(Watsonville, CA – March 6, 2018) Watsonville, CA – California Giant Berry Farms has launched a national promotion inviting foodservice companies to participate in a Top Chef Invitational event in Monterey this summer.  This is a first of its kind promotion for the company, and they hope to see wide ranging participation in the foodservice industry to commemorate this first annual event.

The Top Chef Invitational was announced this weekend at the Southeastern Produce Council conference in Tampa, Florida to customers in attendance, and further invitations will be shared this week by California Giant’s Director of Foodservice, Tom Smith.  The goal of the program is to further cement relationships with key members of the foodservice industry and recognize their talented chefs that create innovative recipes with California Giant brand berries.

“We are very excited about this new event and the opportunity for California Giant to collaborate with our foodservice partners and their chefs!  Anytime we can bring individuals together from every walk of life throughout the supply chain, we are going to learn from one another and build upon it.” Says Tom Smith, Director of Foodservice.

The promotion will run throughout the Spring as foodservice partners submit candidates to be chosen for the finalist positions.  From the pool of finalists, a selection of the industry’s top chefs will be invited to the beautiful Tehama Golf Club in Monterey, California July 8 – 10, 2018 where they will each re-create their winning recipes to be presented to our esteemed panel of judges for the title of Top Chef.  Finalists will also participate in private field tours and events with California Giant farmers in the area.

“I especially look forward to hosting this group for a tour of our farms as I love to witness the first time someone tries a fresh strawberry from the field – their eyes just light up and a smile appears on their face.  I believe I’ll have a similar experience when I try our berries in the chefs’ created dishes once we get to the competition kitchen,” adds Smith.

Details about the promotion can be obtained by contacting Tom Smith at tsmith@calgiant.com.

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