Food Entrepreneurs Can Discover Their Culinary Talents at Blue Ridge Food Ventures
advantagewest economic development group, blue ridge food ventures, business, food, independent restaurants, mary lou surgi, mustard gelato, north carolina department of agriculture, theros extra virgin olive oil,
Ever heard of a white chocolate pumpkin spice marshmallow? How about mustard gelato?
These creative, new foods are just a sampling of many new products being developed by food entrepreneurs at Blue Ridge Food Ventures, an initiative of AdvantageWest Economic Development Group and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.
“We provide a well-equipped facility and commercial kitchen for food entrepreneurs who want to try their hand with a food product but usually work other jobs and don’t have the capital they need,” says Mary Lou Surgi, executive director of Blue Ridge Food Ventures. “We also have packaging and label design help. We do a lot of hand-holding.”
Blue Ridge Food Ventures began in 2002 with discussions about how AdvantageWest and the Department of Agriculture could help food entrepreneurs turn their ideas into reality.
“We’re known in the agriculture community because we provide opportunities for farmers to create value-added food products,” Surgi says. “They can take their tomatoes and make tomato sauce or take their apples and make apple pies. It gives them a longer season, and they have a fresh, locally made product to sell.”
The organization isn’t just for farmers. Anybody with a novel food idea can take advantage of it.
“A lady makes wonderful homemade marshmallows, and we also have someone making bamboo pickles from bamboo shoots,” Surgi says. “A family from Greece bottles olive oil here, and a Mexican family makes Mexican breads.”
Several caterers and bakers also work out of the facility because they can’t legally produce food products in their home kitchens.
The best part about Surgi’s job?
“The tasting,” she says with a laugh. “I came by the kitchen last night and had a fresh raspberry marshmallow. And someone else gave me a raw chocolate espresso bean truffle this morning.”
Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by Ian Curcio
