Bill Wilkinson, a San Francisco foodservice wholesaler, died Monday, July 19, of melanoma at his home in San Francisco. He was 68. At the time of his death, Mr. Wilkinson was co-owner of Greenleaf on the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market. He bought the company in 1993 and built it into one of the top suppliers of produce, especially to the hotel foodservice industry, which was his first love. For a quarter of a century, Mr. Wilkinson ran some of the top hotels and kitchens in California and worked with some of the state's better-known chefs. He opened and ran Campton Place in San

"We continue to expand our artisan lettuce, living lettuce and artisan red onion lines," Rick Antle, chief executive officer for Tanimura & Antle Inc. in Salinas, CA, told The Produce News. “These items are well suited to foodservice because of the great creativity they offer to chefs. The artisan lettuce is a blend of Gem, Tango and Oak lettuce varieties. For foodservice, we offer them in a nine-pound pack.” Mr. Antle explained that the artisan lettuces are fully mature, so they provide better flavor, texture and body than baby lettuces. Tanimura & Antle's living lettuce is a Boston variety

Gilroy, CA-based Christopher Ranch, a mainstay exhibitor at the Produce Marketing Association's Foodservice Conference & Exposition, will have both a new product and new packaging on display at this year’s show. Christopher Ranch’s new product -- green garlic -- is garlic harvested during its growing stage, before the bulbing stage. Until now, consumers seeking green garlic mostly relied on farmer’ markets for the item. Patsy Ross, Christopher Ranch’s vice president of marketing, told The Produce News July 7 that she believes Christopher Ranch is the first garlic grower to offer packaged

Jeff Olsen, vice president of The Chuck Olsen Co. Inc., headquartered in Visalia, CA, said that the company will be introducing a few new pack styles for its citrus and grape lines at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Exposition, scheduled for July 30 to Aug. 1 in Monterey, CA. The company will be exhibiting at expo booth No. 6. "We will also be promoting our consolidation services at the exposition," Mr. Olsen told The Produce News. “We do a lot of consolidating in the Salinas Valley. We also have a facility in Phoenix, Arizona, and we operate seasonally from both

Steve Church, director of operations for Church Brothers LLC in Salinas, CA, told The Produce News that the company will be demonstrating its newly launched "Teen Green" leaf lettuce at expo booth No. 18 at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference & Exposition in Monterey, CA, set for July 30 to Aug. 1. “Our 'Teen Green' lettuce leaves are sized perfectly for sandwiches and burger buns,” said Mr. Church. “We remove the whole leaves from the butt of the head and stack them. We have been selling the item to one customer for about three months with great results, and now we are

WASHINGTON -- The architect of the Obama administration's buy local movement, one of the more important deal-makers in the U.S. Senate, and one of the more recognizable faces in the House of Representatives will address attendees at the United Fresh Produce Association's Washington Public Policy Conference this September. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan will speak at the conference's Wednesday, Sept. 15, keynote general breakfast session, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) will address congressional visit attendees after Wednesday's luncheon session, and House Minority Leader John