Potatoes USA Hosts FNCEFriday, Showcasing Potato Flavors and the Spud Lab for Nutrition Influencers

Potatoes USA hosted more than 100 influencers, including registered dietitian nutritionists from all over the country, at our headquarters in Denver for FNCEFriday on October 6.

FNCEFriday is a special event for nutrition influencers that’s been held the past seven years on the evening before the official start of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Food and Nutrition Conference and Exposition (FNCE).

Chef RJ Harvey, Director of Culinary at Potatoes USA, and Executive Sous Chef Aurora Hollenbeck showed off the Spud Lab and cooked up a mouthwatering menu including:

• Vietnamese spring rolls with lamb, pickled red potatoes, fresh mint, Thai basil, toasted peanuts and a sweet chili nuoc cham dressing paired with a Napa Valley chardonnay
• Lemon pepper grilled Alaskan salmon on warm Greek-style potato salad with feta crumbles, Kalamata olives, capers, dill and charred tomato vinaigrette 
• 18-hour braised lamb shoulder on grilled flatbread with yogurt sauce, harissa, olive oil poached creamer potatoes, arugula and preserved Meyer lemons paired with a Napa Valley zinfandel

The event gave Potatoes USA a chance to demonstrate the nearly unlimited flavors that potatoes can deliver while educating the audience on their nutritional benefits. Many participants called this FNCEFriday “the highlight of the conference.”

Other sponsors included General Mills, the American Lamb Board and Danone.