Earlier this month, Parkhurst hosted its first Virtual Food Show under the leadership of Jamie Moore, Director of Sourcing and Sustainability, and Tim Fetter, Executive Chef at Duquesne University. Chefs and culinarians from across the footprint attended to discuss and share ideas around a variety of topics, ranging from current trends to challenges related to COVID-19 restrictions. 

The highlight of the event was undeniably the chance for Parkhurst chefs to interface with some new and longstanding vendors. In turn, these vendors were able to highlight their products and share their stories. The first but certainly not the last of its kind, this memorable get-together marked the beginning of countless upcoming opportunities to spark those authentic Parkhurst relationships, using innovative ways to bridge gaps between state lines and state (safety) guidelines. 

In Harvest joined us to talk about their suite of Allergen free grain products. This family-owned and operated business based out of Bemidji, Minnesota empowers our chefs with peace of mind when ordering products for our Inspired Eats program, which utilizes designated recipes that are completely free of the top eight allergens. They also offer specialty grains that may otherwise be difficult to source, and are a wealth of knowledge for utilizing them in unique recipes, with Jay Z (Jay Ziobrowski), Corporate Chef showing us some in the Zoom screenshot below.

We featured B-Free Foods’ breads, rolls, and wraps next, which are free from the top 8 allergens, and are the only bread products approved for our Inspired Eats program. B-Free is a family-owned company based in Dublin, Ireland, but they have production facilities here in the states as well. Our team was thrilled to learn about the extremely high level of care that goes into creating their products.

Righteous Felons Beef Jerky was one of our first Forged Partners, and their high-quality product is truly unique. During the process of making Jerky, some pieces are too small to be included in their retail bag, so they spoke to chefs about ways to incorporate their new Ends & Pieces product into recipes to truly elevate dishes (and avoid waste!).   

Goat Rodeo is an artisan goat cheese producer and one of our FarmSource partners based just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. They’re eager to expand their footprint, so this mutually beneficial gathering allowed them to reach Parkhurst chefs from all over the region, as well as pique our culinarians’ interests in the unique goat cheese goods available to them.

After the overwhelming success of this first show, a second one has already been scheduled. As we continue to learn about life in “the new normal”, connecting over food will always be a constant at Parkhurst Dining.