ARLINGTON, VA – The latest episode of
The Rice Stuff podcast is available now and features a behind the scenes look at how USA Rice interacts with restaurants as they work to expand the reach and increase usage of U.S.-grown rice.
Foodservice industry guru Kevin Gross, who is the founder of CSSI Culinary Marketing, one of the leading foodservice agencies in the world, joins the podcast to share his insights into this vital industry that has been hammered over the past 12 months by the coronavirus pandemic. Also joining the show is CSSI R&D Chef Carl Schwartz who develops rice recipes for restaurants on behalf of USA Rice and is a main liaison to the foodservice industry for rice.
“With about a quarter of all U.S. rice headed directly into foodservice, the restaurant industry as a whole is one of our most important customers,” said Cameron Jacobs, director of domestic promotion for USA Rice who is also on the podcast. “Understanding what they need and serving as a resource for them is critical, which is why we have a longstanding relationship with CSSI and why I was so happy to be on the show with Kevin and Chef Carl.”
Show cohosts Michael Klein and Lesley Dixon asked Chef Carl how he goes about developing recipes, asked Kevin to predict the next big trend in restaurants, and talked about their own time working in the foodservice industry.
“One of the things we work hard to do is get more U.S.-grown rice on menus around the country,” said Klein, who is also the vice president of domestic promotion for USA Rice. “Kevin and Chef Carl pull back the curtain on how they help us do it and it was eye opening!”
New episodes of
The Rice Stuff are published on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month and can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. All episodes and additional information can be found on the podcast’s dedicated website at
thericestuffpodcast.com. The site includes a “Podcast 101” section on the “About” page for people new to the medium and a means to reach out to the show hosts and guests via the “Talk to Us” button.