This September 5th to the 8th the Idaho Potato Commission, along with several other groups based in Idaho, is sponsoring a terrific educational opportunity for ICCA chefs to learn more about the Snake river region and its unique foodservice applications. All expenses for ICCA members will be paid in full. Fly into Sun Valley on Wednesday and finish up in Boise Friday night. Depart home on Saturday or enjoy the area over the weekend. If you need to justify the trip to someone in your organization just give them this list: Dine at the Sun Valley Resort during the off season and see how they attract customers with activities such as the Jazz festival Tour Clear Springs Foods and learn about the science of farm raising trout. See the sturgeon project View potato processing at Rite Stuff Foods where they can custom make formulas for frozen twice baked potato skins and boats as well as mashed potatoes or frozen whole potatoes Tour potato and onion fields during the harvest (Note, Idaho grows nearly one third of all the russet potatoes and is expanding the acreage of varieties such as the keuka gold, the huckleberry and the purple russet) See Nunhems Seed company and find out what is going to be new with varieties of fruits and vegetables in the near future Have a dinner prepared by Life’s Kitchen, an innovative non profit culinary school that teaches young adults about life skills to get them back on track by exposing them to a career in the foodservice industry Enjoy the affordable wines from Idaho, great by the glass selections such as Ste. Chapelle on the Sunny Slope Valley – including their dessert or after dinner ice wines Taste Snake River Farms American Kobe Beef Listen to the foremost potato French fry expert, Greg Shannon, tell you about water blanching potatoes, what varieties work best for house made fries, etc. RSVP to Kevin Ryan, in the ICCA national headquarters at (407) 539-1459 or e-mail iccamember@earthlink.net or contact Sherise Jones at (208) 631-6160 onionjones@cableone.net or Don Odiorne, Vice President Foodservice for the Idaho Potato Commission (208) 334-2350 phone or e-mail dodiorne@potato.idaho.gov. Don’t miss out on a unique opportunity to see the inner North West and the foods and beverages available from Idaho (Oh, did we mention the vodka made with potatoes???) 