OYTEN, GERMANY – USA Rice organized a tasting event here last week in cooperation with Kreyenhop & Kluge, a major U.S. rice importer and Asian ethnic food wholesaler in Germany. The exclusive event, hosted in the company’s newly built demonstration kitchen, welcomed 10 invited guests, including selected members of the Kreyenhop & Kluge sales team and key accounts and wholesale customers of their U.S. rice brand.
Prior to the tasting, Quiny Nguyen, Kreyenhop & Kluge Brand & Product Marketing Manager, and Eszter Somogyi, USA Rice Director Europe, Middle East and Africa, delivered presentations on the unique qualities and advantages of California Calrose rice for wholesale and foodservice customers. They highlighted the rice’s soft, moist texture and natural stickiness, as well as its exceptional versatility across a wide range of applications, such as sushi, bibimbap, grain bowls, and contemporary warm rice dishes.
To demonstrate these qualities in practice, Chef André Gerdes prepared an innovative four-course menu featuring California Calrose rice as the star ingredient in a wide range of dishes, including baked rice with hamachi tartare and wild herbs, rice praline with a regional vegetable vinaigrette, classic risotto with Wagyu beef, and a rice dessert with creamy coconut milk and fresh mango.
The menu aimed to showcase the adaptability of U.S. medium-grain rice across savory and sweet applications, as well as its ability to deliver excellent texture and flavor in both traditional and modern culinary concepts.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. The event strengthened awareness of U.S. rice among key trade partners, offered a valuable platform for understanding the priorities for wholesale and foodservice customers, and provided valuable inspiration for future menu concepts and product applications.