FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ICEBERG BABIES™ PUT THE SIZZLE BACK IN ICEBERG LETTUCE
Available Exclusively from Boggiatto Produce at Booth #7558

SALINAS, CA, May 4, 2005 – Boggiatto Produce, Inc., well-known for its Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine, will introduce Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies™ at this year’s National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, May 21-24. 

No bigger than a softball, these diminutive gems are expected to hit a grand slam in restaurants across the country – and they’re only available from Boggiatto Produce. Fresh from the fields of Steinbeck Country, Iceberg Babies™ are sure to provide the Wow! factor that will delight diners from coast to coast.

Iceberg lettuce, once the centerpiece of every salad, lost ground in recent years to romaine and leaf lettuces.  For awhile, iceberg just wasn’t cool! That’s all changed with Iceberg Babies™.  Grown with proprietary seed and techniques in the rich, fertile valleys of California, they’re carefully nurtured and cultivated to produce a moderately dense head. Their youth makes Iceberg Babies™ sweeter and more flavorful than conventional iceberg, yet they have the same incredible crunch and texture that originally made iceberg lettuce a favorite. 

Their star quality lies in the size and versatility that throws open the doors to boundless culinary creativity.  Here are just a few ideas:

· Fill it! Remove the cap and scoop out the center to create a bowl.  Fill with favorite salad ingredients, a chilled soup or even a hot entrée.

· Build it! Remove the stem, core like conventional head lettuce, and slice off the cap so it sits level on the plate.  Insert vegetables in a vertical bouquet to create an architectural delight.

· Slice it! Slice horizontally into rosettes and arrange in a bowl with other vegetables for an eye-catching presentation of the traditional tossed salad.

· Wrap it! Use individual leaves as perfect, bite-sized wraps for appetizers and small plate favorites.

· Wedge it! Cut into baby wedges and arrange on the plate, pairing each wedge with a different ingredient or dressing.

“Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies™ have been in development for more than a year,” stated Michael Boggiatto, president and general manager of Boggiatto Produce, Inc. “We’ve worked with leading chefs from across the country to grow a product with the ideal flavor, size and density and we’re proud to introduce it to the world at the NRA Show!”

 Iceberg Babies™ are available through produce distributors across the United States. Additional information about Boggiatto’s other fresh produce, including their award-winning Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine and Coastal Globe™ artichokes, is available at the company website at www.boggiatto.com.  Foodservice recipes, developed by Chef Beat Giger, CEC, AAC, corporate chef of the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts, are also available. Recipes and information about Iceberg Babies™ will go live on the site May 21^st.

            Based in Salinas, California, the “Salad Bowl of the World,” Boggiatto Produce, Inc. was established in 1989 as a fresh produce shipper. In 1992, the company pioneered the growing, packing and shipping of hearts of romaine and today, its Garden Hearts® label is the undisputed industry leader. Available to foodservice operations throughout the United States, Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine are the young, sweet and tender, inner leaves that are harvested from mature heads of romaine lettuce, providing superior body and crunch to regular romaine, as well as superior shelf life. In addition to Garden Hearts® hearts of romaine and Garden Hearts® Iceberg Babies™, the company ships a line of approximately 60 fresh produce items.

 

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CONTACT: Cindy Railing, APR Railing & Associates 510-885-1952 [email protected]