Original Article Here by Keith Loria

Gold Coast Packing, Inc., based in Santa Maria, CA, is looking forward to attending the PMA Foodservice show this year, and as always, has some big plans for its involvement.

The company invites people to come over to Booth No. 1006, where it will be serving up hash, as well as its complete lineup of value-added vegetables and herbs and salad kits.

“This year we will be showcasing our new Gold Coast Veggie Hash and showing the foodservice world that hash isn’t just for breakfast,” said Crystal Chavez, marketing coordinator for the company. “Our hash is a blend of gold beets, kohlrabi and fennel. It comes washed, cubed and ready to use. Our new versatile hash can be sautéed and served up as the perfect dinner side dish next to your favorite steak, or it can be roasted and placed over a bed of your favorite greens for lunch or it can be grilled up next to your morning eggs.”

Gold Coast Packing finds that PMA is the perfect opportunity to highlight new innovations and connect easily with those in the foodservice industry — important aspects for the company to maintain its success.

“We enjoy sharing what we’ve been working on and getting feedback on our newest offerings from attendees,” Chavez said. “It’s a great event and one that the team looks forward to each year.”

The Gold Coast Packing team has been growing, with the company expanding in recent months. Chavez noted that adding to the team and bringing so much industry talent together to grow the company has made it an exciting time.

“We are working to grow our retail line, and many exciting things are in the works for us,” she said.

Located in the Santa Maria Valley, nestled on the central coast, the company grows, processes and packs an assortment of value-added vegetables all-year round and partners with other growing operations locally and process in its state-of-the-art processing plant, Fresh Venture Foods, which it co-owns with Babe Farms.

White Chavez admits the beginning of 2017 has presented some challenges, the company sees a brighter second half of the year ahead.

“It was a tough spring with tight supply after a very wet winter. We faced some challenges with low supply of some of our items,” she said. “We are looking forward to the rest of 2017, now that our supply is better.”

Summer is in full swing; warmer weather has arrived and the delicious smell of BBQ and grilling has filled the air. You’re probably thinking, wait you highlighted grilling last month, yes, that’s right, we did. We shared how grilling is now a spotlight method for preparing meals, especially among millennials, but, we haven’t had our fill of grilling yet. Plus, the best of summer is still to come, so we want to share more grilling recipes and methods with you. So, stay a while, read on, because we are about to share with you our favorite items to throw on the grill, and we’re not talking burgers and hot dogs, we’re talking Veggies, yes you are reading correctly! VEGETABLES!

Vegetables are often forgotten when planning BBQs. Of course, they make an appearance at your cookout, but they are the side dish, the add on, the afterthought, we’re talking about making your grilled veggies the focal point, the center of your plate. Veggie Centric meals is one of the biggest trends amongst millennials and home chefs, and what’s an easier way to make your meal heavy on vegetables than grilling. Grilling your produce is the best way to go this summer, for so many reasons, it’s a healthy way to cook, it adds a smoky flavor to your veggies, prep work is almost non-existent, and clean-up is a breeze! But let’s be honest, the greatest reason to grill is because, when temperatures heat up why would you want to stand in front of a hot stove or oven to make your meals? Use your Grill!!

Here at Gold Coast we like to be adventurous and try different vegetables on the grill, our favorites are NOT your usual squash and bell peppers. No Sir! We like to cook Broccoli and Cauliflower over that open fire. It gets a nice char and a great sweet smoky flavor! Trust us on this one you will not be disappointed. We offer both broccoli and cauliflower florets here at Gold Coast in various pack sizes. Our florets are cut to the perfect skewering size (super perfect for the grill), washed and ready for your summer recipes.

For this month’s recipe, we are keeping it a little on the simple side, but packed with flavor. We have skewered our favorite crucifers, basted them with a little olive oil (the key to perfectly grilled veggies is ALWAYS brushing with a little oil), lightly seasoned them and then laid them on the grill. But, because we love flavor and because we love Cilantro, we didn’t stop there. Oh No! We made a super tasty Cilantro Chimichurri sauce to add a kick to our favorite grilled vegetables. This easy to make sauce can be used as a marinade for grilled meats, as a salsa for tacos, or anything you want the Cilantro zest with a slight spicy kick.

So as the temperatures heat up this summer, step outside to cook your meals and remember to move your veggies to the center of your plate. Our easy to follow recipe is in the video below, but if a printed version is more your thing, that can also be found with our video. Thanks for sticking with The Produce Navigator, and enjoy using your grill this summer.

Recipe Here: Grilled Broccoli & Cauliflower Chicken Skewers wCilantro Chimichurri