend's flexible packaging works with form-and-fill machines. An example of usage is two-, three-, four- and five-pound bags of citrus. In December, the company will move into a new state-of-the art facility in Collinsville, IL, about 10 miles from its current location. That facility will be certified by the American Institute of Baking. "It's clean and green, with very sanitary conditions and climate-controlled manufacturing