Oct 29 2021
0

Iceberg and Romaine Alert!

By | Produce Market Report, Uncategorized

Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce Alert!

Extreme rain in the growing areas has caused delays in harvesting iceberg and romaine lettuces. Farmers are unable to harvest when it is raining and the heavy rains led to very muddy fields. You can see in the pic below how the equipment has left deep ruts in the fields due to the muddy conditions.

lettuce fields 2.jpg

We will be extremely tight on all processed lettuce products. 
This includes:
Chopped and shredded romaine
Chopped and shredded iceberg
Tossed salad mix

We will also be tight on whole heads of both iceberg and romaine. If you have the ability to substitute spring mix or spinach for these products, we strongly advise you to do so as your orders will be allocated or shorted as we will not have product to sell. 

We expect this situation to continue for up to 3 weeks. Our orders will continue to be cut, allocated, or delayed meaning your orders will be cut or allocated as well.

We sincerely appreciate your patience and continued business. 

What Chefs Want team

Oct 22 2021
0

Iceberg Lettuce Alert

By | Product Alert!

Iceberg Lettuce Alert     

Iceberg lettuce is going to be in extreme market conditions over the next few weeks.  This will affect whole iceberg heads as well as all processed iceberg including shredded, chopped, and tossed salad mixes.

Our orders are currently being cut to 15-20% of what has been ordered. 

Extreme weather patterns recently including extreme heat followed by a cold snap, winds, and heavy rain are causing lower crop yields. 

We expect this shortage to continue for about 4 weeks.

We strongly encourage substituting spinach or spring mix for iceberg lettuce products.

Thank you for your patience and continued business,

What Chefs Want team

Oct 22 2021
3

Our Latest Produce Market Report: October 22, 2021

By | Chef's Feed, Produce, Produce Market Report, Products, What Chefs Want

Produce Market Report for October 22, 2021

Peeled Garlic Alert! Supply issues domestically and import issues are causing an extreme market for peeled garlic. Expect to see high prices (around $150/case) in the week ahead. Shorts and prorates are likely.

Mushrooms: Extreme market for all mushrooms, esp. cremini and oyster. Expect shortages through the end of the year.

  • Apples: Steady
  • Asparagus: Coming down
  • Avocados: Steady
  • Bananas: Steady
  • Broccoli: Remains very high, shorts and lower quality continues
  • Cauliflower: Up $6
  • Celery: Steady
  • Corn: Remains tight and higher price
  • Cucumbers: Steady
  • Grapes: Steady
  • Lemons: Steady
  • Lettuce: All lettuce products are way up in price!
  • Limes: Steady
  • Melons: Honeydew remain higher
  • Onions: Steady. We are NOT affected by the current onion recall.
  • Peppers: Red peppers remain stronger
  • Potatoes: Stabilizing
  • Shallots: Very high
  • Squash: Steady
  • Strawberries: Steady
  • Tomatoes: Remain higher
Oct 20 2021
1

Mushroom Alert!

By | Produce, Produce Market Report, Product Alert!

We are beginning to see shortages in mushrooms. Our suppliers are currently cutting our orders by 10 – 100%.

The top reasons for the shortages from our vendors are:

  • Continued labor shortages, particularly for harvesting
  • Production reduced to match labor on hand
  • Shortage of raw materials to grow mushrooms
  • Weather changes

Unfortunately, our vendors do not expect this situation to improve before January, 2022.

Currently the hardest hit mushrooms are crimini and oyster, but all mushrooms are affected by the shortages and the shortages will continue.

There have been cuts on sliced mushrooms as well as different sizes of white mushrooms.

Your mushroom orders may be subbed, shorted, or allocated. If you have the option of subbing a different type of mushroom that may be in stock, please do so. Our WOW Center can help you determine which mushrooms are in stock. Text them at 502-587-9012.

We are doing all we can to procure as many mushrooms and varieties as we can. We appreciate your patience and continued business.

What Chefs Want Team

Oct 08 2021
0

Alert! Broccoli Florets

By | Produce

Quality of broccoli out of California has been poor for a few weeks now. This is due to wet mornings followed by hot sun causing pin rot (browning of the stems) to progress rapidly.

Mexico has had a lot of rain in their growing region, which has caused delays in harvesting. Both factors have caused heavy allocations from the shippers and the product that is coming in is marginal in quality.

Expect high prices, shorts, and lower quality for the next month.

Oct 07 2021
1

Item of the Day: Jalapeno Jack Cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

By | Cheese, Chef's Feed, Dairy, Gourmet Cheese, Hors d'oeuvre, Item of the Day, Products, Salads, Southern Foods, What Chefs Want

Jalapeno Jack Cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese

Origin: Kenny’s (Austin, Kentucky)


Product Details: This monterey jack is speckled with medium-spiced red and green jalapeno peppers, giving just enough spice to the creamy original.


Producer Bio: Kenny’s Farmhouse cheeses are made by hand from raw cows milk – using purebred cows raised with no artificial hormones in Austin, Kentucky.

Item 91898 – 5 lb. block