TORONTO, CANADA -- Within the foodservice industry in Canada, burgers are a popular entrée item and remain a staple on restaurant menus. And now, thanks to broad appeal, the trusty burger has provided foodservice operators here an opportunity for flavor innovation.
Award-winning Chef Keith Pears, the executive chef at W Hotel in downtown Toronto, created a new burger recipe featuring crispy rice cakes in place of the traditional burger bun (see
USA Rice Daily, July 25, 2022).
Chef Pears shared his step-by-step process for the fun, nutritious twist on a burger via Instagram, and the reel, called “Spicy Tuna Poké Rice Sandwich,” has garnered 226,800 organic impressions, 204,700 paid impressions, and more than 550 engagements to date on social media. USA Rice Canada also added the recipe to its website to raise additional awareness of the versatility of U.S. rice.
“There is interest from professional chefs and home cooks alike in adapting classic meals – like the burger – into modern and elevated dishes that utilize new techniques and flavors,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice director of international promotion. “USA Rice Canada is working alongside accomplished chefs here to create recipes that provide delicious and memorable experiences in kitchens across Canada.”
Grigsby recently met with Chef Pears at Skylight, the W Hotel’s rooftop restaurant that serves Mediterranean-inspired fare. She sampled several original dishes created by Chef Pears with U.S.-grown rice as the main ingredient including a sweet saffron and pomegranate rice and sushi wraps.
Grigsby also visited FarmBoy and Longo’s, two popular Canadian retail supermarkets that sell U.S. rice. Longo’s carries a selection of ready-to-eat meals with a USA Rice logo featured prominently on the packaging.
Finally, Grigsby attended a virtual meeting with two members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service in Canada, Agricultural Attaché Tyler Babcock and Marketing Specialist Aurela Delibashi, to discuss the remaining promotions USA Rice has planned in Canada for the rest of this year.
Canada is the fifth largest export market for the United States, consuming more than 230,000 tons of U.S. rice (nearly $200 million) on an annual basis. Exports in the first six months of 2022 are up 13 percent, at 125,000 tons, when compared with the same time period in 2021.